Pylon Reenactment Society

Last updated
Pylon Reenactment Society
Origin Athens, Georgia, United States
Genres New wave, post-punk, jangle pop, alternative rock, funk rock
Years active2014-present
LabelsPRS for Chunklet Industries
Strolling Bones Records
Members Vanessa Briscoe Hay
Jason NeSmith
Gregory Sanders
Kay Stanton
Past membersDamon Denton
Joe Rowe
Website https://www.pylonreenactmentsociety.com

Pylon Reenactment Society is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia.

Contents

Since 2014, Vanessa Briscoe Hay, who was the singer of Pylon, has fronted the Pylon Reenactment Society, aka PRS, a band featuring members of more recent Athens bands like The Glands and Casper & the Cookies who perform the music of Pylon and now are writing and recording original material. [1] [2]

In a 2016 Portland Mercury interview, Hay said, "It's been inspirational, if that's the right word, to be able to play this music again. I really don't want people to forget Pylon. These are different people and we are re-enacting this experience, so it's not exactly Pylon, but it's fresh and done in the same spirit".

In October 2017, Pylon Reenactment Society self-released an EP that was initially recorded on December 11, 2016 for broadcast in Los Angeles, California for DJ Michael Stock's Part Time Punks KXLU show, titled Part Time Punks Session. [3] [4]

Hay was named one of the “25 Best Frontwomen of All Time” by Paste Magazine in March 2018. [5]

Pylon Reenactment Society released a 7-inch single with two brand-new songs, “Messenger” backed with “Cliff Notes” in late November 2018. Critic Falling James noted the new release in his LA Times article for upcoming shows in the LA area: “The A-side is an intriguing track as Hay purrs enigmatically over a rubbery bass line and sliced-up guitar accents, emphasizing that the charismatic vocalist's worldview is just as (post)modern as ever.” [6]

On May 28, 2019, Pylon Reenactment Society performed at Primavera Sound 2019 in Barcelona, Spain upon a brand new stage sponsored by Heineken just for cult artists. [7]

On September 29, 2023 Pylon Reenactment Society announced the release of their debut album, ‘Magnet Factory’, which came out February 9, 2024 on Strolling Bones Records. It was produced by Briscoe Hay and NeSmith and recorded by David Barbe (Drive-by Truckers) and Tom Ashton (March Violets). ‘Magnet Factory’ features nine originals and two unrecorded Pylon tunes from their earliest days. Met with critical acclaim, Uncut Magazine awarded the album an 8/10 rating in the March 2024 issue, saying “Magnet Factory finds the quartet in scintillating form, shifting smartly between angular noise-pop and nervy punk-funk, topped with Hay’s spiky vocals… a terrific debut from American post-punk veterans.” The Associated Press said, “...Briscoe Hay remains a distinctive, boundary-defying songwriter… Amid the algorithm-driven din that now fills earbuds, Magnet Factory sounds as fresh as Pylon first did… from start to finish, the band is an irresistible blend of simplicity and synchronicity, the music both edgy and therapeutic.” [8]

“3 x 3,” was the album Magnet Factory’s first digital single / video. “3 x 3” was originally written by Pylon (band) back in 1979,” Vanessa tells us. “We had fun playing it live, but it didn’t make the cut for Gyrate and fell by the wayside. During subsequent reunions, it sometimes crept back into our set, but was never formally recorded. Pylon Reenactment Society rediscovered it, started playing it live, and have made this bouncy little earworm our own.” [9] October 27, 2023 found the debut of a digital single and video for “Flowers Everywhere in Magnet Magazine, an online magazine. ”The “Flowers Everywhere” video was directed by Dan Aguar, who worked on “Can’t Get There From Here” and “The One I Love” as well as other ’80s MTV classics.” [10] A non album holiday single “Christmas Daze” debuted December 1, 2023 in Under The Radar magazine. Their review reads “ “Christmas Daze” is a brisk and understated effort, one that meditates on the lonely side of the holiday but also brims with a welcoming energy. Briscoe Hay’s vocals are warm and lilting while the rhythm section brings the track along at a steady propulsive pace, carried by an ever-present bass riff and shimmering bursts of guitar. The lush washes of guitar and tambourine that accent the song feel like Christmas lights going on and off, punctuating the track’s lyrics with cozy swells of melody and gentle rays of hope.” [11] On January 19, 2024 the video for the single “Fix It,” featuring vocals from Kate Pierson of The B-52’s, premiered in Paste Magazine. The video was directed by Dominic DeJoseph (R.E.M., Arthur Buck). “I’ve been a B-52’s fan since the first time I saw them, which was their third show ever,” Briscoe Hay says. “They were always supportive of Pylon. When I saw their final show in Athens, it struck me that Kate would be perfect for that particular song. It was such an honor to have one of my all time musical heroes sing on our song.” [12] On January 9, 2024 in conjunction with the release of ‘Magnet Factory’, a video for “Heaven (In Your Eyes)” was released. The song was written by Pylon (band) in 1979, but never formally recorded in the studio. The video \ short was directed by Professor of Film at Augusta University, Matthew Buzzell. Buzzell is perhaps best known for his documentaries for indie band Luna (band) and legendary jazz balladeer Jimmy Scott. Director Buzzell notes, “The opportunity to create something for Vanessa and the band is truly an honor. It has also afforded me the incredible opportunity to forge a small tie to Pylon, a band so very important and so very dear to me.” [13]

