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When there so few truly original styles of music around, it's refreshing to see a band like Flying Marrows.
Playing what is probably best described as accoustic ska, they are stalwarts of the flourishing Tunbridge
Wells ska scene. Although unsigned, they have released their own EP and have been touring the South with
ex-MU330 front man Dan Potthast.
tp - Okay, what are your names and duties in the band for our readers who've not seen you before?
FM - Nat: Acoustic guitar, backing vocals and short hair.
Bill: Lead vocals. Acoustic fretless bass guitar and long hair.
tp - Acoustic ska? So how does that work?
FM - More of a bake than a risotto. You can make a lot out of stringy vegetables and roots. We listen to a lot of world music and hardcore to keep us keen. We've found that if it's not fun, it doesn't work.
tp - You've already made an EP ("Flown The Roost") and have t-shirts and hoodies
for sale at Immediate Clothing, how easy is it to get shops to stock your
stuff, especially for bands that aren't on labels?
FM - Having self-released our CDEP in the Punk scene we weren't going for big sales. We got merch (T's and hoodies) made and took it to all our shows because we love it. Buz in the Punker Bunker, Brighton, stocked our CD after putting us on a show with MU330 and Ian from Immediate grabbed the clothes. They're really supportive members of the scene.
Our local alternative CD store, Mrs Yarrington's Music Emporium, now stocks our CD's after we dropped a copy in for them to check out.
It takes a lot of time and effort to keep that stuff going and all our contacts come from shows and our website. It's all about seizing the opportunity and going for quality presentation.
tp - I first saw you guys in Tunbridge Wells and I know you play most of your
gigs there. How did you come about doing the UK tour with Dan Potthast and
did you find your style of music went down well in other places?
FM - Though we have played several times at the TW Forum we have also played a lot of other venues in the South East including Acoustic nights and self-organised parties.
When MU330 came over to tour in March Dan (lead singer and guitarist) was really enthusiastic about doing a solo Acoustic tour of the UK. Acoustic Ska is a minute genre and since we all got on really well Buz offered us the tour: 8 shows in 8 days. The response we got was really motivating, both on nights when it was just Dan and us, and nights with Electric Ska bands. We must also thank Buz and Dan for showing us what it takes to Rock.
tp - What do you think of the Tunbridge Wells scene? A lot of people seem to
think ska is the most popular genre in T.Wells, do you agree and what up
and-coming ska bands have impressed you?
FM - The Ska and Punk scene in TW is incredible at the moment. We played our first gig there with Ye Wiles (thanks to Gabriel Von Bassline) and have enjoyed great responses ever since. The attitude is very open and the sound's always great, thanks to Loz, Max and Pat, so our perspective on Ska was readily accepted.
Although any good Ska band with a positive outlook will get a skank, there is a wealth of great bands trying a new approach and mixing styles. Groups that have impressed and continue to astound us are: YE WILES: TWSC champions that are intrinsic in the whole Forum story // COVE: Inspired Rock stretching outfit // FLYING CARNIES: Hugely melodic and captivating heavy Rock group // JOEYFAT: Masters of complex patterns and terrific lyrics.
tp - What are your plans for the future? Any more tours or new Cds in the
pipeline?
FM - For Flying Marrows its about incorporating different styles, developing and having a laugh.
We love to make people smile so that's what we'll try to do in our forthcoming shows.
There is talk of another tour in the new year and we have just released our second 7 track CDEP entitled 'As The Marrows Fly'.
tp - Does it offend you that on the Vegetable Guide website that under Marrows
it says only "see courgettes"?
FM - We assume they missed the chrysalis stage then?
tp - Any final words for our reader?
FM - You can dress up your body, you can dress up your mind but you can't dress up what you left behind.
Thanks for reading about Flying Marrows, stay happy and support your local bands.
Thanks to you guys for the interview, our friends in the scene and MamaPapa for their indispensable support.
Cheers.
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