Athens, Ga., has a rich indie rock history peppered with acts like Of Montreal, Drive-By Truckers, Neutral Milk Hotel and the two patron saints of the scene, the B-52s and R.E.M.
Alternative popsters Modern Skirts, armed with airy keyboards and dreamy melodies, are some of the newer kids on the block who are building a reputation in the indie scene.
The group will be playing its second show in Gainesville this month on Wednesday at 9 p.m. at 1982. The Old Ceremony, The Neighborhood Watch, and Brother Captain and King will also be performing. Tickets are $6.
Drummer John Swint said that being from Athens helps grab the attention of music fans even if they haven't heard any of the band's music.
"It's actually pretty cool," he said. "It's kind of a good badge to wear."
The folklore of Athens independent music has even played a significant part in the development of the band over the six years it's been together. They've been able to play legendary venues like the 40 Watt Club, grabbing the attention of R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills one night when he happened to be there to catch a gig.
Mills enjoyed the show so much he went backstage to meet the band, leaving the group floored, Swint said.
"He's so down to earth, you really forget what an icon he is," Swint said.
Mills eventually offered his services as a producer and backup singer for one of the tracks off of the band's latest album, "All of Us in Our Night."
The band has been touring off of that record, which the band released independently last October.
For Swint, the do-it-yourself aesthetic can become a double-edged sword in a world that is full of here-today, gone-tomorrow YouTube and MySpace phenomenons.
"It's a really cool time to be creative because there are so many outlets, but you really have to stay on top of the wave. You have to compete with Joe Blow in his living room, making beats for T-Pain," he said. "It's really exciting and really scary at the same time."
The music from "All of Us in Our Night" is laced with a wintery dreariness that reflects some of the atmosphere that surrounded half of the recording sessions in a cold Richmond, Va., studio a few years ago.
The other half of the sessions took place in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Swint noted the influence these surroundings had on the track "Radio Breaks."
An impromptu parade of locals banging screwdrivers on metal cans led to the creation of the song's brassy coda.
"We actually got some teenagers, and we gave them an allowance to come up and play horns," he said.
The record took so long to actually put out that it has already become somewhat of an afterthought to the group.
They have already recorded 12 new songs, a batch of tunes that Swint says marks a new direction for the band.
"The songs that we are currently working on are a little more cohesive," he said.
If the band likes what it's done, it hopes to put out a new album by early next year. Modern Skirts have played to crowds both in the U.S. and in Europe, traveling last summer to England to play at the Glastonbury Festival.
The band is returning to play in Gainesville, a town that Swint said has a familiar feel to it.
"It's a lot like Athens-huge collegiate crowd and a solid scene," he said.
