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Randall Bewley

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Randall Eugene Bewley (July 25, 1955 – February 25, 2009) was the guitarist for the Athens, Georgia-based band Pylon.

Randall Bewley
Birth nameRandall Bewley
Also known asRandy Bewley
Born(1955-07-25)July 25, 1955
Bradenton, Florida, United States
DiedFebruary 25, 2009(2009-02-25) (aged 53)
Athens, Georgia, United States
GenresNew wave, post-punk
Occupation(s)Musician, Songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar
Bass
Drums
Years active1978–2009
LabelsCaution
DB Records
Sky Records
DFA Records
Formerly ofPylon
Supercluster
Soundhouses

Life and career

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Bewley was born in Bradenton, Florida. He lived in Sarasota, Florida, Washington, D.C., and near Atlanta, Georgia, while growing up. Bewley attended the University of Georgia's Lamar Dodd School of Art where he met Michael Lachowski, a fellow art student.[1] They became roommates and decided to form a band. He and Lachowski, along with fellow art students Vanessa Briscoe Hay and Curtis Crowe, formed Pylon, having their first performance in 1979.[2] On their first trip to New York City, they were reviewed in Interview Magazine.[3]

Bewley was a very influential guitarist and used the guitar to create not just notes, but interesting sounds as well.[4] Pylon recorded three albums, three singles and one EP.[5] The band has opened for U2, R.E.M., the B-52's, Talking Heads and Gang of Four.[6][2] Pylon broke up twice, but they reunited and had been playing occasional shows.[7] Pylon's first album Gyrate was reissued in October 2007 by DFA records. Chomp was reissued in 2009.[1]

Bewley was an art teacher for a while, but towards the end of his life, he devoted more time to his music and his own art.[6] He also played with two other Athens projects: Sound Houses (formerly The New Sound of Numbers) and Supercluster.

Death

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On February 23, 2009, Bewley was driving on Barber Street in Athens when he suffered a heart attack. According to a statement by his band Pylon, his van drifted off the road and overturned.[8] He was admitted to Athens Regional Medical Center and lapsed into a coma; he died two days later on February 25 when he was removed from life support. He was 53.[9]

Discography

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Pylon

Supercluster

Other

Video

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  • Beep (1990), Pylon, from CD: Hits, a compilation, DB Records
  • Look Alive (1992), Pylon, from album :Chain, Sky Records

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b Ankeny, Jason. "Pylon Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  2. ^ a b Hale, Grace Elizabeth (8 July 2020). "The Birth and Death of Pylon, America's Best Rock Band". Slate.
  3. ^ Masters, Marc (10 November 2020). "Pylon Box: Pylon". Pitchfork.
  4. ^ Cohan, Brad (25 July 2016). "America's (Other) Best Band: Pylon's Brilliant Punk Minimalism Lives On". Observer.
  5. ^ Strong, M. C. (2003). The Great Indie Discography. Edinburgh: Canongate. p. 469. ISBN 1-84195-335-0.
  6. ^ a b "Randy Bewley: guitarist". The Times. 18 March 2009. Archived from the original on 23 November 2024.
  7. ^ Hurt, Edd (1 March 2018). "Pylon Reenactment Society Carries the Flame for Athens Post-Punk Legends". Nashville Scene.
  8. ^ "Pylon Guitarist Suffers Heart Attack". idiomag. 2009-02-26. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  9. ^ "Pylon Guitarist Randy Bewley dies". Access Atlanta. Archived from the original on 2009-03-01.
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