Let’s start off this Thursday with Surfer Blood’s official clip for “I Can’t Explain.” We’ll have a Q&A with them later today, but for now, know that they will be headlining Flying Dog’s second Summer Sessions concert series show on Saturday when they take the stage with Sun Club and People’s Blues Of Richmond. We’ll be there, shaking hands, giving away koozies and introducing bands. Won’t you join us?
For the second show in Flying Dog’s Summer Sessions concert series, the brewery is hosting three bands: People’s Blues Of Richmond, Sun Club and Surfer Blood. We spoke with members of each of the bands — the first two via email and the headliner via phone — over the past couple weeks to talk about their upcoming trip to Frederick, what’s in store for Saturday’s show and, of course, what they think of Flying Dog beer. We’ll be rolling out the interviews, one a day, for the rest of the week. As always, we’ll be at Flying Dog this Saturday, supporting the fine people at Flying Dog and these fine bands (notice the brand new playlist on the right) by giving away koozies, setting up a table, and giving away tickets. Come say hi. Today, we speak with Sun Club.
You guys are from Baltimore. Do you ever occasionally come up this way to play (Frederick and Hagerstown)? What’s your perception of the Western Maryland music scene and Frederick, specifically, as a music town? How about Baltimore? How do you see that city as a music town?
We’ve never played Western Maryland but are psyched. It’s like a different world!! We did a film festival a few years in Frederick and dig the Pop Shop. Baltimore is sick as hell. Love seeing shows and playing shows here – positive energy.
What’s your favorite Flying Dog beer and why?
The pale ale and Raging Bitch. We crossed paths with those beers many of times, yum. The art is awesome, too.
You guys played SXSW this year. How was that experience? I’ve covered it before and the consensus for a lot of people I talked to is that it’s a drag to play it because of how corporate and crowded it’s become. What’s your take on that?
It totally varies. We’ve been there three times and there’s been a ton of super terrible times, but also been a few cool times. We have met so many good people there, so in the end, it has been positive.
What are some of your career’s favorite, most accomplished memories so far?
The amount of free beer we’ve all consumed – and going to Europe this past May, haha.
Who were some of your biggest influences and why?
Summer time, the forest, biking at night and fun times influence our music a lot.
You guys get out on the road a bit. Where are some of your favorite places to play and why?
Pontiac, Michigan. Lots a great stuff out there.
Through all your travels so far, can you give us some names of some musicians/artists who we might not already know of, who we should keep an eye on?
Sherman Whips, Slendermen, Vundabar, Little Leaguer.
And finally, what can we expect from your set at Flying Dog?
Madness!!!!!!
For the second show in Flying Dog’s Summer Sessions concert series, the brewery is hosting three bands: People’s Blues Of Richmond, Sun Club and Surfer Blood. We spoke with members of each of the bands — the first two via email and the headliner via phone — over the past couple weeks to talk about their upcoming trip to Frederick, what’s in store for Saturday’s show and, of course, what they think of Flying Dog beer. We’ll be rolling out the interviews, one a day, for the rest of the week. As always, we’ll be at Flying Dog this Saturday, supporting the fine people at Flying Dog and these fine bands (notice the brand new playlist on the right) by giving away koozies, setting up a table, and giving away tickets. Come say hi. First up today is Matthew Volkes, the bassist for People’s Blues Of Richmond.
You guys are from Richmond. Do you ever occasionally come up this way to play? If so, what’s your perception of the music scene? And what’s the scene like over in Richmond?
We try and come up as often as we can. The music scene is great there and we had a blast playing there last time. Richmond’s music scene is blowing up right now. Every night of the week you can catch amazing free music and cheap drinks. There are a ton of great bands in Richmond and we’re lucky to be a part of the scene.
What’s your favorite Flying Dog beer and why?
In-Heat Wheat, because the name is clever. All the other beers, too. They just make really good beer.
You guys have been compared to the Black Keys, Jack White and Led Zeppelin. What’s it feel like to be in the same breath as those kinds of heavy names? Were any of those artists, artists you inspired to be?
We’re honored to be compared to all of those bands. We listen to a ton of Zeppelin and used to play “How Many More Times” into “Communication Breakdown” into “Whole Lotta Love” back into “Communication Breakdown.” A lot of different artists inspire us and I will say those three are some of our favorites. It’s wild — week to week, I’ll find myself listening to a different band obsessively. One week, it’s Cake and the next, it’s the Black Keys.
What are some of your career’s favorite, most accomplished memories so far?
We’ve had an amazing career so far and I really feel like it has just started. One of our top experiences was getting to record with Mark Neill, producer of the Black Keys album “Brothers” — one of our favorite bands and favorite albums. He also recorded J Roddy Walston’s album, “Essential Tremors,” and Dan Auerbach’s solo album, “Keep It Hid.” Other top experiences include playing the main stage at Lockn’ Festival, three sets at Electric Forest, and playing at SXSW. The whole experience of being in a van, riding around the country with your best friends and playing rock n roll is the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced. We’ve worked really hard to get where we are right now, but we have had a lot of help from a lot of people and we are really just happy to be where we’re at and playing music.
