Mixtape Atlanta talks with singer/ songwriter JoJo Glidewell of Modern Skirts about their music and upcoming set at the BMI Rock Showcase tonight, August 27, at Vinyl.
Mixtape Atlanta: Last year’s All of Us in Our Night was a little bit of a departure from Catalogue of Generous Men.
JoJo Glidewell: Well, it had been four years since Catalogue of Generous Men, and we kind of felt trapped a little bit by that first album. So the theme of the new record is us trying to break out of that and push into new territory as a band. And I think it has the qualities and the faults of that process.
MA: Did that play itself out sonically, lyrically, or in other ways?
JJG: I think both. The lyrics were a little bit darker than the first album, which was such a happy, poppy thing, especially lyrically. And this album was a lot more serious, a lot more… I don’t know, complicated maybe? And the music expressed that too, although that was less deliberately.
MA: You have this great reputation as being live show legends in Athens. How were you able to retain that live show energy while playing this new music?
JJG: Well, when we play our songs a lot more energy naturally flows into the songs. At first we were careful about what songs we played off that record because we didn’t want it to be too much of a downer show. But when we got to playing those songs, that live energy gave a new life to those songs that took them to a different place from the record.
MA: You’ve gotten some big shout-outs from REM’s Mike Mills. You’re his favorite Athens band, right?
JJG: Yeah, that was one of those things that kind of made my head pop. He randomly came to see us play one night, and it was dark and I couldn’t see who I was talking to. And then he introduced himself, and I realized who I was talking to! He told us how much he liked us, and then a little later at an awards show he dropped our name and said some very nice things about us. Then we had the opportunity to work with him – he produced one of the tracks on our album, and we got to go over to Amsterdam and open up for REM. It’s been a rewarding relationship for us.
MA: Okay JoJo, what’s your favorite track for your ultimate mixtape?
JJG: I’m actually making one of those right now for a friend’s birthday! One of the songs I can’t stop listening to is The Walkmen’s “Another One Goes By.” I usually listen to that one three or four times in a row. Another one that always finds its way onto mixes I make is “Elephant Girl” by Blonde Redhead.
Add this track to your mixtape: "Soft Pedals" from All of Us in Our Night
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