Modey Lemon

All Music Guide:

Inspired by the proto-punk Stooges and the post-garage Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and informed by the late '60s and '70s rock so prevalent in their middle-American hometowns, Modey Lemon was the most successful of the new wave of Pittsburgh bands born in the years following the mid-'90s peak of the indie and math rock scenes. Formed in the city's Oakland neighborhood in the summer of 1999 by Philander Boyd (guitar and vocals) and Paul Quattrone (drums), Modey Lemon was originally a side project to the similar three-piece Dean Swagger. The duo cut its chops on summer evenings in Pittsburgh's Strip District, playing largely improvised blues in front of a closed-for-the-night fruit stand. Over the course of the following year, the increasingly tight Modey Lemon gained priority from Boyd and Quattrone and honed its sound, emphasizing a rolling, sped-up Keith Moon-style approach to the drums; muddy, rollicking guitar; and a maniacal vocal delivery by Boyd, supplemented in places by bursts of Moog and harmonica. The House on the Hill CD-R and the "You Bug Me" single, issued in the summer of 2000 and spring of 2001 respectively, consolidated Modey Lemon's local gains; and with the release of its self-titled debut for Anti-Flag's A-F Records in February 2002, the group began to gain a national audience.The Modey buzz heightened a year later with the band's signing to Birdman Records and the release of the likeably scuzzy Thunder & Lightning. Things continued to look up for Modey Lemon. In spring 2005 Dinosaur Jr tapped the duo to open the European leg of their reunion tour. Then Curious City was issued (again through Birdman) to critical acclaim and a US tour.

Wikipedia:

Modey Lemon is an American garage rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The group formed in Pittsburgh's South Oakland neighborhood in 1999 as an informal side project of Dean Swagger, a rock trio that had spent the previous year mainly performing in basements to college party crowds. The original lineup consisted of guitarist Phil Boyd and drummer Paul Quattrone, then nominally students at the University of Pittsburgh. They made their first appearances at the Halloween weekend in 1999, and played a live set on WPTS 92.1 FM, the University of Pittsburgh college radio station, segments of which later turned up on their demo album, House on the Hill (and subsequently, their 2002 self-titled release).

By 2000, the duo had gained a reputation around Pittsburgh for their concerts. Modey Lemon, the group's debut album, appeared in early 2002, and the band supported the album with tours of the US and Europe. The group followed their self-titled release with a brief stint on In the Red Records, which released a double 7 inch record, before recommending the band to Birdman Records owner Dave Katznelson, who then signed the band. Prior to the mid-2003 release of second album Thunder + Lightning, Boyd and Quattrone added Jason Kirker on guitar and Moog synthesizer. Following the US release of Thunder + Lighting the band signed with Mute Records, which licensed and released the album in the UK and Europe, and via EMI (Mute's parent label) in Japan. The single releases, "Crows" (2004, #75) and "Sleepwalkers" (2005, #71), each appeared in the UK Singles Chart for one week.

Their third album The Curious City was released in August 2005 on Birdman/Mute.

Modey Lemon has performed with The White Stripes, The Von Bondies, the Blues Explosion, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Oneida, the Warlocks, Icarus Line, and Dinosaur Jr., and has played festivals such as Glastonbury (2005), ArthurFest (2005), Meredith Music Festival (2003), and Transmusicales (2004).

In 2006, the band appeared in a 'punk club' scene of the film adaptation of Michael Chabon's novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, performing two original songs written for the film as well as two cover songs.

The band released their fourth album Season of Sweets on May 12, 2008. The band also completed a tour of the US in June and July that year and a tour of the UK and mainland Europe in September.

In October 2009, it was announced that their track "Become a Monk" from the band's album Season of Sweets, would be included on the soundtrack of the video game, Tony Hawk: Ride.