Pylon Reenactment Society is looking forward to booking and performing several shows in 2024. Click on the Schedule button above to see if we'll be playing near you.
Pylon Reenactment Society are excited to announce that we have a booking agent, Robin Taylor. For booking inquiries, please visit her web site.
April 8, 2024
April East Coast Tour Finalized
PRS will be travelling up the East Coast playing several shows in support of the release of their LP "Magnet Factory" (which you can get from the Strollling Bones Records web site).
Pylon Reenactment Society April 2024 East Coast Tour
Fri. 04/19/2024 Eulogy - Asheville, NC
Sun. 04/21/2024 Comet Ping Pong - Washington, DC
Mon. 04/22/2024 Khyber - Philadelphia, PA
Tue. 04/23/2024 Knitting Factory at Bakers Falls - NY, NY
Wed. 04/24/2024 Ottobar - Baltimore, MD
Thu. 04/25/2024 Cat’s Cradle Haw River Ballroom, Saxapahaw, NC
Sat. 04/27/2024 Snug Harbor - Charlotte, NC
These shows will sell out fast! Get your ticket from links on our Schedule of Upcoming Shows page. All shows now have tickets available.
SxSW Shows Scheduled
We will be playing four times in Austin, TX at SxSW.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024 4:40 PM - SxSW Paste Magazine East Austin Block Party presented by Ilegal Mezcal, Coral Snake outside stage. RSVP to the link in the article to get in.
Thursday, March 14, 2024 5:15 PM - Third Man Records and Creem Magazine present "Austin's Only Two-Day Rock n Roll Party" at the 13th Floor, 711 Red River St, Austin, TX 78701. RSVP to this link to get in.
Thursday, March 14, 2024 11:20 PM - Athens In Austin SxSW Official Showcase at Lamberts BBQ, 401 W 2nd St, Austin, TX 78701. Click here for ticket info.
Friday, March 15. 2024 11:00 PM - SxSW Official Showcase at Coopers BBQ, 7 Congress Ave., Austin TX 78701. Click here for ticket info.
Our new LP and CD "Magnet Factory" was released on February 9, 2024. You can order it directly from the Strollling Bones Records web site.
April East Coast Tour
PRS will be travelling up the East Coast playing several shows in support of the release of their LP "Magnet Factory" (which you can get from the Strollling Bones Records web site).
Pylon Reenactment Society April 2024 East Coast Tour
Fri. 04/19/2024 Eulogy - Asheville, NC
Sun. 04/21/2024 Comet Ping Pong - Washington, DC
Mon. 04/22/2024 Khyber - Philadelphia, PA
Tue. 04/23/2024 Knitting Factory at Bakers Falls - NY, NY
Wed. 04/24/2024 Ottobar - Baltimore, MD
Thu. 04/25/2024 Cat’s Cradle Backroom - Carrboro, NC
Sat. 04/27/2024 Snug Harbor - Charlotte, NC
These shows will sell out fast! Get your ticket from links on our Schedule of Upcoming Shows page.
Flood Magazine has an exclusive video of "Messenger" and "No Worries"
As a part of its "Neighborhoods" series, Flood Magazine shot video of P.R.S. playing "Messenger" and "No Worries".
An incredible performance!
Magnet Factory released!
Video by Matthew Buzzell.
The day has finally arrived! Our debut album Magnet Factory is out now! You can order it directly from the Strollling Bones Records web site.
To celebrate the release, there is a lot going on. In addition to the release party tonight at Hendershots, there is a new video - "Heaven (in Your Eyes)" by Matthew Buzzell and a slew of press.
Articles and/or reviews about Magnet Factory can be found in Brooklyn Vegan, Pop Matters, Glide Magazine, Flood Magazine, Flagpole, the Associated Press, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Extra TV.
New Track "Fix It" Featuring Kate Pierson of The B-52's Premieres at Paste Web Site
Photo by Karen Allison.
