Interview: Modern Alibi
Article by Lindsey V. Britt / Photo by Brandon Burdette
Up-and-coming alt-rock band Modern Alibi from Charlotte, NC was founded by the band’s lead singer, rhythm guitarist, musician, and songwriter Holden Scott, starting as a solo project. In 2022 the band was officially formed when lead guitarist, Sloane Letourneau, bassist, Josh King, and drummer Christian Sturt joined. Modern Alibi has played several gigs and is gaining popularity not only in the Charlotte music scene but all over with their social media presence. Along with the release of their EP: M/A Extended Play, it was announced that they will be performing at the Lovin’ Life Music Fest in May.
First off, I love the name Modern Alibi, where did it come from?
Holden: About two and a half years ago I wanted to start a band and I knew that I needed a name because I didn’t want to be a solo artist so I was coming up with as many things as I could think of, I wanted two words that really had nothing to do with each other, cause I wanted to put my own meaning to the words and I wanted people to associate the name with the music rather than it just being one word. So Modern came from a few songs that I like that have the word modern, like “Modern Love” by David Bowie has always been an inspiration, and Alibi, which’s in “Mr. Brightside” and there’s also “Hotel California” which I was really into but now hopefully people don’t really think about what it means, and they just associate it with the music but that’s kind of the uninteresting story to the name.
Christian: We’re gonna come up with a more interesting story soon.
How did the four of you all meet?
Josh: It kind of happened over time really, it started out with just Holden and then Sloane and then six, seven months later I joined, and a couple of months after that Christian joined. I was a sub originally for one gig and then it just worked out and here I am.
Christian: The Charlotte music scene is very small for as big as it feels sometimes, everyone kind of knows each other. I’ve known Sloane for a long, long time and I formally met him like seven years ago, and I’ve seen him progress over time on social media and when I joined Modern a year and a half, two years ago, I was like dude this is Sloane I remember him from when he was…
Sloane: When he wasn’t good at guitar.
Christian: He was killer. And I knew Josh through a couple of his various projects. Everyone’s name goes around, you kind of know everybody in the Charlotte scene and to be just young kids doing music, when you have something, word gets around.
Josh: The scene of musicians that’s also our age is even smaller so we all just kind of stick together, all the younger bands in Charlotte we all kind of know each other.
Christian: And the music style itself alternative, Charlotte doesn't really have too much of an alternative scene, so when you get musicians who really enjoy it you wanna jump on it as quick as you can.
What bands and genres inspire you either sonically or lyrically?
Sloane: I’m very 2000’s pop-punk, that’s where I get a lot of my style from.
Holden: That’s what’s cool about the band is we're all influenced by our own genres of music; we all have different tastes in music and we all like the same things for the most part, but we branch out in our own genre.
Josh: I’m into all sorts of stuff, I love all the jazz, all the fusion, all the video game music too, but I also love rock & roll, and metal.
Holden: Christian’s a classic rock guy, he grew up doing that stuff.
Christian: Yeah, I was a big 70’s, 80’s guy, played in a bunch of tribute acts before this, but I’ve always had a love for early 2000’s and 2010’s music, specifically rock & roll. Again, there’s just not a big alternative scene here so when I walked into a bar one night and they were just playing an open mic gig and I heard their selection of covers, they were playing Harry Styles, The Killers, just stuff you don’t typically hear there and it immediately caught my ear and I was like I wanna talk with these guys, and I’m a huge Twenty One Pilots fan.
Holden: I’m a huge Twenty One Pilots fan and lyrically I’m inspired by them, Arctic Monkeys, The 1975, they’re one of my favorite bands, The Killers are huge for me as well, I was a huge Beatles fan before I got into early 2000’s rock so that’s where I learned a lot of how to play the guitar, just like learning how to play all The Beatles songs and that inspired me to really start writing songs to begin with. Then, once I discovered early 2000’s rock I’m like okay this is the vibe, this is what I like, this is the attitude that I like, and then I draw it from some older bands like The Rolling Stones for the vibe of the band like that cool grunge 60’s rock attitude is really, really cool, so the way we move on stage, the energies, it comes from them a lot.
Your new EP is being released, how excited are you all for these songs to be out?