Discography

EPs & Singles

Albums

Video

Related Research Articles

Love of Diagrams are an Australian indie rock band formed in 2001. Their sound is characterised by a mix of energetic drumming, angular guitar and bass riffs, and call-and-response vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Man or Astro-man?</span> American surf rock group

"Man or Astro-man?" is an American surf rock group that was formed in Auburn, Alabama in the early 1990s and came to prominence over the following decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pylon (band)</span> American new wave/post-punk band

Pylon was an American new wave/post-punk band from Athens, Georgia, United States. The band's danceable sound, a blend of new wave, post-punk, jangle pop, alternative rock and funk rock, influenced the Athens music scene and the 1980s American pop underground. AllMusic wrote that Pylon's "role as elder statesmen of the alternative rock explosion is unassailable".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transmission (song)</span> 1979 song by Joy Division

"Transmission" is a song by English post-punk band Joy Division. Originally recorded in 1978 for the band's aborted self-titled album, it was later re-recorded the following year at a faster tempo and released by record label Factory as the band's debut single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crime (band)</span> American punk band

Crime was an early American punk band from San Francisco, California, United States. The band was formed in 1976 by Johnny Strike, Frankie Fix, Ron "The Ripper" Greco, and Ricky Tractor (drums). Their debut, the self-financed double A-side, "Hot Wire My Heart" and "Baby You're So Repulsive", appeared at the end of 1976, and is the first single released by a U.S. punk act from the West Coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squirrel Bait</span> American punk rock band

Squirrel Bait was an American punk rock band from Louisville, Kentucky active from 1983 to 1987. Squirrel Bait's dense, moody, melodic hardcore sound, featuring pronounced tempo shifts, foreshadowed the grunge sound of the late 1980s as well as math rock. Squirrel Bait, along with Hüsker Dü, are often noted as precursors to the emocore sound that arose from the D.C. hardcore punk scene with bands like Rites of Spring, Beefeater and Fugazi.

Squirrel Bait signaled the second coming of American punk – bands of little brothers and sisters who got to grow up on Black Flag and Hüsker Dü without a preparatory course in Supertramp. ... Like a hundred other little Düs across the country, Squirrel Bait managed to make a couple of records before spintering off to form five more bands. Unlike most of that punk rock loam, the members of Squirrel Bait chewed up their legacy and shat out something curious and consequential.

<i>Fix Me</i>

Fix Me is the debut studio album by Canadian rock band Marianas Trench, released on October 3, 2006.

Tar was an American post-hardcore band, formed in 1988 in Chicago. Throughout their career they released four studio albums, two extended plays, and a number of singles before breaking up in 1995. They were known for their dry sense of humor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanessa Briscoe Hay</span> American singer and songwriter

Vanessa Briscoe Hay is an American singer for the Athens, Georgia bands Pylon, Supercluster and Pylon Reenactment Society.

Michael Scott Lachowski was the bass guitar player for Pylon, a band from Athens, Georgia. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and attended the University of Georgia art school. He and his roommate Randy Bewley formed Pylon, recruiting Curtis Crowe as a drummer, and Vanessa Briscoe Hay, a fellow student at the University of Georgia. They recorded the single "Cool/Dub", an album Gyrate, an EP, another album Chomp, and two singles. Pylon toured the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom before breaking up in 1983. They returned to tour again in 1988, and recorded another album, Chain, in 1990, before breaking up again in 1991. Pylon reformed in 2005 and occasionally performed until 2009, when Bewley died. Their first album, Gyrate Plus, was reissued on October 16, 2007, by DFA Records, New York City. In 2009, Chomp More was also reissued by DFA Records.

Randall Eugene Bewley was the guitarist for the Athens, Georgia, band Pylon. Born in Bradenton, Florida, United States. He lived in Sarasota, Florida, Washington, DC and near Atlanta, Georgia while growing up. Bewley attended the University of Georgia art school where he met Michael Lachowski, a fellow art student. They became roommates and decided to form a band. He and Lachowski, along with fellow art students Vanessa Briscoe Hay and Curtis Crowe, formed Pylon, having their first performance in 1979. On their first trip to New York City, they were reviewed in Interview Magazine.

Supercluster is a recording project that formed during 2007 in Athens, Georgia. It includes musicians from the Athens, Georgia bands New Sound Of Numbers, Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars, Casper & the Cookies, Of Montreal, Circulatory System and Pylon, along with Elephant 6 recording artist John Fernandes. Members presently include Hannah M. Jones, Bob Hay, Bill David, Kay Stanton, Bryan Poole, Vanessa Briscoe Hay, Jason NeSmith and John Fernandes. Alumni include Randy Bewley (deceased), Heather McIntosh, Will Cullen Hart and Peter Erchick. Supercluster play what they term "Appalachian Wave." For a brief period they were known as FFFM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Hay (musician)</span> American songwriter

Bob Hay born Robert Donald Hay, Jr. on January 28, 1950, is an American songwriter and the multi-instrumentalist and vocalist for Athens, Georgia projects the Squalls, Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars, Noogeez, A. Che Why and Supercluster.