Today, Paste Magazine is premiering the video for "Fix It," the newest single from our upcoming album "Magnet Factory". Check it out here. The song features a guest appearance by Kate Pierson of The B-52's.
Our new LP and CD "Magnet Factory" is scheduled for release on February 9, 2024. You can pre-order it directly from the Strollling Bones Records web site.
Album Release Party Scheduled for February 9
Strolling Bones Records presents "Magnet Factory" album release party on Friday, February 9 at Hendershot's, 237 Prince Ave. Athens, GA 30601. Pylon Reenactment Society and Organically Programmed Orchestra. Music 8 - 11 PM. Tickets $10 in advance. Click here to get tickets.
Our new LP and CD "Magnet Factory" is scheduled for release on February 9, 2024. You can pre-order it directly from the Strollling Bones Records web site.
Another California show added
We've now got three California shows lined up for the last week of January 2024.
In addition to the Great American Music Hall in San Franciso on Thursday, January 25 and the Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 27, we've added Ojai Deer Lodge, 2261 Maricopa Hwy, Ojai , CA 93023.
Tickets are $32.00 & $36.00 +$5.00 fee and are available here.
Our new LP and CD "Magnet Factory" is scheduled for release on February 9, 2024. You can pre-order it directly from the Strollling Bones Records web site.
We're Going to SXSW !
We are excited to announce that Pylon Reenactment Society will be an official showcase artist at SXSW 2024 in March!
Details will be announced as they become available.
Our new LP and CD "Magnet Factory" is scheduled for release on February 9, 2024. You can pre-order it directly from the Strollling Bones Records web site.
Los Angeles show announced
Our West Coast tour is taking shape! In addition to our San Francisco show (see below), we've added the following.
We'll be playing at the Moroccan Lounge, 901 E. 1st St. in Los Angeles on Saturday, January 27, 2024. Click here for tickets.
Our new LP and CD "Magnet Factory" is scheduled for release on February 9, 2024. You can pre-order it directly from the Strollling Bones Records web site.
New Digital Single "Christmas Daze" out now
Our new digital single "Christmas Daze" is debuting today at the online magazine Under the Radar.
You can hear it at all of our streaming services here or check it out at youtube.
Our new LP and CD "Magnet Factory" is scheduled for release on February 9, 2024. You can pre-order it directly from the Strollling Bones Records web site.
New T-shirt and Button released
A new PRS t-shirt and button is available today from the Strollling Bones Records web site.
The t-shirt and button were designed by Michael Lachowski.
Our new LP and CD "Magnet Factory" is scheduled for release on February 9, 2024. You can pre-order it directly from the Strollling Bones Records web site.
We will be in San Francisco January 25, 2024
We will be doing a West Coast tour in late January 2024 to celebrate the release of our new album "Magnet Factory" on February 9, 2024.
The first date announced is Thursday, January 25, 2024 at the Great American Music Hall as part of the SF Sketchfest in San Francisco with Kelley Stoltz opening.
More dates to be announced soon.
Tickets available here. Advance ticket $33. General admission. All ages. $39 day of show. Going on sale November 19 at 10 AM PST.
You can pre-order the "Magnet Factory" LP or CD directly from Strollling Bones Records here.
Vanessa's Interview on Braves' Country Podcast
Braves Country Podcast Episode 103: Vanessa Briscoe Hay of Pylon and Pylon Reenactment Society has an upcoming debut album ‘Magnet Factory’ on Strolling Bones Records, as well as a scorching track on the upcoming Kevin Kinney Tribute Album on Tasty Goody Records.
She’s still an Athens resident who never misses a Georgia Bulldogs game on TV and is a life-long Atlanta Braves fan,
Listen to Vanessa on the Braves' County podcast here.
You can pre-order the "Magnet Factory" LP or CD directly from Strollling Bones Records here.
Video and Digital Single for "Flowers Everywhere" released today
Today, Strolling Bones Records is releasing "Flowers Everywhere", the second digital single and video from Pylon Reenactment Society's upcoming LP "Magnet Factory" which will be available on February 9, 2024.
