Pylon rides the M-Train again

Thurs., Aug. 5 --Word spread quickly through Athens that legendary quartet Pylon -- the historic Classic City band that predates R.E.M. and was preceded only by the B-52's in origin -- was to play again for the first time since '91. The cryptic message passed around said simply, "10:30 p.m. at the corner of Hull and Hancock." In the as-yet-not-officially-named venue, original members Vanessa Hay (vocals), Curtis Crowe (drums), Randy Bewley (guitar) and Michael Lachowski (bass) -- four musicians who had vowed for the past decade they'd never play together again -- heated up an unusually cool summer evening with a blisteringly well-executed set of early material, all crowd favorites.

The minute Pylon opened the show with "Recent Title," the crowd was a massive slab of adoration and compact dancing. At first, Hay referred to a notebook of lyrics on a stand, but as the evening progressed, she became completely absorbed in the performance, often dancing wildly. The setting could easily have been Tyrone's or the original location of the 40 Watt, Athens venues when the almost quarter-century-old songs were brand new.

Music fans in their 20s saw Pylon play live for the first time. Old-timers stood in awe and/or danced furiously to the all-too-brief set. By the time the band closed the absolutely surreal evening with "M-Train," the whole room was sweat-soaked.

Will this happen again? The clue is in the tiny strips of paper handed out upon entrance to the club. "Join our e-mail list at hello@wearepylon.com." "This way, we can let everyone know about the next time we play," explained Hay after the show.

"And it could be at anytime," teases Bewley. Watch that inbox!