Athens legends Pylon back on the road!

Pylon
Fri November 1, 2007

Atlanta, GA

The EARL

Highly influential post-punk band Pylon are back..again! Since coming out of retirement in 2004 with their first live show in over a decade, Pylon has been revving its engines in anticipation of a full resurrection.

Always ferociously independent since their emergence in 1979, Pylon announced the reissue of "Gyrate" on DFA Records with an impromptu Athens gig back in April of this year. The packed, enthusiastic crowd was treated to an intense high-energy performance that declared Pylon were back and strong as ever.

In the past couple decades Pylon has made a habit of reemerging and disappearing again, so don't miss your chance to see this phenomenal band! Pylon were one of the cornerstone founders of the Athens music scene, and were greatly influential to the new wave genre and fellow Athenians R.E.M.

Here's some great background info from their official bio:

In December of 1987, R.E.M. was chosen by Rolling Stone as “America’s Best Rock And Roll Band,” an honor that was quickly dismissed by drummer Bill Berry. “We're not the best rock’n’roll band in America." Pylon, he declared, was much more deserving of the honor than his group. Yet, at the time, Pylon had been broken up for four years.

But such is the legacy of Pylon. Word of mouth and a relatively small but vital cache of music, often traded by hard-core fans and collectors, has kept the story of the fiercely independent and highly influential band alive for three decades. The quartet was born in 1979 in the humid college town of Athens, Georgia. It’s hard to believe now, but back then there was no real music scene in the now-legendary city. The B-52’s had made their mark and quickly moved to the greener pastures of New York. Cover bands and redneck frat parties served the college community, leaving the more artistically inclined outsiders with plenty of free time to create their own little world. Pylon was born of this necessity and deftly rose to the occasion -- on their own terms.

University of Georgia art students Randy Bewley(guitar) and Michael Lachowski (bass) teamed with drummer Curtis Crowe to fill out their repetitive “electronic experimentation” project, grinding out lock-step mechanical art rock that treaded danceable beats with the precision of a well-oiled machine. Two weeks after the addition of vocalist Vanessa Briscoe, the novice band debuted at a downtown party in March of ’79. Just a few shows and a few months later, they were opening for Gang of Four in NYC and Philadelphia...

http://wearepylon.com/