Holden: It’s crazy for me because two of the songs on the record I’ve had for years and years, the song “Arbitrage” was the first song that I ever completed in its entirety and I remember it, I was probably 18 years old, I’m 21 now so it’s been a while since that song has been existing and it’s gone through so many different versions. So it is a scary feeling releasing it ‘cause once it’s out it’s like that’s the version now, that’s what it is once its in existents so there’s no more tweaking and it is a scary thing for me; But I’m excited for them to finally get out. It’s a really cool thing whenever we play headlining shows here in Charlotte when our fans know the lyrics to songs that aren’t even out yet, that song “Arbitrage” we played at a venue called Amos’ Southend and I think Josh pointed it out that people were singing the words to that and that’s pretty special and crazy for me to think about and given it’s not even released, when it is released I can’t wait for everyone who hasn’t had an opportunity to go to the shows to give it a listen and if they do end up going to a show they can hear it live.
Josh: The build-up has been big for our fans but for us it’s been even bigger of a build-up. A lot of these songs since I joined the band and we’ve been working on them, refining them, getting them ready for the EP. It’s gonna be great, have a party.
Holden: We’re playing laser tag, that’s what we are doing for our album release party.
Are you a fan of vinyl and is that something you hope to release in the future?
Holden: We would love to have this EP on vinyl, it does take a very long time to get them printed, so we’re very spur-of-the-moment, this EP is very much okay it’s ready, let’s put it out, given that it so much time we will get to it eventually. We would’ve loved to have had them for the release but unfortunately, it takes a little bit too much time. We do have plans for more music being released after this, hopefully, an album in 2024 or early 2025 would be amazing, that’s the goal that we’re working towards and there’s going to be a lot of planning towards that with vinyl and really anywhere we can print our record cause that’s going to be a big deal, first record is a huge step for a band, but we’re getting there.
It was announced you’ll be playing Lovin’ Life Music Fest in May, how excited are you?
Holden: We’re stoked, we’re very, very excited!
Sloane: That’s probably the biggest show that we’ve gotten.
Holden: It’s going to be the biggest show that we’ve done, it’s the biggest opportunity and one of the biggest honors that we’ve had so we’re extremely grateful for the opportunity, and five minutes ago we were practicing for it.
Sloane: And there’s a lot of other Charlotte local band talent that’s going to be there.
Christian: Sloane’s a huge Struts fan.
Josh: They’re going to be there.
Sloane: And I texted Luke and he said he’ll come to watch our set.
Christian: Which adds to the excitement but we’re also terrified.
Josh: There is a lot of pressure, I know there’s names on the bill that I’ve been listening to for years.
Sloane: Allen Stone, Dominic Fike, The Fray, and those aren’t even the big names that are playing, Stevie Nicks, Dababy.
Josh: So, imagine they show up to our set and we bomb.
Is there an artist you dream of touring with one day?
Josh: I think once the EP is out it’ll be a lot easier to say cause we’ll have a set of original songs to play. It’s been something we’ve been thinking about for a while, we haven’t really stepped on it just yet cause we’re focused on releasing and writing music right now but we’re hoping, with all the original music that we’re releasing it’s probably something in the very near future. We’ve got some people we’ve been talking to.
Holden: Sloane wants to open for The Struts. I would love to open for a band called I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME.
Josh: I DON’T KNOW HOW would be great.
Holden: I’d take The 1975
Sloane: Dababy
My last question is, do each of you have a recommendation you’d like to tell the readers to check out? It can be a series, place, item, anything you want.
Sloane: What We Do in the Shadows, it’s literally my home screen, it’s that show about the vampires who live in Staten Island. So, if there’s anybody with an immediate need of dire advice, that would be mine.
Josh: You wanna hear where Josh gets his bass twang from listen to both of Lucky Daye’s albums “Painted” and “Candydrip”, they’re amazing, D’Mile on bass, beautiful, the best.
Christian: I Recommend everyone pre-saves and listens to our EP, it’ll make your life better.
Josh: I agree, I think it will, I’m with Christian on this one.
Holden: Maybe I’m just hungry but my recommendation is Moe’s Southwest Tex Mex Grill, they have the best queso.
Modern Alibi’s EP M/A Extended Play is out now and available to listen to on streaming platforms. Go give it a listen, it’s amazing! Also check out their set at the Lovin Life Music Fest May 3rd-5th in Charlotte, NC.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5q0uFmJtBmrk8u4Puxpdhr?si=7L7V8mXBQhutaAE3rlxpMA
https://music.apple.com/us/album/m-a-extended-play-ep/1732924213