AMERICAN RADIO: A DEBUT ALBUM RELEASE SHOW AND A CHAT WITH HOLDEN SCOTT OF MODERN ALIBI
BY ANNA PORCELLAOver the course of the last two years, four-piece modern rock band Modern Alibi have been rapidly making a name for themselves amongst the scene in their hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. Armed with an EP and a handful of singles, the band began carving their space in the scene with their high energy performances, covers of everything from Britney Spears to The Rolling Stones, and the promise of more to come. In early April, the band delivered on their promise, with the release of their debut full-length album, American Radio. With the support of their hometown behind them, Modern Alibi have begun to set their sights on the future. Ahead of their album release show at Amos’ Southend in Charlotte, I sat down with frontman Holden Scott for a chat on finalizing the record, what it means for the band, and their outlook moving forward.
“It feels great to just have it out there,” Scott says. “Our debut record, it’s a great feeling.” A project over two years in the making, American Radio consists of twelve songs packed with an undeniable catchiness. “Whenever I think of a band that I look up to,” Scott says, “I always look at their first debut record and think okay, this is where it begins. I want people to look at [American Radio] as the beginning. So I want to make sure the songs I feel represent us as a band are on this record.” Whether it’s the pop-rock of “Lyrics That Don’t Even Rhyme,” the darker tones of “Reservoir,” or the soaring vocals of “Scarlett,” American Radio cements Modern Alibi as ones to watch in the modern rock scene. “Everything feels like it just works together well for me,” Scott says, “I’m super pumped with the way it’s turned out.”
In celebration of their debut, Modern Alibi performed American Radio in full for their album release show, with support from South Carolinian trio Sweet Spine. The band, whose full lineup consists of Holden Scott (vocals/guitar), Josh King (bass), Carter Ritz (guitar), and Christian Sturt (drums), carry themselves with the air of seasoned performers. Their engaging stage presence, musical talent, and infectious energy coupled with British-rock inspired guitar riffs and breakdowns makes them an incredibly entertaining live act.
“We’ve played them live before, it’s just nobody knew the songs,” Scott laughs, “It’s super exciting to be coming up on a show where some people are going to know the words.” Though there was only a week in between the drop of the record and the release show, Charlotte showed out, packing the floor of Amos’ Southend. The band have clearly already garnered a dedicated following: one fan gifted me a keepsake ticket for the show, another created a fan project of hundreds of colored lights to hold over flashlights, and another gifted the band a framed poster celebrating their single “Silver Spoon” hitting 1,000,000 streams. The band shows their love for their hometown in return, confiding to the crowd that it will always be their favorite place to play. In addition, the band’s recently released music videos for both “Is Everybody In?” and “Scarlett” contained acting performances by members of the Carolina Panthers cheerleading team. “It was cool to have a little nod to Charlotte in that way,” Scott says.
When asked which song they’re looking forward to playing live the most, the answer was easily the title track. “Of course, “American Radio.” That one - people need to know it,” Scott says. “It’s the one that means the most to me, that’s definitely why I made it the title track, it just felt right. It was one of those songs that I wasn’t really concerned with how commercial it is. It feels like a finale.” It was fitting, then, as the band closed out both the album and the release show with “American Radio.” The track begins softly, with Scott on keyboard, as the room lights up with blue lights from the aforementioned fan project. The song builds slowly until it crests into a cacophonous breakdown - a soaring bridge of gritty instrumentals, a cinematic number fitting for a stadium. But for now, in the pit of Amos’ Southend, anyone in the audience could tell there are big things in store for this band.
With their debut behind them, Charlotte is just the beginning for Modern Alibi. For their next steps, they have begun to turn their sights outward: “We’re thinking about a tour, and we want to make it to as many places as we can, but it’s all about spreading the word.” Ambitions aside, they’re continuing to take in every moment as it comes. “A band only gets one debut record release show, ever,” Scott says, “I’m excited for everything, honestly. I’m just excited, for our fans, and to have this remind us that we have some really great fans.”
American Radio is available on streaming services now.