Who were some of your biggest influences and why?
The Strokes, Modest Mouse and Black Keys are all straight up rock ‘n’ roll bands with amazing lyrics. They’re raw and not afraid to be themselves. All the bands we like are what we call honest music. People that make honest music put everything they have into it. You can hear it when they belt out a lyric or strike a chord. Primus, Felice Brothers, Against Me, Gogol Bordello, Bob Marley and Snarky Puppy all play very different music, but all of these artists live or lived to play, entertain, create art and make music.
You guys get out on the road a bit. Where are some of your favorite places to play and why?
We just went to Chicago for our first time and played the Taste of Randolph festival, which was amazing. Dinosaur Jr., Lettuce, Dandy Warhols, and a ton of other amazing acts played. It was crazy and we had a couple days off, which we normally don’t have. So, we went to the aquarium, Millennium Park, Navy Pier and rode the Ferris wheel at sunset. Chicago has a lot to offer. Tampa seems like a home away from home — they have a great scene going on down there. WMNF is their local radio station and they’re awesome! We always tune in when we’re close to Tampa. We have a blast everywhere we go and there are too many places to mention. I suggest you jump in the car and join us in the PBR Rock and Roll Circus.
Through all your travels so far, can you give us some names of some musicians/artists who we might not already know of, who we should keep an eye on?
There are a lot of awesome bands out there to check out. I’ll name three. The Lawsuits are a band from Philly, kind of Americana rock n roll. They’re really awesome. The Mutts are from Chicago they’re like Tom Waits meets prog rock keys, bass and drums. They tear the roof off the house. Last but not least, some new but very good friends of ours from Charleston, South Carolina — Stop Light Observations. They’re like the Doors meets Modest Mouse. Great band. Awesome guys. Fun to party with.
And finally, what can we expect from your set at Flying Dog?
Rock ‘n’ roll mayhem!
Welp. Did you make it out to Flying Dog’s front lawn on Saturday? We did (along with the fine young men in Seaknuckle). And even though the fun kicked off a half-hour early, the impending monsoon/apocalypse/end of days kept Hurray For The Riff Raff off the stage, sadly. Still, before the storm rolled in, Mechanical River were able to take the stage and get in their opening set. And thus … this photo. We’ll be at the next Flying Dog show on July 18 with Surfer Blood. That day’s forecast? A 100 percent chance of awesome. Photo courtesy of Cassandra Mullinix. For more of her photos, visit https://www.facebook.com/bucketofrock.
Holy moly, is it raining! Yet by all accounts Alive@Five is still set to go down in about an hour (assuming this nonsense blows through quick before making way for a sunset at some point). Ashley Forrest is up this week. She’s a country music artist. She also has 4,418 likes on Facebook. So, there’s that. Elsewhere this weekend … well, it’s going to be a busy one for some of us. Why is that? Because the fine people at Flying Dog are kicking off their Summer Sessions concert series Saturday night on their front lawn! The artists? Hurray For The Riff Raff (above) and Mechanical River. You know we’ve been giving away tickets, right? If you’re the lucky winner, we’ll be in touch (strange to think it’s been nearly a year since we last typed that sentence about a Flying Dog show). You won’t want to miss it. Tickets, as they say, are still on sale. And in case you’re looking for something extra to digest Saturday, you can start your day early by heading over to the Urbana Music Festival. We spoke with everyone involved earlier this week. That ends at 6 p.m. Flying Dog’s concert begins at 6:30 p.m. Is it fate? We think so. Elsewhere, Feufollet will be zydeco-ing all over Shepherdstown tonight (and if you listened to the Local Playlist last week, you could have won yourself some tickets! AKA, tune in tomorrow). There’s going to be a jazz festival at Elk Run Vineyards, so that’s pretty great. There’s Bleeding Black. There’s the Positive Vibration Reggae Band (and some of us are in desperate need of whatever that’s about). There’s Triple Lindy. There’s Piranhas. There’s Driftwood Soldier. There’s Black Masala. And, then, of course, there’s Twenty Dollar Prophet. Come for the Bendt Fendyr. Stay for the Tomy “One M” Wright. We have brand new beer koozies with a brand new color and we’re in the giving mood. Help us out and make sure we walk away from this weekend with nary a koozie to be found. Sound like a plan? Good. Viva la Father’s Day.
THURSDAY
Who: Open Mic Night
Where: The Blue Sky Bar And Grill
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Open Mic
Where: Bushwallers
When: Sign-up begins at 9 p.m.; play begins at 10 p.m.
Who: Alive @ Five Featuring Ashley Forrest
Where: Carroll Creek
When: 5 p.m.
Who: Open Mic hosted by Tomy Wright
Where: Beans In The Belfry
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Secondhand Ramblers
Where: Isabella’s Tavern
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Feufollet
Where: The Opera House, Shepherdstown
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Monocacy Jazz Quartet
Where: Ayse Meze Lounge
When: 5:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Who: Phil Zakas Live
Where: Ayse Meze Lounge
When: 5 p.m.