You can stream "Flowers Everywhere" here.
You can pre-order the "Magnet Factory" LP or CD directly from Strollling Bones Records here.
Show at Hendershot's on Sunday December 3, 2023.
Pylon Reenactment Society will be performing a show at Hendershot's, 237 Prince Ave., Athens, GA, on Sunday, December 3, 2023.
Secret Monkey Weekend opens the show. Doors 6 pm, Music 7 pm. All ages friendly. $10 plus fees. Click here to get tickets.
Strolling Bones Records Annouces "Magnet Factory" LP
Pylon Reenactment Society has joined the Strolling Bones Records family and will release their debut album, Magnet Factory, on February 9, 2024.
The 11-song set organically grew out of jams and writing sessions over several years. As the album took shape, the lyrics peeled away at the layers of time and shared spaces that make up a life. A pair of unrecorded songs by seminal Athens, GA band Pylon were brought in to round out this collective unspoken theme. All the music was recorded by the current four members of the band (Vanessa Briscoe Hay, Jason NeSmith, Kay Stanton, Gregory Sanders) with a stellar vocal duet with the incomparable Kate Pierson of The B-52’s.
“They say people change their cell structure every seven years, so I’ve totally regenerated several times since we started Pylon forty years ago,” says Vanessa Briscoe Hay, frontwoman for that iconic Athens band and now frontwoman for Pylon Reenactment Society. “Over the course of your life, you’re going to learn new things. Your mind is going to change and expand. I’m a lot older now, and I can’t be something I’m not anymore. Pylon is our guiding star, but we’re not Pylon. We’re Pylon Reenactment Society.”
Magnet Factory is now available for pre-order on SIGNED vinyl and SIGNED CD at Strolling Bones Records.
The video for the first single "3x3" was released today and debuted at the Brooklyn Vegan Web site. The announcement was echoed with features at Stereogum and Pitchfork.
Press contact: Brady Brock at New West Records (bradybrock at NewWestRecords dot com).
"Count the Flowers" - Kevn Kinney cover released
"Count the Flowers" performed by Pylon Reenactment Society. Recorded and mixed by David Barbe at Chase Park Transduction Studio.
It's a digital single released today from Tasty Goody Records' 100-song Let's Go Dancing: A Celebration of Kevn Kinney tribute project to be released as four separate physical/digital albums over the next year. The first album "Said the Firefly to the Hurricane" comes out on November 24."
You can hear it at these sites:
September 8th Show at Southern Brewing Co.
We will be playing at Southern Brewing Company, 231 Collins Ind. Blvd., on Friday, September 8, opening for Drivin' N Cryin'.
Doors open at 7:00 PM. We play at 8. Drivin' N Cryin' plays at 9.
All ages show. Tickets are $20 in advance / $25 at the door and are available here.
DRIVIN' N CRYIN' (9PM)
In 1985 Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ played their first show at Atlanta’s famed 688 Club. The band quickly gained attention for blistering live shows and amassed a rabid fanbase in the fertile soil of the late-80s Southeast music scene. Now 30+ years later, founding members Kevn Kinney and Tim Nielsen find themselves enjoying longevity, having survived the pressures of fame, a shifting musical landscape, multiple lineup changes, traveling miles of back roads and highways to arrive here.
DNC has had an amazing rotation of lead guitarists joining them such as Warner E. Hodges (Jason & The Scorchers), Aaron Lee Tasjan, Sadler Vaden (Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit), Mark Bryan (Hootie & The Blowfish) and Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crow) while continuing to tour the World. The current lineup includes guitarist Laur Joamets (Sturgill Simpson) and longtime drummer Dave V Johnson.
The recent re-release of Mystery Road on Island Records, Darius Rucker’s cover of their beloved anthem “Straight To Hell” featuring Luke Bryan and Charles Kelley (Lady Antebellum), a Summer 2018 re-release of remastered 1997 eponymous album as Too Late To Turn Back Now and the most recent 2019 full-length Aaron Lee Tasjan produced album Live The Love Beautiful has kept the band in constant motion. In 2020, Live The Love Beautiful: Live was released.
