recap: Catalogue of Generous Men (by Athens, Georgia's Modern Skirts) is a little piece of shiny, summery pop goodness wrapped up tight with bouncy piano melodies and harmonies galore. Philip Brantley (bassist) kindly chatted with us about the making of the album, as well as future plans for the band (not including world domination.)

{ header artwork, 'Supper Club' borrowed from the collection of Marion Peck }

{s. sctas}: the modern skirts sound is pretty multi-faceted--sounds like you draw from a bunch of different influences/places/times and mash them up into something that's entirely yours. are their favorite songwriters/musicians/musical loves that the group shares, or does everyone have their own tastes? tell us about some of those...

{philip}: As far as similar favorites go, we are all suckers for many of the British Invasion bands and the pop that came out of that era. The Beatles, The Kinks, The Stones, The Zombies, etc. They all had so many amazing songs with undeniable melodies and clever lyrical content. Those qualities are certainly what we strive for in our songs. As far as more recent artists, we are all over the board. One band that I've really been into lately is Dr. Dog out of Philly. We've all been digging a bit of A.C. Newman's solo stuff and Grandaddy as well.

when/how did the band form? (late 2003-ish? this is winning and thinking EP was released in 2004, correct, and features songs that would eventually make it onto the full length album, like "17 dirty magazines", "my bully", and "september days")?

John (drums) and I met JoJo (piano/bass/vocals) and Jay (vocals) during the fall of '02 and got together by early '03. We had mutual friends who knew that JoJo and Jay were looking for a rhythm section for older songs that they had. We were introduced basically as pairs, and pretty much played for a period without any real aspirations, you know, just for our friends and a bar tab. When we got together and wrote new material for the EP, that's when we started taking things more seriously.

what's the dynamic like having multiple songwriters in the band (and having them all be so strong)? do you all come to the table with your own ideas, ready to develop them, or is it more of a group process?

It's always a bit different. Sometimes one of us comes to the table with a melody or a hook and nothing more. Then we can sit down and build around it ("Ring the Bell" is a great example). Other times most of the song is already there and certain small parts need attention ("Pasadena").  Or we could all start together from scratch ("Tonight, Before You Were Sleeping"). The process varies so much, and I think that keeps things fresh for us.

much is made of the fact that you guys are part of the athens music scene, prolly because it's pretty much famous/revered. there's so many bands that want to get noticed, and so much musical energy/history emanating from the area, so i suppose that's to be expected. how difficult/nerve-wracking is it to find your own little corner and get yourself established?

It hasn't been very difficult. There are so many bands representing so many genres in this town. Several are very good at what they do. We are a pop group. The focal points of the songs are the melody, the structure, and the dynamic. There are only a few bands around here who are writing music like this, so a great number of  people have warmed up to us quickly.

the band won four flagpole awards at athfest this year, including band and album of the year. it's always so nice/humbling to get recognition--were you guys totally surprised by the wins? where do you think your popularity comes from--is it all your live shows, coupled with word of mouth?

Our local fan base has been great, and we are so appreciative of the great show of support we have received from them. Again, I think all of the popularity comes from the songs. Of course, they're very accessible. It's pop music. But there is so much to love about good pop and how it gets in your head and how it can effortlessly jump from one emotion to another.  So much current music is stale not only sonically, but lyrically as well. So many bands/songwriters are stifled by their own idea of what is marketable, that they overlook the infinite amount subject matter available to them for songwriting. This is so evident in all of music, but especially in modern country, hip hop, and hardcore music where artists seem to compete over who can be more creatively limited. It's abysmal.

what's next for the band? would you like to make the jump to a record label in the near future? any new recordings/tours we should know about?

We are definitely looking to have the record picked up. We've done well on our own, but you really need distribution and a marketing plan behind you. We've signed on with a national booking agent, and are planning to tour extensively in late Fall/early Winter. The record has been out for a while, but it's still brand spanking new to most of the known world. Touring is our first step towards getting the record out and about.

album art and liner notes are becoming a lost art, especially in these days, as it's becoming more and more popular to own music in electronic format only. (I think that's really sad, actually, as there's so much joy to be found in reading the lyrics and looking at the art as you listen to an album...) the art for catalogue of generous men is so pretty/glossy/cool. tell us about the artist(s) and why did you guys pick it?

Lucianno Giarrano and Jamie Waters- Maduri were introduced to us as we were recording the record. They are both so talented, and we really liked what we saw of their previous work. Most importantly, they were regulars in the studio while we were making the record, and this allowed them to match the visual art to what was happening sonically. We are all very pleased with the end result.