Who: Bumper Jacksons
Where: Big Cork Vineyards
When: 6 p.m.
Who: Bendt Fendyr
Where: Elk Run Vineyards
When: 6 p.m.
Who: Jimi Cupino Project
Where: Beans In The Belfry
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Bleeding Black
Where: Champion Billiards
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Broken Rocker
Where: The Blue Sky Bar And Grill
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Diamond Alley
Where: Bushwallers
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Mary-eL with Neil and Evan of Joint Effort
Where: Cafe Nola
When: 9:30 p.m.
Who: Norman Peach
Where: Guido’s Speakeasy
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Jennie Williams
Where: The Frederick Coffee Company
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Sahffi
Where: Linganore Winecellars
When: 6 p.m.
SATURDAY
Who: Elk Run Jazz Festival
Where: Elk Run Vineyards
When: Noon
Who: Belmont & Jones
Where: Beans In The Belfry
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Triple Lindy
Where: Cactus Flats
When: 8:30 p.m.
Who: Piranhas
Where: Champion Billiards
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Coman Sproles and the 69 Band
Where: The Blue Sky Bar And Grill
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Twenty Dollar Prophet
Where: Olde Towne Tavern
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mechanical River
Where: Flying Dog Brewery
When: 6:30 p.m.
Who: Driftwood Soldier
Where: Cafe Nola
When: 9:30 p.m.
Who: Black Masala
Where: The Opera House, Shepherdstown
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Positive Vibration Reggae Band
Where: The Cellar Door
When: 10 p.m.
Who: The Urbana Music Festival featuring Bumper Jacksons and Fast Eddie & The Slowpokes
Where: Urbana Regional Library
When: 2 p.m.
Who: Backwoods Payback, Admiral Browning, Faith In June, B&O Railroad, Black Blizzard
Where: Guido’s Speakeasy
When: 8 p.m.
Who: The Travelin’ Appalachians Revue
Where: The Blue Moon, Shepherdstown
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Sarno & Hess
Where: The Frederick Coffee Company
When: 8 p.m.
We’ll round out the week in videos with Hurray For The Riff Raff’s official clip for “The Body Electric.” It has more than 78,000 views. Be impressed. This also serves as a reminder that indeed we still have two tickets we plan on giving away for the concert on Flying Dog’s front lawn this Saturday. You can still enter. It’s easy. And it’s free. There is very little in life better than easy and free. And Hurray For The Riff Raff. And Flying Dog. And … you get it.
We’re going to go ahead and post this press photo of Hurray For The Riff Raff because A) They will be on Flying Dog’s front lawn this weekend. B) We are still giving away tickets to the show. And C) Unfortunately, our interview with the band fell through at the very last minute. So, in lieu of a Q&A that you might not have read anyway, here’s Alynda looking mysterious and awesome. There are still tickets left, friends. You won’t want to miss it.
Today’s video comes from Mechanical River and their Buzzsession for “I Need Love.” Why do we post that? Because Mechanical River are opening for Hurray For The Riff Raff this Saturday on Flying Dog’s front lawn. And in case you forgot, we are giving away two free tickets to see Mechanical River and Hurray For The Riff Raff all week on Frederick Playlist! All you have to do is sign up. Nothing is better than free, friends. Nothing is better than free.
Itttttttt’ssssss back! Flying Dog’s always-awesome Summer Sessions concert series is back this summer, and we, miraculously, are still around, too. Thus, let’s give away some tickets. First up? Hurray For The Riff Raff! They will be riffing and raffing all over the Flying Dog lawn Saturday night and if you like what you hear above, all you have to do is follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook to be entered into a drawing for the tickets. If you have the name that is picked, we’ll be in touch, you’ll be able to take your most-loved loved-one to a great concert on Saturday, and we’ll even throw in a few free (brand new!) beer koozies for good measure.
We’ll be doing this at least two more times this summer, when Surfer Blood takes the Flying Dog stage on July 18 and Of Montreal comes back to town on Aug. 22. But we’ll talk more about those dates when the time is right. For now, get to likin,’ get to followin,’ and get the ball rolling for one of the best Saturday nights of your life. Great beer. Great music. And an annoying guy introducing the opening band. Hey – two out of three ain’t bad, right? Let’s hope so.
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It’s Monday, April 20, which means one thing: We can officially start thinking about spring. Why? Who knows, but at least it’s not 55 degrees anymore. Anyway, with the warm weather and May right around the corner, we thought, “What better time to reflect on good times in the summer than right now?” Thus, this photo. Plus, we got to thinking about how awesome it was last year to hang out at those Flying Dog shows and it got us excited to see who might be on this year’s slate. And who can better embody the greatness of it all than J Roddy? Our thoughts, exactly. Photo courtesy of Cassandra Mullinix. For more of her photos, visit https://www.facebook.com/bucketofrock.