Comfortable in their past and confident in their future, Drivin’ N Cryin’ are armed with an arsenal of songs, a full tank of gas and no intention of stopping any time soon.
PYLON REENACTMENT SOCIETY (8PM)
More than a tribute band. Pylon Reenactment Society (PRS) have written new songs with Pylon as their guiding star. PRS have delighted old Pylon fans while making new ones. The band features original Pylon vocalist Vanessa Briscoe Hay, guitarist Jason NeSmith, bassist Kay Stanton and drummer Gregory Sanders.
PRS formed in 2014 to perform Pylon songs for the art retrospective Art Rocks Athens. Vanessa decided to call the project Pylon Reenactment Society to differentiate the band from Pylon. The show was enthusiastically received and they were invited back in 2015. With the surviving Pylon members’ blessings, Pylon Reenactment Society became a real band. What started as a one-off project has since made an international splash, wowing both long-time fans who thought they would never get to see this music performed live as well as younger fans who have just discovered Pylon.
September 29th Show at Ciné
We will be playing at Ciné Lab, 234 W. Hancock Ave, on Friday, September 29, along with It's Snakes from Charlotte, NC.
Doors at 9:00 PM. The show starts at 10.
All ages show. Tickets are $12 in advance / $15 at the door and are available here.
Show at The Earl on September 30
We will be playing at The Earl, 488 Flat Shoals Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA, on Saturday, September 30 along with It's Snakes and Lynx Deluxe.
Tickets are $15 and are available here.
BAND BIOS Pylon Reenactment SocietyMore than a tribute band. Pylon Reenactment Society (PRS) have written new songs with Pylon as their guiding star. PRS have delighted old Pylon fans while making new ones. The band features original Pylon vocalist Vanessa Briscoe Hay, guitarist Jason NeSmith, bassist Kay Stanton and drummer Gregory Sanders.
PRS formed in 2014 to perform Pylon songs for the art retrospective Art Rocks Athens. Vanessa decided to call the project Pylon Reenactment Society to differentiate the band from Pylon. The show was enthusiastically received and they were invited back in 2015. With the surviving Pylon members’ blessings, Pylon Reenactment Society became a real band. What started as a one-off project has since made an international splash, wowing both long-time fans who thought they would never get to see this music performed live as well as younger fans who have just discovered Pylon.
It's SnakesStarting in early 2015, singer Hope Nicholls took tentative steps in the daunting shoes of Phil Collins and Levon Helms, attempting to keep the beat on drums while crooning. The former vocalist for 80’s college rock main-stays Fetchin Bones, 90’s pissed-off Sugarsmack and 2000’s secret Snagglepuss hit the skins with a vengeance and zero shites given. Aaron Pitkin added his signature riffage: It’s Snakes marked his return to guitar, a first since the ‘Bones epoch. Long time collaborator Darrin Gray (bass) and fellow member of Snagglepuss coached Nicholls on drumming and believed it just might work. Guitarist Greg Walsh believed as well and the dream was real.
Nicholls took the name It’s Snakes from a Lynda Barry comic strip that featured a nonchalant retail encounter with Medusa, legendary snake goddess and first female super villain.
Lynx DeluxeLynx Deluxe was founded in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. The band's first EP, "Jungleland," was released in 2021 and shortly thereafter, Lynx Deluxe's debut performance was at Atlanta's Coca-Cola Roxy supporting Drivin N Cryin. In October of 2022, members Andy Browne (The Nightporters), Lucy Theodora (Peppermint Synapse), Brad Mattson (The Phones), Billy Fields (Follow for Now), and Dean Browne (Irrational Velvet) recorded their follow up LP at the historic Capricorn Sound Studios in Macon, GA. The yet to be titled album is currently being mixed in Atlanta, GA by Palmer Wood.
Love.Craft Benefit August 25
We will be playing at Burning Love.Craft at Southern Brewing Company on Friday, August 25, along with The Howdies and The Love.Craft Band.
