Modoc, a Nashville, Tenn., rock band, will be playing at Green Bar Thursdayat 9 p.m.
The band originally started in small-town Modoc, Ill., before moving to Nashville, Tenn., to jump-start their music careers. Since then, Modoc has released one album, “Fortune & Fame,” with another set for release this August.
Eric Hurt, Modoc’s manager, has been working with the band for almost a year.
“Actually, I saw those guys play at South by Southwest a couple of years ago,” Hurt said. “Me and a friend just walked into a club, and [Modoc] got up on the stage – the club was packed out – and they just absolutely killed me. I thought they were fantastic.”
Although Modoc played shows at festivals throughout the U.S., its big break came when its unreleased song “Devil On My Shoulder” was featured in a promo for the ABC television show program “666 Park Avenue,”.
“Originally, I was working on music for the movie ‘Twilight’ over at Universal, and I was sending songs to the music supervisor who worked on the film,” Hurt said.
While the song was not used for “Twilight,” it was picked up for “666 Park Avenue.”
Clint Culberson, lead singer of Modoc, said hearing the band’s music on television was a humbling experience.
“To hear your own voice through the television is a little strange,” Culberson said. “For me it was pretty humbling to be a part of a commercial. Being able to play music, you kind of feel like you’re cheating somebody. It’s hard work, but it’s a lot of fun.”
Culberson said Modoc’s music is inspired by classics like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin but also newer artists such as the Black Keys and Kings of Leon. Hurt described the band’s sound as “indie rock with an edge.”
Hurt said the band decided to visit Tuscaloosa because of the importance to cover all cities within the Southeastern region.
“Some of [touring] is really trial and error,” Hurt said. “It kind of starts off by wanting to build a buzz and a following in the region.”
Hurt said if the city responds well, the band will plan future gigs. If not, the city is “struck from the list.”
“We’ve come across a lot of what people would think to be random cities, but a lot of ‘random cities’ are the ones where we have the most fun,” Culberson said. “We’ve found a lot of the times the small towns are the most surprising in people that really get where we’re coming from, and we get where they’re coming from. There’s a lot more to America than just the big cities.”
Modoc will be playing Summer Fest in Milwaukee, Wis., June 30 and LouFest in St. Louis, Mo., which is put on by the same group that produces Lollapalooza.
For more information on Modoc and its tour dates, visit its Facebook page or ModocMusic.com.
