Every five seconds, a so-called "musician" is born in New York. The question is, how does one distinguish themselves from the sea of frauds and mediocrity and rise above it all? The answer: "Be awkward."
Flying is a Brooklyn-based quartet whose brand of jazzy, noisy, experimental music has recently been generating some buzz. The band was born in summer of 2004 when singers Eliot Krimsky and Sara Magenheimer met in Brooklyn and decided to play music. What made this pairing so interesting was the fact that Krimsky had been classically trained to write and compose music and Magenheimer had never played music in her life. It wasn't until Krimsky heard Magenheimer singing that he began inquiring.
No sooner did the duo of Krimsky and Magenheimer hook up, that guitarist/singer Eben Portnoy moved to New York and Flying was complete.
"We were all coming from different places and different experiences, and yet we all saw things similarly," Krimsky said.
If there were ever a band that embodied variety, it would be Flying, as their musical influences range everywhere from Indonesian and African music to jazz and hip-hop. While it is difficult to peg the band in terms of inspiration, everyone in Flying agrees on one thing: Stevie Wonder.
"[Wonder] is really big for us," Krimsky said. "The thing that has stuck with us is Stevie Wonder."
All members of the band bring their own attitude and individuality, whether it is new drummer Mike Johnson, showcasing his brilliant smile for the audience during a show and making everyone feel better; Portnoy's intellectualism and love for the moment; Magenheimer's carefree musical and spiritual attitude; or Krimsky's serious musical and compositional skills. Johnson, admittedly, plays an unsung hero role.
"He is one of the most positive things that holds us together," Magenheimer said. "He makes us more calm."
Trying to classify art is a difficult thing, and for Flying it might seem even harder as there is no particular way to typify their sound. Flying is more of a narrative and visual band, as singer and keyboardist Krimsky said.
"The way that makes sense for us to describe it, is more in the sense of imagery. If there is a story or a feeling, the music carries out that feeling; if the music is loud and scary, the music carries it out."
Flying obviously has a knack for the eccentric and obscure. In a scene that is filled with bands that claim to be artistic and "in touch," a band like Flying opts for a more humble approach to their music, and it shows in the way the music is conducted.
"We're more awkward," said Magenheimer in response to how they differ from other bands in the scene. "We break our stuff a lot, unintentionally, or trip over wires a lot."
In this awkward, noisy, jazzy experiment, though, the members of Flying find comfort. They are at home in this element. Krimsky said, "I really love the songs. You can call it experimental or whatever you want, but to me, it's just the songs behind it."
All of this musical and life variety is evident on every track of their debut release, "Just-One-Second-Ago Broken Eggshell." According to Portnoy, the name of the album comes from a Buckminster Fuller quote dealing with the loss of innocence, the rebirth of this innocence and a new perspective at a certain point in one's life.
Drawing inspiration from dreams, stories and current feelings, each song reflects the spontaneity of the group and its dynamic. Songs like "Alice" and "Minors" evoke the spontaneity and ability for spasmodic outburst one would find in any person. Songs like "My Mission" and "Soldier's Tongue" are more personal and minimalist, drawing on those folk and piano influences that are so heavy in the band's sound.
The most beautiful thing about Flying is that they are fans of musicians and, most importantly, fans of each other. "Eliot makes some of the best music I've ever heard. ... He's one of my favorite songwriters and composers," Johnson said. "[Magenheimer] understands the newness of art in such a great way and has such a great access to it."
Flying is the type of band that doesn't seem comfortable in your typical bar setting for a show. "We want to play outside, we've never done that before," Magenheimer said.
Flying doesn't measure success in terms of numbers, but rather in music, and this is something much needed in today's music scene, especially in a place as serious as New York.
"As long as our sound is always evolving and changing, we all just want to take it wherever it's going," Magenheimer said when asked about the future. "We really have no end in mind. It's all about the process"
