Modakai
Alternative / Indie / Pop / Rock

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Last Updated: 25 Sep 2008
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The Band


About us


Modakai (Mod-a-kie), originally called Belafonte, born and raised as working class ranch hands on the dusty open plains of Texas found their solace in music (most notably from the UK). Throughout high school and the years beyond the band went through many changes and incarnations until founding its solid core in 2003. After establishing itself as a local media favorite throughout Texas, Modakai found its way onto the UK airwaves. College and indie bloggers raved over the EP, “Any Place is Better Than Here”, heralding its release on the BBC Radio 1 airwaves by Jo Whiley. Within weeks, the band¹s self-released EP flew off the shelves of Virgin Megastores in the UK, as their second single, “If You’ll Stay”, climbed its way onto the Radio 1 airwaves only months later. Modakai proceeded to tour all across the south building a tidal wave of followers.

The band began recording its debut self-titled album in early 2006 with renowned engineer and producer, Paul Williams. Over the course of the next two years, the band worked several jobs each to pay for the album, recorded in several studios (based on the acoustics of the room for each song), and scoured the internet for rare vintage pedals to acquire the right sound. Famed producer, Rip Rowan (Old 97’s, Rhett Miller, and several top R&B artists), heard of the band and requested to start mixing the album at Pleasantry Lane Studios before its completion in December of 2007.

One night while the band was drinking cheap whiskey on the border of Mexico on the hood of a ‘64 Mustang, lead singer and songwriter, Brian Hedenberg, decided it was time to dust off the boots and head to New York City. Three days later they bought a map from the local gas station, loaded the pick-up, and the band drove north. They dropped off the radar for almost a year while they settled into their new surroundings. They began playing small clubs and coffee shops in and around New York, spending every weekend outside Arlene’s Groceries, Pianos, The Living Room, and Mercury Lounge handing out CDs and making new fans. It wasn’t long before they had built up a buzz in both Manhattan and Brooklyn and club owners began asking the band to play. They were asked to play the Emergenza International Music Festival, where they blazed a trail to the semifinals. Soon after, Knitting Factory asked Modakai to open for UK EMI Recording artist, Air Traffic, filling the room with screaming new fans.

Modakai will reach a pivotal point in its career when its 12-track, self-titled debut album is released worldwide on iTunes, October 24, 2008. The band expects to tour the east coast this fall, and in the UK, where fans have patiently waited for two years, in early 2009.





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