Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
, Hay attended elementary and high school in
Dacula, Georgia
Dacula ( ) is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. It is an exurb of Atlanta, located approximately northeast of downtown. The population as of the 2010 census was 4,442, and the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population to be 6, ...
, prior to moving to
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
to attend college. Hay graduated from the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
art school in 1978. She became the singer for Pylon after being auditioned by Michael Lachowski,
Randy Bewley
Randall Eugene Bewley (July 25, 1955 – February 25, 2009) 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 growi ...
, and Curtis Crowe. A few months later Pylon were the opening band for the British group the Gang of Four in New York City, at the club Hurrah, after being brought to the club's attention by
Kate Pierson
Catherine Elizabeth Pierson (born April 27, 1948) is an American singer, lyricist, and founding member of the B-52's. She plays guitar, bass and various keyboard instruments. In the B-52s, she has performed alongside Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneid ...
the B-52's
The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, ...
.
Danny Beard
Danny Beard is the stage name of Daniel Curtis (born 27 May 1992), a British drag performer and singer, who appeared on ''Britain's Got Talent'' and '' Karaoke Club: Drag Edition'' and won the fourth series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK''.
Biogra ...
, from Atlanta helped Pylon to record their first single " Cool/Dub" in 1979 at Stone Mountain Studios in Atlanta, and Pylon began to tour the US. The album '' Gyrate'' followed and was released in late 1980. Early career highlights included a performance at
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...
opening for the B-52's, a tour of the UK, opening a few dates for U2 on their first major US tour and the release of the album ''
Chomp
Chomp is a two-player strategy game played on a rectangular grid made up of smaller square cells, which can be thought of as the blocks of a chocolate bar. The players take it in turns to choose one block and "eat it" (remove from the board), tog ...
''.
Pylon decided to quit while they were still having fun. They broke up for the first time in 1983 after playing a "final" show, which was taped for The Athens Show. This was never formally released. In 1986, Hay was filmed for the movie '' Athens, GA: Inside Out'' and spoke about her experiences with Pylon. She and Bob Hay were married in 1986. In 1987 they had their first daughter.
In 1989, Pylon reformed. Career highlights the second time around included tours with both
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...
and the B-52's, performances at SXSW and CMJ. '' Hits'', a compilation of their early material was reissued by DB Records in 1989. Pylon recorded their third album '' Chain'' for the Atlanta label
Sky Records
Sky Records was a Hamburg, Germany-based independent record label specializing in krautrock/ Kosmische Musik and electronic music. Some of their releases could be classified as progressive rock or art rock, experimental music, industrial, ambien ...
in 1991. Pylon broke up a second time in 1992.They played several more shows including the
South by Southwest Festival
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...
in 1990 and 1991, but when guitarist Bewley decided to leave in 1991, the band broke up again.
Vanessa Hay became an RN in 1994. In 1993, she and Bob Hay had their second daughter.
Randy Bewley approached the other band members about reforming Pylon, just for fun, in 2004. In August, 2004 Pylon played an unannounced show at
Little Kings
Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt
* ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film
*The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...
in Athens, Georgia. In 2005, they played a series of dates in Athens and Atlanta, including Athfest and at the Atlanta Heroes awards by the invitation of the B-52's. Jason Gross, '' Perfect Sound Forever'' encouraged them to look into reissuing their first album, ''Gyrate'', on CD. Jeff Calder (
The Swimming Pool Q's
The Swimming Pool Q's are an American new wave/ jangle pop band formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1978. They released five albums: ''The Deep End'', ''The Swimming Pool Q's'', ''Blue Tomorrow'', ''World War Two Point Five'', and ''Royal Academy of Re ...
Rodney Mills
Rodney Mills is an American mastering engineer based in Atlanta, Georgia.
He has been involved in the music industry for over 50 years and has earned over 50 gold and platinum records for engineering, producing, and mastering.
Biography
...
Duluth, Georgia
Duluth is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. Located north of Interstate 85, it is approximately northeast of Atlanta.
As of the 2020 census, Duluth had a population of 31,873, and the United States Census Bureau estimated the ...
. DFA records in New York approached Pylon about reissuing this material, unaware that Pylon were already working toward this. James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem (band), had been including Pylon's song "
Danger
Danger is a lack of safety and may refer to:
Places
* Danger Cave, an archaeological site in Utah
* Danger Island, Great Chagos Bank, Indian Ocean
* Danger Island, alternate name of Pukapuka Atoll in the Cook Islands, Pacific Ocean
* Danger Isla ...
