Flat River Band – Sights and Sounds

By starrymag | July 25, 2022

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) Americana/Country

Q) Who are some of your musical influences? 

A) Vocally we are drawn to The Eagles, The Gatlin Brothers, Crosby, Stills & Nash or any old gospel quartet (Fairfield Four, Golden Gate Quartet)

Musically we are drawn to Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Alabama, New Grass Revival

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Shining Through My Window.”

A) I wrote the song about ten years ago…In my mind I was thinking I was going to sing lead on it…It was kind of a self-help motivational song for me…I was struggling to pay my rent and my car payment. It was kind of a dark place. But I was taught growing up to look at the positive things in life…sometimes that’s a hard thing to do…But none the less, I started magnifying the good things that I had…and that I believe helped pull me through. So, fast forward to us brainstorming for songs for the EP Sights and Sounds, I brought it to the table and basically as brothers we throw the lead vocal around to best fit our harmonies…and boom! When Andy started singing lead it was like magic…It was made for his lead vocals!

Q) How did you come to work with The McCrary Sisters on the song? 

A) Well, we have been following The McCrary Sisters ever since we moved to town. After we laid the music down a friend of our suggested that we send the track to The McCrarys. It just felt like the song needed a heavenly choir added to the song…So, they obliged us and came in and took us to heaven as they laid down their vocals! They rocked it!

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

A) The harmonies

Q) The video is beautifully directed by Mark Nicolosi. How does the video for the track play into the message behind it? 

A) Portraying that we we’re playing inside the guys’ head was a unique approach that I loved…because I would always sing the chorus to myself before bringing it to the table to learn as a band and then to have a surprise pop up wedding…just kind of took it over the top. Also, having Hank Snow’s son Jimmie Snow do the wedding at the end was like putting jelly on a peanut butter sandwich! It just worked…Mark Nicolosi did a fabulous job directing ten people on a hot day and dealing with the sun on every shot.

Q) Chad wrote “Shining Through My Window.” When it comes to your music, what is your song writing process? 

A) It varies sometimes …Take this song for example: I had the lyrics and the music simultaneously for about ten years…thinking in my mind that maybe it was a song just for me to get through the rough patch I was going through. Not to get to soap-boxy, but I’m a firm believer that all good gifts come from above. I couldn’t dare be so boastful to think or believe “I” wrote this. Sometimes songs take time to mature…It’s like a fine wine or an aged cut of meat. In this case it took ten years. Could I have sat down and said, “Okay, I’m gonna write this thing?” Probably. Would it be as good as it is now? Probably not. I’m not the kind of songwriter that sits down and says to himself, “Okay, I’m going to write four songs this month or four songs this week.” I thrive on the spontaneous moments that move me. Do I look for those moments? All the time. I do write every day…or I’ll simply record an idea and let it breathe. But I’m not one to try to fit a square peg into a round hole. I’m living for today and what it offers.

Q) Do you need music before you can create lyrics? 

A) I believe the above answer covers that. [smiles]

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

A) All three of us were all hands-on deck with this collection of songs. We practiced until we were sick and tired of being sick and tired. At that point we went in and knocked the music out. Then, we laid our vocals down. The recording process was pretty magical!

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future?

A) We are working on a collection of songs right now…we’re hoping to record this fall.

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

A) We recently performed at the Americana Bean Jamboree Festival in Bean Blossom, IN. This was a great time as we also performed at this park when we were playing music with the family band. Just an FYI, the food vendors at this festival have one heck of a bison burger. We have performed at many venues and played with many artists that we have long looked up to and we feel blessed that we were able to do so. However, we cannot forget about the front porch. Yep… that’s right. No big stage or lights, just some down-home picking and singing. Some of our best songs either started from the porch or the song idea came while sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee.

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future? 

A) We are actually working on a tune that we could hear Chris Stapleton just tear up. His vocal ability and range would be ideal for it along with some in your face three-part harmony.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work? 

A) The best is yet to come!

 

 

 All Questions Answered By Andy Sitze