Music Review: Flying Machines – Flying Machines
Author: Greg Barbrick — Published: Sep 03, 2009 at 5:51 pm 4 comments

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It’s 1979, and Big Radio is grappling with the dichotomy between the bombast of Queen, and the new wave of The Police. Nobody really knows which way to go, and the airwaves momentarily open up to allow such one-hit wonders as The Headboys, New England, and The Fabulous Poodles in.

The sad fact that the doors closed soon after is of little consequence. Just being heard may not have been all those bands were after, but honestly, it was better than nothing.

I find myself wondering if the same fate awaits Flying Machines. This is a really good band, albeit one with way too much Queen damage. But still, their eponymous (God, I love that word) debut has all the makings of a hit.

From the semi-prog opening cut “Talk About It” to the concluding “Clearing The Boards,” Flying Machines honestly makes me feel as if I am in the late seventies. Better than that though, they actually make me remember long lost bands like Nantucket.

Of the ten songs on Flying Machines, “Video Games” is the clearly the winner. Vocalist William Ryan George does an amazing job at channeling the ghost of Freddie Mercury, while guitarist (John Wlaysewski) does the best Andy Summers imitation ever.

When I mention the Queen influence, it is overt. Flying Machines clearly love the band, and it shows. Better yet, they seem to have listened only to the early stuff, before “Bohemian Rhapsody.” So you hear tributes to the likes of “Brighton Rock” and “Keep Yourself Alive” rather than the more obvious choices.

There is a lot more to Flying Machines than the Queen tag though. Bassist Evan Joyce is incredible on “Hopelessly Alone.” And guitar player John Wlaysewski seriously rocks it on “Clearing The Boards.”

Flying Machines are a marketer’s dream band. They have won tons of online polls, and Yahoo! Is behind them big-time. Let’s hope they can get past all of the hoopla, (anybody remember Rail?) and get their music heard.

I for one, like this a lot. Their debut is worth hearing, and a reminder that some of the best stuff out there still comes from kids listening to their favorite records in the basement, and re-writing them.

Weird choice that it is, “1979” is probably my favorite Smashing Pumpkins song. Flying Machines takes me back in such an indelible way to that very odd, and ultimately very rewarding year.

Article tags
Flying Machines • Nantucket • New England • Queen • Rock • The Fabulous Poodles • The Police
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Is there anybody out there? Evan’s first blog post. More to come. At work at Strand right now. Get me out of here. On a tour bus and far away from the smell of these musty books and shower-less customers…

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The debut album Flying Machines, is available at Amazon.com and iTunes.

http://www.insound.com/Flying_Machines/artistmain/artist/INS41658/

AMPLIFIER MAGAZINE review of our Boston Show
Category: Music

http://amplifiermagazine.com/artist_driven/backstage_pass/flying_machines.php

FLYING MACHINES
COPPERFIELDS – BOSTON, MA
AUGUST 19, 2009
With local radio station WFNX 101.7 FM and Miller Lite combining to do their usual bang up promotional thing, Copperfield’s was filled to capacity for their “Free in the Fens” show on this sweltering Boston evening. So much so, there was a considerable line outside the doors unable to enter when fast-rising New York band Flying Machines took the stage.
As FNX DJ Big Jim waited on mic to introduce them, the quartet struggled through the crowd to get onstage. Once situated they launched into “Talk About It”, a rabble-rousing opener designed to immediately state FM’s intent – to rock melodically with memorable tunes, sensitive subject matter, crack musicianship, multiple range vocals and passionate delivery. From opening power chord to closing sweet harmonics they did just that.

“On a Whim”, the first single from Flying Machines’ eponymous album (due out 9/22 on Meteor 17/EMI) was up next; a rousing, danceable tune with a subtle underlying theme of co-dependency, it found a home with the twenty-something crowd who were wowed with the band’s precision and John Wlaysewski’s brilliantly economical guitar break.

Hot on its heels came “I Can’t Stop”, a furious piece of locomotive thunder driven by Ken Weisbach’s Stewart Copeland-ian percussive punches and Evan Joyce’s intensely percolating bass lines. Proof positive this band can go from “pop” to “heavy” in the space of a downbeat.

Not to be outdone by his bandmate’s virtuoso chops, vocalist/keyboardist William Ryan George brought a hush to the crowd with the sweetly ethereal, heartbreaking vocals on “I Don’t Remember Why.” Throughout the night, George was able to elicit both raucous approval and knowing sighs with a vocal performance that effortlessly moved from full-throttle to sensitive, and back again ….think Freddie Mercury or, closer yet, Keane’s Tom Chapin.

“Video Games” nudged the band away from the longing of “I Don’t Remember Why”, settling into an irresistible groove with George hopefully singing “Dreaming of a day / when I can say/ I finally made it” preceding a launch into a prog-flavored “Clearing the Boards”, replete with epic bridge and soaring guitar break. The song superbly showcased the band’s dexterity and musical ambition, carefully crafting a sonic mix of stellar instrumental prowess and effortless vocals done with passion, precision and, somehow…breathless abandon.
Set-ending “April’s Fool” proved a cathartic close to Flying Machines’ performance as Wlaysewski summoned the specter of Eddie Van Halen with an insanely-fast-yet-still-melodic Fender shred-fest. Joyce and Weisbach somehow managed to keep things earthbound while simultaneously taking off, and George expended his last feverish breath on a searing exclamation point to the set.

Musically ambitious, instrumentally dynamic, and with songwriting and vocal performances firmly entrenched in the mold of McCartney circa Abbey Road, these Flying Machines are poised for lift-off.
–Jon Sinfield [August 24, 2009]
Photos: Derek Kouyoumjian

Oh Man, this movie is going to change movies for the 21st century.
The 2-D trailer doesn’t do the movie any sort of justice. Under no circumstances should you see this movie except on an IMAX screen with 3-D Glasses. It would be like listening to Zaireeka on an AM radio (Zaireeka, the Flaming Lips album released as 4 separate CD’s to be played simultaneously on 4 radios in the four corners of a room). Avavtar
is James Cameron’s 1st feature length Movie since Titanic was released 10 years ago. The Director responsible for Terminator 1 & 2, Aliens, The Abyss, and True Lies, has created an immersive and incredible experience… The plot takes place on the planet Pandora, an Earth Military team arrives for some intergalactic mission, and needs to inhabit the body of an alien being, referred to as an AVATAR, in order to brave the Planet’s harsh Alien environment.
The 15 minutes of footage left me breathless and amazed…
I can’t wait till Dec 18th