Thursday, February 26, 2009

R.I.P Randy Bewley --PYLON's Guitar man!


Well some of you may not know who PYLON is but they were a pretty amazing band that influenced so much of the music over the last 20 years! the Poison Control Center actually got to open for them on one of there few Reunion shows in the past few years.. It was pretty amazing opening for them at the ATHENS POPFEST a few years back.. I actually got to meet Randy the guitar player at an after party of the show.. He said he liked our band, which always make my heart jump, wether it be a 12 year old kid saying it or a great guitarist from a influential band.. I'm glad we had the honor to open for them and Im proud to say I met Randy..
and I want to thank my good friend mike turner for making that happen.. PYLON is one of Mikes favorite bands, and I can honestly say the first time I heared them was in his car driving around listening to a cassette tape and then him showing me the film ATHENS INSIDE/OUT... I dont think anybody probably liked the band more... Mike wrote a touching piece about Randy on his blog and I thought I would share it with you!

This is what my friend Mike had to say on the HHBTM blog.......
This afternoon Randy Bewley (guitarist from Pylon) died from a heart attack that he suffered while driving on Monday evening. He will be missed. Randy was a real super funny guy, very kind, and one of the most innovative guitarists of our time. Pylon played a big role in my fascination with Athens while in high school in the late 80's. I found a copy of Athens, GA Inside Out at a pawn shop in Panama City, Fl where I'm from on cassette. I picked it up because R.E.M. were on it and I had never heard the song "Dream" which after getting the tape I found was a popular cover. This cassette opened my world up to so much it's almost impossible for me to think of what would be if I had not found it that day. The Pylon track " Stop It" was the highlight of the soundtrack. I was able to trade some Judybats singles and EPs I had to a girl at my school that had a copy of the actual VHS of Athens, GA Inside Out, and I knew then I would someday move there. I picked up loads of DB stuff over the next few years, and would give a bit more time to a band coming out of Athens than I would from anywhere else it seemed. I made trips to Athens through the 90's only
to finally move here in 2004. Shortly after moving here Pylon reformed and played a secret show in August of 2004. The timing was a nightmare though, as I couldn't go to it as I was in the middle of the first Athens PopFest, so i missed the show. They played again that new year's eve which might have been the best show I will have ever gone to. In the spring of 2005 I sat down with Randy, Vanessa, and Michael from Pylon (Curtis was out of town at the time) for an interview for an issue of the Bee's Knees that never went to print. I was so nervous talking to them, to me they were like the Beatles or Rolling Stones. Everyone was so polite and funny, and soon they put my nerves on ease. After that interview we ended up actually getting to be friends. They played the second Athens Popfest and a dream that seemed impossible before moving to Athens had came true. I never thought I'd ever see them play, but for Pylon to play at the Popfest..... it just couldn't get better. Pylon shows in Athens were always special because they had such a fan base here, and everyone was
there to dance and have a good time. (I mean when was the last time you went to a show and have an entire room moving on the floor?). When they played the Popfest however only about half the crowd knew them, most of the out of towners had no idea who they were. When booking them it never struck me that they would be playing to a almost completely new crowd, but when they went on you could see a bit of nervousness on the first song or two. After a few songs the audience couldn't help but to start dancing, and soon the entire club was getting to experience that Athens dance party that was a Pylon show. I could go on and on about each member, but I want
to share mainly about Randy. It was shortly after the show that I got to know Randy. We met downtown one night and he had dinner with my wife Leslie and I at Clocked. We talked about art and music, he shared a bunch of funny Pylon stories, and gave me an original 1" pylon button (or badge as known in the UK). Leslie and I that night dubbed him Rockin' Randy which we always called him after that. The nickname never caught on to others, but it was our little thing. Randy would drop by Wuxtry and we'd talk for hours about new records and reissues, he even took Leslie and myself backstage after the Gang of Four show in 2005 and introduced us to them all. He was just such a great person, always friendly, and open to talking about nearly anything. He helped me out when I was looking to buy a new guitar...anyway my thoughts are getting all muddy now. Randy you will be missed, and you have no idea how much you have touched all of our lives. My heart goes out to all his friends and family.

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