" in his DJ sets for several years and was interested in re—issuing Pylon's first album ''Gyrate'' on his label DFA. '' Gyrate Plus'' was reissued on October 16, 2007. A remastered Chomp More was reissued on October 20, 2009.
Hay was also a member of the recording project
Supercluster (band)
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 ...
who recorded and sometimes performed in Athens, Georgia along with
Jason NeSmith
Casper & the Cookies is an American rock and pop band from Athens, Georgia, United States.
History
Multi-instrumentalist and singer Jason NeSmith (pronounced "KNEE-smith," no relation to Michael Nesmith of the Monkees), began using the pseudo ...
John Fernandes
John Kiran Fernandes (born November 21, 1975) is an American multi-instrumentalist musician.
Professional career
Fernandes, along with several other members of the Elephant Six Collective, joined the acclaimed psychedelic pop group The Olivia ...
,
Heather McIntosh
The Instruments is the musical project of Heather McIntosh, cellist in a number of Athens, Georgia groups including Circulatory System, Elf Power, and Japancakes. They released three albums between 2003 and 2008. Other members of the band include ...
Randy Bewley
Randall Eugene Bewley (July 25, 1955 – February 25, 2009) 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 growi ...
(deceased). ''
Waves
Waves most often refers to:
*Waves, oscillations accompanied by a transfer of energy that travel through space or mass.
*Wind waves, surface waves that occur on the free surface of bodies of water.
Waves may also refer to:
Music
*Waves (band) ...
'', their full-length project, was released on October 6, 2009.
A 7-inch vinyl single "Gravity / Altitude" by Pylon was issued in April 2016 by Chunklet as a part of the Pylon Live project. A double vinyl album was issued on July 25, 2016. This music was recorded at the first final performance on December 1, 1983 at the Mad Hatter in Athens, GA. Vanessa performed with Pylon Reenactment Society at both release events along with Swimming Pool Q's and members of Love Tractor.
Since 2014, Hay has fronted the Pylon Reenactment Society, a Pylon tribute act who have featured members from more recent Athens bands like the Glands and
Casper & the Cookies
Casper & the Cookies is an American rock and pop band from Athens, Georgia, United States.
History
Multi-instrumentalist and singer Jason NeSmith (pronounced "KNEE-smith," no relation to Michael Nesmith of the Monkees), began using the pseudo ...
. In a 2016 ''
Portland Mercury
''Portland Mercury'' is an alternative bi-weekly newspaper and media company founded in 2000 in Portland, Oregon. It has a sibling publication in Seattle, Washington, called '' The Stranger''.
Contributors and staff
Editor-in-chief: Wm. Steven ...
'' 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 initially recorded on December 11, 2016, for broadcast in Los Angeles, California, for DJ Michael Stock's KXLU show "Part Time Punks," called "Part Time Punks Session." In March 2018, Hay was named one of the “25 Best Frontwomen of All Time” by
Paste Magazine
''Paste'' is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with studios in Atlanta and Manhattan, and owned by Paste Media Group. The magazine began as a website in 1998. It ran as a print publication fro ...
Caution Records
Caution may refer to:
* A precautionary statement, describing a potential hazard
* A police caution, an alternative to prosecution for a criminal offence in some countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia
* A statement read by a police of ...
Pylon !!
Pylon may refer to:
Structures and boundaries
* Pylon (architecture), the gateway to the inner part of an Ancient Egyptian temple or Christian cathedral
* Pylon, a support tower structure for suspension bridges or highways
* Pylon, an orange ma ...
'' EP (DB Records, Armageddon 1980)
* '' Crazy/M-Train'' 7-inch single (DB Records 1982)
* '' Beep/Altitude'' 7-inch single (DB Records 1982)
* ''
Four Minutes/Beep/Altitude
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest c ...
'' EP (DB Records 1982)
* ''
Chomp
Chomp is a two-player strategy game played on a rectangular grid made up of smaller square cells, which can be thought of as the blocks of a chocolate bar. The players take it in turns to choose one block and "eat it" (remove from the board), tog ...
'' LP (DB Records 1983)
* '' Hits'' LP/ CD (DB Records 1988)
* '' Chain'' LP/CD (
Sky Records
Sky Records was a Hamburg, Germany-based independent record label specializing in krautrock/ Kosmische Musik and electronic music. Some of their releases could be classified as progressive rock or art rock, experimental music, industrial, ambien ...
DFA Records
DFA Records is an American independent record label founded in 2001 by Mo' Wax co-founder Tim Goldsworthy, musician James Murphy, and manager Jonathan Galkin. They previously had a production team called The DFA, consisting of Goldsworthy and ...
