Modern Skirts
Encyclopedia
Modern Skirts is an alternative rock band based in Athens, GA. The band consists of four members: Jay Gulley (guitar and vocals), JoJo Glidewell (guitar, piano, and vocals), Phillip Brantley (bass, guitar, and vocals) and John Swint (drums).
Formation and First Album
Formed in early 2004, the band quickly gained popularity and notoriety in the Athens music sceneMusic of Athens, Georgia
The music of Athens, Georgia, includes a wide variety of popular music and was an important part of the early evolution of alternative rock and New Wave. The city is well known as the home of chart-topping bands like R.E.M. and The B-52s, and several long-time indie rock groups...
thanks largely to the buzz created by their high-energy live shows in the Athens area, mostly at the world-famous 40 Watt Club
40 Watt Club
The 40 Watt Club is a music venue in Athens, Georgia. Along with CBGB's, the Whisky a Go Go, and selected others, it was instrumental in launching American punk rock and "New Wave music."...
. August 2005 saw the independent release of their debut album, titled Catalogue of Generous Men
Catalogue of Generous Men
Catalogue of Generous Men is the first full-length album released by Modern Skirts. The album was released in August 2004 and subsequently won an Athens Music Award for "Album of the Year", as well as for "Best Cover Art"....
. The album quickly became a standard in Athens, and won the band the first of several Athens Music Awards. The album has been praised in various media outlets, most notably in Paste Magazine and on National Public Radio. The vocal harmonies and subtle melancholy in songs like "Pasadena" and "Sugarpile" have helped to secure the groups success in Athens and around the Southeast. Modern Skirts prominent use of the piano derives from the significant influences of groups such as The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, and their flexible use of song structure centers around catchy melodies and memorable hooks, similar to those used in Brit-Pop and by The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
.
Current Plans
The band has spent the last two years touring intensively up and down the East Coast and across the South. The group's second album, All Of Us In Our NightAll Of Us In Our Night
All Of Us In Our Night is the second full-length album released by Modern Skirts. The album was released in October 2008 and features Mike Mills from R.E.M.-Track listing:#"Chanel"#"Soft Pedals"#"Chokehold"#"Radio Breaks"#"Yugo"#"Face Down"...
, was released in October 2008 and features "Soft Pedals" and "Radio Breaks." They enjoyed a successful mini tour in England in the fall of 2007 where they were filmed by producers from The Tube
The Tube
The Tube may refer to:*The London Underground* "The Tube", slang for Television, from the term cathode ray tube*The Tube , an ITV/Sky programme featuring the work of staff on the London Underground...
, who became interested in the band after R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
bassist Mike Mills cited Modern Skirts as his favorite Athens band in a post Hall of Fame interview early 2007. During the summer of 2008 the band spent two weeks on a European tour, the highlight of which was opening for R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
in Amsterdam and then again in Belgium. They still regularly play at the 40 Watt Club
40 Watt Club
The 40 Watt Club is a music venue in Athens, Georgia. Along with CBGB's, the Whisky a Go Go, and selected others, it was instrumental in launching American punk rock and "New Wave music."...
in Athens, 930 Club in Washington DC, Mercury Lounge and Pianos in Manhattan, Union Hall in Brooklyn and hundreds of other clubs across the country.
The February 2008 issue of Q magazine featured a CD with a single off of All Of Us In Our Night
All Of Us In Our Night
All Of Us In Our Night is the second full-length album released by Modern Skirts. The album was released in October 2008 and features Mike Mills from R.E.M.-Track listing:#"Chanel"#"Soft Pedals"#"Chokehold"#"Radio Breaks"#"Yugo"#"Face Down"...
. Modern Skirts' latest EP, "Happy 81," was released in July 2010, with a full length album scheduled for release in the Fall of 2010.
Discography
- This Is Winning and Thinking (EP), 2004
- Catalogue of Generous MenCatalogue of Generous MenCatalogue of Generous Men is the first full-length album released by Modern Skirts. The album was released in August 2004 and subsequently won an Athens Music Award for "Album of the Year", as well as for "Best Cover Art"....
, 2005 - Athfest Compilation, 2006
- Finest Worksongs: Athens Bands Play the Music of R.E.M, 2007
- Four More Years Ago (Single), 2007
- All Of Us In Our NightAll Of Us In Our NightAll Of Us In Our Night is the second full-length album released by Modern Skirts. The album was released in October 2008 and features Mike Mills from R.E.M.-Track listing:#"Chanel"#"Soft Pedals"#"Chokehold"#"Radio Breaks"#"Yugo"#"Face Down"...
, 2008 - Happy 81 (EP), 2010
- Gramahawk, 2010