PYLON! C or D?

'The Method' is a classic. I always think it's Billy Ray Cyrus on the cover though.

Get well soon!

Pylon guitarist Randy Bewley suffered a heart attack while driving in an Athens neighborhood and is in the cardiac intensive care unit at Athens Regional Medical Center, bandmate Vanessa Hay said in an e-mail to supporters.

Bewley was driving on Barber Street on Monday evening, and his van drifted off the road and tipped over, Hay said.

Rescue workers treated him at the scene and took him to ARMC.

Shit... (reposting from http://athensmusicjunkie.blogspot.com/ Twitter stream at http://twitter.com/blueshades )

My thoughts and prayers to Randy Bewley's family and friends. We have lost a great man and dear friend in Athens tonight.
20 minutes ago from web

@Pampelmoose Randy Bewley died shortly before 5 pm. We have lost a dear friend in Athens today.
about 1 hour ago from web

@Pampelmoose Heart attack was on Monday morning, family and band with him now. Planning to take him off life support this afternoon.
about 4 hours ago from web in reply to Pampelmoose

Man, RIP. I only ever finally heard Gyrate in full quite recently and was astounded at just how fantastic it was. A damn shame.

My God! What?! Way, way too young. One of my favorite guitar players EVER. I always feel ineffectual posting "RIP" on a message board, but...

Rest in peace Randy.

So sad. A nonpareil guitarist. RIP.

Fuck. Such a great guitar player, in such a great band. RIP.

So sad. He had such a great sound. I will treasure my memories of seeing them live back in the early '80s and dig out my vinyl.

:-( RIP

God, this is terrible. I only got a chance to hear Pylon after the DFA reissue, so I can't claim any deep connection with them, but it sounds like Bewley was a great guy. Nobody deserves to go that young.

It's hard to overstate how well loved this band is in Athens. RIP and condolences to his friends and family.

Amazon listing confirms DFA are reissuing Chomp (as Chomp More) on October 20.

awesome

gyrate plus is one of my favourite reissues of the last few years

Recently found Gyrate in the stacks at the community radio station. Fantastic!

Amazon listing confirms DFA are reissuing Chomp (as Chomp More) on October 20.

And on eMusic today. Pylon's Crazy is a force of nature.

Well, upon listening to Chomp today for the first time in many years, all I can say is . . . "eh." It's clear they couldn't write songs. I'm crazy about "Crazy," but it's more an accident the way it (sort of) hangs together than anything else. There are a few interesting little nuggets on Chomp, but it's clearly a weaker record than the debut album, which in itself was pretty limited. They had a cool sound, but they didn't know what to do with it after a while, they didn't evolve much, and Vanessa's vocals start to grate, as she can't really sing and the yelping / barking / grwoling / Lene Lovichist stuff wears thin. All of this would have been more forgiveable if they band actually had something to *say* - but the lyrics aren't much and don't convey any point of view beyond, "it's new wave! time for spastic dancing!" This is the band that jocks were grasping for when they saw you in your punky clothes and badges and, for lack of anything more accurate, yelled "Devo sucks!"

It's clear they couldn't write songs

Maybe not in a Brill Building or Gershwin sense, but "Cool" and numerous others all sound uniquely penned to me.

but the lyrics aren't much and don't convey any point of view beyond, "it's new wave! time for spastic dancing!"

That's fine with me. Not every group should sing about politics or life in Compton or Athens or whatever you are defining as "something to say".

Yeah really, they have some great lyrics! This is one of those bands where it's all about delivery, if you're not into her vocal style I understand that it all leaves you cold but, I mean, "Iyyeat DUB FOR breakfUUUUST!", so great.

My favorite is "Stop It." Coincidentally, there's a scene in Motherhood where Uma Thurman as dowdy housewife rocks out and jumps around to this song.

No no rock and roll, no no no no no!

HEY.... KIDS!!!!!

Just hearing them for the first time. How come noone recommended them to me before!? They are amazing. Singer Vanessa Briscoe reminds me of Debbie Harris and Patti Smith and seems to have been a heavy influence on Karen O.

better late than never though hey!