New West Records
New West Records is a record label based in Nashville, Tennessee, and Athens, Georgia. It had offices in Burbank, California, and Beverly Hills, California. The label was established in 1998 by Cameron Strang "for artists who perform real music ...
Waves
Waves most often refers to:
*Waves, oscillations accompanied by a transfer of energy that travel through space or mass.
*Wind waves, surface waves that occur on the free surface of bodies of water.
Waves may also refer to:
Music
*Waves (band) ...
* '' Part Time Punks Session'' Vinyl 6 song 12-inch EP (PRS, Chunklet Industries, October 20, 2017) PRS001
* '' Messenger / Cliff Notes '' Vinyl 2 song 7” single (PRS,Chunklet Industries, November 30, 2019) PRS002
Compilations
With Pylon
* ''Declaration of Independents - 13 Tracks of U.S. Rock 1980'', Vinyl LP, Various artists (1980, Ambition Records AMB1, Basement Records BASE 6005, Stiff Records Yank 2)
* ''Jericho Go'', Vinyl LP, Various artists (1985, DB Recs / Stiff Records D BAT80) (DB Recs / Victor Musical Industries, Inc. VIL 28034)
* ''Athens, GA - Inside / Out'', Vinyl LP, Various artists (1987, I.R.S. Records IRS6185)
* ''Hits'', Cassette, CD (1989, DB Recs DB91)
* ''Squares Blot Out the Sun'', Vinyl LP, CD, Cassette, Various artists (1990, DB Recs DB72)
* ''Totally Wired'', CD, Various artists (1995,
Razor & Tie
Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles an ...
RE 207 Various - Totally Wired Discogs
* ''KFJC 98.7 Fifty - Blowing Minds Since 1959'', Vinyl double record LP, Various artists (2009, No label KJFC24)
* ''Keith Haring - The World of Keith Haring - Influences + Connections '', Vinyl triple record LP boxset, Triple CD boxset, Various artists (2019,
Soul Jazz
Soul jazz or funky jazz is a subgenre of jazz that incorporates strong influences from hard bop, blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. Soul jazz is often characterized by organ trios featuring the Hammond organ and small combos including ten ...
DFA Records
DFA Records is an American independent record label founded in 2001 by Mo' Wax co-founder Tim Goldsworthy, musician James Murphy, and manager Jonathan Galkin. They previously had a production team called The DFA, consisting of Goldsworthy and ...
Motherhood
]
A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gesta ...
'' (2009), songtrack song "Stop It," Pylon mentioned as The Pylons by Eliza Uma Thurmond, the main character who also dances with a bicycle messenger to this song.
Video
* ''
Beep
The Blocks Extensible Exchange Protocol (BEEP) is a framework for creating network application protocols. BEEP includes building blocks like framing, pipelining, multiplexing, reporting and authentication for connection and message-oriented pe ...
'' (1990), Pylon, from CD: ''Hits, a compilation'', DB Records
* ''Look Alive'' (1992), Pylon, from album :Chain, Sky Records
* '' Too Many Eights'' (2007), Supercluster, from CDR EP: Special 5
* '' I Got the Answer'' (2009), Supercluster, from: CD Waves, Studio Mouse Productions/Cloud Recordings
* '' Neat In The Street'' (2011), Supercluster, from: single "Paris Effect"/"Neat In The Street", Studio Mouse Productions/Cloud Recordings. Written by The Side Effects (Butchart/Ellison/Swartz), 1980.
* '' Memory Of The Future'' (2012), Supercluster, from: single Things We Used To Drink/Memory Of The Future, Studio Mouse Productions. Directed by Hana Hay and Hannah Jones from artwork by Hannah Jones.
* ''
Beep
The Blocks Extensible Exchange Protocol (BEEP) is a framework for creating network application protocols. BEEP includes building blocks like framing, pipelining, multiplexing, reporting and authentication for connection and message-oriented pe ...
'' (2017), Pylon Reenactment Society, from Vinyl 12” Ep ''Part Time Punks Sessiom'', PRS for Chunklet Industries, from unreleased documentary “Athens, GA...30 Years On” directed by Bill Cody,edited by Tony Brazier.
* '' Messenger'' (2019), Pylon Reenactment Society, from Vinyl 7” Single ''Messenger / Cliff Notes'', PRS for Chunklet Industries, directed by Tony Brazier.
References
Sources
* Reynolds, Simon: ''Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984'',
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a British publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Strong,Martin Charles: ''The Great Indie Discography'',
Canongate Books
Canongate Books (trading as Canongate) is an independent publishing firm based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
It is named after the Canongate area of the city. It is most recognised for publishing the Booker Prizewinner '' Life of Pi''. Canongate wa ...