Chunklet is a Georgia-based American humor and music magazine founded by Henry H. Owings in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Henriksen</span> American musician

Tommy Henriksen is an American musician from Port Jefferson Station, New York, best known for his work as a guitarist, bassist and songwriter with Alice Cooper, Hollywood Vampires, Crossbone Skully and German metal band Warlock. He has also fronted punk rockers P.O.L. and released several albums as a solo artist. In addition, Henriksen is a songwriter, arranger, producer and mixer who has worked with artists such as Lady Gaga, Meat Loaf, Lou Reed, Halestorm, Kesha, and Daughtry. Henriksen is currently based out of Zurich, Switzerland where he lives with his family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Vacant Lots</span>

The Vacant Lots are an American post-punk electro band based in Brooklyn, New York.

Steven Robert Miller is an American musician, journalist and author. His 2013 book Detroit Rock City: The Uncensored History of Rock 'n' Roll in America's Loudest City reached No. 5 on Amazon in the rock and roll bestsellers category. His most recent releases include Murder in Grosse Pointe Park: Privilege, Adultery, and the Killing of Jane Bashara, a true crime title exploring the death of Jane Bashara, and Juggalo: Insane Clown Posse, Their Fans, and the World They Made, a detailed look at Insane Clown Posse and their dedicated fanbase.

<i>Chomp</i> (album) 1983 studio album by Pylon

Chomp is the second studio album by Athens, Georgia band Pylon, released in 1983. It was re-released in 2009 via DFA Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athens Tango Project</span>

Athens Tango Project is an Argentine tango music band founded in 2012 in the city of Athens, Georgia by Laura Camacho, a Double bass musician from Buenos Aires, featuring Monique Osorio on vocals, John Phillips on drums, John Cooper on violin, and Matt M Vu, David Marcus, on piano. The extended lineup includes Keiko Ishibashi, Franziska Brunner, Teresa Grynia, Curran Pendergrast, Bill Oglesby, Daniel Allen, James Perkins, Jaime Antonio Cardenas Espana, Serena Scibelli, Fernando Deddos, and Ricardo Hurtado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molchat Doma</span> Belarusian synth-pop band

Molchat Doma is a Belarusian post-punk band from Minsk, formed in 2017. Their current lineup consists of Egor Shkutko (vocals), Roman Komogortsev, and Pavel Kozlov. Their style is influenced by 1980s Russian rock music and has been described as post-punk, new wave, synth-pop, and cold wave.

References

  1. ↑ "The Pylon Reenactment Society Revives the Past". The Portland Mercury.
  2. ↑ "Historical Post-Punk". Sacramento Bee. 5 December 2018.
  3. ↑ "Pylon Reenactment Society – Part Time Punks Session (2017, Black, Vinyl)". Discogs . 6 October 2017.
  4. ↑ "PYLON REENACTMENT SOCIETY – Part Time Punks Session EP (Colored vinyl 12")". 25 October 2017.
  5. ↑ Diblasi, Loren; Oshinsky, Matthew (12 February 2018). "25 Best Frontwomen of All Time". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  6. ↑ "12 Best Music Shows In LA This Week". LA Times. 6 December 2018.
  7. ↑ "Pylon Reenactment Society Releases Messenger Cliff Notes on Gold Vinyl Tour Announced". The Big Takeover.
  8. ↑ "Music Review: New album by Pylon Reenactment Society revives Pylon's style of funky art punk". AP News.
  9. ↑ "Pylon Reenactment Society Announces Debut Album-Watch 3 x 3 video". Brooklyn Vegan.
  10. ↑ "MAGNET EXCLUSIVE: PREMIERE OF PYLON REENACTMENT SOCIETY'S "FLOWERS EVERYWHERE" VIDEO". Magnet Magazine.
  11. ↑ "Premiere: Pylon Reenactment Society Shares New Track "Christmas Daze"". Under The Radar Magazine.
  12. ↑ "Exclusive: Pylon Reenactment Society Premieres New Track "Fix It" Featuring Kate Pierson of The B-52's". Paste Magazine.
  13. ↑ "PYLON REENACTMENT SOCIETY EMBRACE PAST, FUTURE WITH "HEAVEN (IN YOUR EYES)" (PREMIERE)". Popmatters.
  14. ↑ "Pylon Reenactment Society Announces Debut Album-Watch 3 x 3 video". Brooklyn Vegan.
  15. ↑ "Pylon Reenactment Society Announces Debut Album-Watch 3 x 3 video". Magnet Magazine.
  16. ↑ "Exclusive: Pylon Reenactment Society Premieres New Track "Fix It" Featuring Kate Pierson of The B-52's". Paste Magazine.
  17. ↑ "PYLON REENACTMENT SOCIETY EMBRACE PAST, FUTURE WITH "HEAVEN (IN YOUR EYES)" (PREMIERE)". Popmatters.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.