This is a benefit for Love.Craft Athens whose mission is to educate and integrate by empowering differently abled adults through the creation of art and music.
The art market is at 5 p.m. and the music starts at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for kids and are available here.
"Hit Girls" book at the Athens-Clarke County Library
Author Jen B. Larson in discussion with special guest Vanessa Briscoe Hay (Pylon and Pylon Reenactment Society) on July 20th at 5:00 PM. Books will be available for purchase.
Think punk was only a boys club? Read about the women who were the punk revolution!
Women have been kicking against the music patriarchy since Sister Rosetta Tharpe first played the guitar riffs that built rock-n-roll. The explosion of punk sent shockwaves of revolution to every girl who dreamed of being on stage. Punk godmothers Suzy Quatro, The Runaways, Patti Smith, Poison Ivy, Tina Weymouth, Debbie Harry, The Go-Gos, and Fanny’s Millington sisters provided the template for thousands of girls and women throughout the United States to write and record their songs.
"Hit Girls" is the story of local and regional bands whose legacy would be otherwise lost. Despite the modern narrative labeling women as anomalies in rock music, the truth is: women played important roles in punk and its related genres in every city, in every scene, all over the United States. The women and bands profiled by Jen B. share their experiences of sexism and racism as well as their joy and successes from their days on stage as they changed what it meant to be in a band. These pioneering women were more than novelty acts or pretty faces--they were fully contributing members and leaders of mixed-gender and all-female bands long before the call for “girls to the front.”
The women of Hit Girls are now rightfully exalted to cult status where their collective achievement is recognized and inspiring to new generations of women rockers. Included are interviews with: Texacala Jones, Stoney Rivera, Mish Bondaj, Alice Bag, Nikki Corvette, Penelope Houston, Vanessa Brisoe Hay, and many other formidable women.
Lyric Video for "Read a Book""
Vanessa has created a lyric vidoe for Pylon's song "Read a Book" with lots of images contributed by fans.
You can watch it on YouTube at this link.
PRS "Part Time Punks Session" EP Re-Issue
Chunklet Industries has made a second pressing of our "Part Time Punks Session" EP, this time on blue vinyl released as the "Georgia Goes Blue Limited Edition".
On December 11, 2016, during a short west coast tour, PRS performed for PART TIME PUNKS at the Echoplex. PTP is a monthly event curated and promoted by MICHAEL STOCK, a DJ at KXLU, Los Angeles.
Click here to get this limited edition EP.
Why does the music of Pylon still have such appeal to all ages and types of people? Vanessa Hay and the musicians in the Pylon Reenactment Society — guitarist Jason NeSmith, bassist Kay Stanton, keyboardist Damon Denton and drummer Joe Rowe — give muscle to Pylon’s compositions, and Hay’s singing remains as tart and original as ever. Pylon’s musical reputation has grown steadily since 1979, which Hay chalks up to, among other things, the universal appeal of music that compels movement. “I think it still sounds fresh because of what it is, and I think it’s danceable,” she says.
- Edd Hurt, Pylon Reenactment Society Carries the Flame for Athens Post-Punk Legends, Nashville Scene, March 1, 2018
In the fertile art-rock scene of Athens, Georgia, in the early eighties, the band to beat was Pylon, a post-punk quartet that front-loaded ominous, danceable bass lines and the screech of the magnetic singer Vanessa Briscoe. As its peers went on to grander stages, Pylon disbanded, in 1983, choosing cult status over a chance to accompany U2 on their first U.S. stadium tour. After a series of reunions, the band closed shop in 2009, upon the death of its guitarist lodestar, Randy Bewley. Pylon Reenactment Society is at once a tribute and a spinoff, with the singer (now Vanessa Briscoe Hay) energetically backed by tasteful musicians from Athens present.
- Jay Ruttenberg, Goings On About Town, The New Yorker, July 1, 2018
Photo by Jim Leatherman http://jimleatherman.com/