Interview: Modernage

PHOTOS AND ARTICLE BY PAULA GONZALEZ

For a band, struggle is part of the equation for success. But how much harder is that struggle when the city you play in lacks a strong music scene and an audience? That’s the challenge that many South Florida bands face: lack of venues, a consistent audience and promotion, unable to open for bigger/out-of-town bands and tour to notable places in the state.

I’m not completely putting Miami down on this; this city does flourish on having the best DJs in the world, and there are plenty of parties sponsored by cigarette and alcohol companies (trust me, you save money). There’s one band that stands out from the crowd and has managed to build its name and a faithful audience: Modernage.

Songs written with pick-up lines, break-up lines, love lines and poetry lines, they play New Wave/Brit pop beats with the influence of The Cure. Made up of five friends, Modernage is not only picky about when and where they play but also have managed a number of successes. They have played numerous times in New York, opened for Bloc Party and recently visited Mexico for a couple of shows, where they had an immense turnout. And now they are heading to the West Coast.

Modernage film their own music videos because according to lead singer Mario Giancarlo, “We are artsy fartsy motherfuckers,” promote their band extensively and always maintain a continuity of what they are doing. The Scenestar talked with two members of Modernage after a show at Studio A to try to figure out how Modernage will create their own success.

SS: You have about three music videos…
Mario: Four.
SS: And really they are your promo devices. And something you mentioned before, Modernage is not a band that plays three to four times a week. You rarely play, but it’s quite a treat when you do. So are the music videos to make up for missing in action?
Mario: I guess it lets people see us if they want to on a daily basis, on MySpace, on the Web site.

SS: Modernage opened for Bloc Party not too long ago. What was the aftermath of that?
Mario: It was really good. I mean mostly for the money side of it. We sold a lot of stuff.

SS: Were you surprised? The Scenestar was at the show and a lot of people didn’t know who you were, so we had to spell it out for clueless folk that this is a Miami local band. Do you count yourself as among the very few bands putting Miami on the map?
Mario: I guess if we do, great, but we don’t even look at ourselves as a local band. We just see ourselves as a band. I would like to see Miami become a place where industry people would take notice. I mean, there is some really good stuff. It’s just Miami has got such a bad rap overall.

SS: Does that make it a lot harder for you?
Mario: I guess so because the last thing people expect is sort of an alternative band from Miami to wow them.

SS: Do you think that adds more pressure? You have to work a lot harder, be more impressive; you have to have more elements.
Mario: We work hard. Success is a combination of hard work and luck. We are taking care of the working hard part. We’re hoping the luck part will eventually happen.

The boys of Modernage also have become part of the growing indie/alternative/electronica/rock scene in Miami. You’ll eventually bump into one of them at a club, bar or concert and dance to their DJ sets or mingle with them at a place where they have become the life of the party. Beyond that, their music videos also have become a character. While Mario returned to the party, The Scenestar continued the conversation with guitar player Xavier Alexander.

SS: What is the effort behind the music videos?
Xavier: I think having a good video distinguishes us from other local bands. I guess it gives people the perception of us that we are more established. Also, a lot of people don’t get to see us live, so we want them to see us, not just hear our music but to see what we are like.

SS: Is there are a reason why you don’t play live a lot?
Xavier: Yeah, we try to play only select gigs and big events. It’s hard in Miami. If you’re playing every week, you’re not going to get a crowd. You got to take advantage and luckily we’ve gotten asked to do nice events, probably because of that, because we just don’t play anything. If we thought there would be a crowd every time, we would play every week, but it’s kind of ... there’s a big club scene here and we try to affiliate ourselves to that.

SS: You’re one of the few bands that can play at a club and set yourself apart.
Xavier: We’re ready to jump off stage and start dancing!

SS: You are! Modernage is basically characters within the club scene. You mingle, you work it around; not too many bands do that.
Xavier: Well, it’s something that we started doing and many bands are doing now. I’m not saying they are doing it because of us, but it’s the way to be in Miami. If not, you’re playing Churchill’s every week and you’re never going anywhere. We play at Churchill’s, everyone plays at Churchill’s, but eventually, you got to go somewhere, you got to find your own way to do it.

Modernage will keep doing it their own way when they visit Los Angeles, where they will perform two shows. You can see them for free June 7 on LATV or on June 8 at the Knitting Factory. And don’t forget to check out their music videos.

If you would like to score a free copy of their EP Receiver, email us your name and address to enter to win!

Comments

[iggy pop]

great band. i try to catch them every time they play in miami. why they haven't received more recognition out-of-state is beyond me and probably tells you something about the miami scene.

[Marissis]

can't wait to see the guys tomorrow. just found out about them a month ago. very happy they are in LA. thanks for interviewing them.

[paula]

yes i have to say thanks to modernage i have been able to survive miami.

[Oscar]

The answer is A Day In The Life. Did I win? Wait, is this the same contest? LOL =P

[paula gonzalez]

no cd for you! you're disqualified!!