Not sure I hear Deborah Harry in her voice, but yes they are/were amazing.

Oops, you said Debbie Harris (whom I do not know).

I played The Human Body on the radio last night. Sounded very good.

Debbie Harris, lead singer of tribute band Bootleg Blondie?

http://www.bootlegblondie.com/PROMO/promo.html

lol no, sorry I actually meant Deborah Harry

i've been listening to pylon over and over and over and over again the last week or so. esp. "Working is No Problem" i'm dying for good footage of them back in the day. is there anything besides the stuff in athens inside/out?

the part where she goes "just as long, as i keep my miiIIInnd!" is like Mick Jagger but so much better.

You've probably seen this, from 1981:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyCWgGhG00o

Saw them live back then 2 or 3 times and they were all great gigs

Been really getting back into these guys lately, Gyrate is just so so so so great.

AlexinNYC has had a lot of questionable opinions in the service of his posting persona, but man, those upthread take the cake

Saw them open for the Wonder Stuff once. And they played a whole set. Much to the chagrin of both the `Stuff and the crowd. There was almost a riot as a result. Fuck Pylon.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, January 18, 2004 8:39 PM (8 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Imagine a testicularly-challenged Gang of Four with Flo from "Alice" on vocals.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, January 18, 2004 8:45 PM (8 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Ha

he really wanted to see the 'Stuff

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e5/Stuffffffffff.jpg

Danny Aiello!!! Garrett Morris!!! I need to see that.

I actually like the odd Pylon tune (notably "Crazy"), but having them open for the Wonder Stuff was a bad idea.

Not sure where to put this, but my friend just completed her MA Thesis in Southern Studies. It's this documentary about Southern Underground Music from 1978-1990.

http://vimeo.com/40600465

Featuring interviews with people from Pylon, Let's Active, The Judy's, The dBs, Carnival Season, Windbreakers, The Squalls, and the Germans.

Thanks for the link, that's a great documentary. I really like the way it puts the B-52s, R.E.M., and Athens into the context of other Southern DIY scenes. It's good to see some of that history acknowledged and recorded.

sweet, that looks great! will watch soon.

Me too. Thanks!

Enjoyed it but she doesn't ask Vanessa about their go4 postpunk guitar style, while several others talk about their love of Big Star

Nice! As if to back up the title's accuracy, neither Shazam or Soundhoud could identify the first song played. What is it?
And what is all that stuff floating around Mitch Easter?

Here is an article about the Jackson scene as discussed in the film http://www.oxfordamerican.org/articles/2011/nov/21/noise-our-own/
and here is one side of the single by one of the bands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXYpnxmRXtc
Kinda wish I liked it more

Jazzbo: Friend said the first track is "You Gotta Go Away" by the Windbreakers.

Thanks much!

yeah, the xpost Vimeo thesis sure packs a lot of clarity into 35 minutes. And so many non-academic music docs have just as much talk over music, without a grade's requirements to justify the ratio. The participants aren't kidding about the indie DIY conditions: back in the 80s, I rode past Mitch Easter's parents' already-consecrated home, where Murmur was recorded in the garage ("next to the Purina bags," I was assured). Let's Active's Sara is still drumming with her brother Dex, ex-Flat Duo Jets ( FDJ's in that rustic doc, Athens Ga Inside Out). They're biilled as the Dex Romweber Duo, she should have her name in there too. His songwriting has its slumps, but they delivered a fairly good mini-set on WXPN's broadcast/Webcast Non-Comm series last week (might be archived). She's always crip, he's the one with the moody atmospheric ups and downs. I really enjoyed the pre-DB's/Let's Active Sneakers' energetic '06 collection, Nonsequitur of Silence, and lots of unissued sets from the dB'sverse, some of them involving Chilton, have been posted here http://dbs-repercussion.blogspot.com/, to whet our chops for the new dB's album, out in a couple weeks.

She's always "crisp," Ah meant to say!

Oh, and Nonsequitur of Silence is not a boot, it is or was out on Collector's Choice, "curated by Chris Stamey," sez here.