Flat Tire
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Flat Tire

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"Flat Tire"

Printed February 16, 2006

Questions and Answers for The Weekend Edition



How would you describe your band to a person with no ears?

It's everything moral, ethical and legal that feels right, makes you move and keeps you happy.

What to you do when you're on a break?

It feels great to rub elbows with the people we've been singing to all night. They've been listening to us — break time is our
chance to listen to them. They inspire us. And they energize us.

Day jobs?

Yep, we've got 'em. To us, they're our offstage alter egos: Dan, band instrument manager at Mike's Music and Sound;
David, project manager at J.F. Ahern; Tyler, health care assistant; Jim, senior guitar publications editor at Hal Leonard
Corporation; and Jon, sales engineer at The Toolhouse.

CDs available?

We've recorded two: "Broke Down in Oshkosh" (August 2003) and "Pump'd Up" (December 2005). Our CDs are both
recorded live with all of us set up in the studio at the same time, playing together.

What's your personal philosophy toward music?

We have two: "Let's do this." That's how we look at everything we're not sure of. We try it. If it works, great. If not, learn from
it and move on.

"Enjoy it." Enjoy what you're playing. The best thing about Flat Tire is that we all have a sense of humor. Most of our songs
are funny to listen to because we pick 'em and play 'em that way.

Any rituals before performing?

There's a whole lot of strumming, tweaking, blowing, tapping — we're talking equipment set up sound here! Then there's
Jon, taking care of his baby … the finest vintage amplifier.

What wets your whistle?

Nothing's sweeter than a round of ice cold beers with a "crowd that wants more" chaser.

If your band could jam with anybody, who would it be?

Brian Setzer Orchestra.
- Fond du Lac Reporter/Oshkosh Northwestern


Discography

Broke Down in Oshkosh - 2003
Pump'd Up - 2006

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Bio

Flat Tire Bio

Name: Flat Tire
Story Behind the Name: It was practice night in '01. We were getting ready to play out (perform) for the first time. One of the guys was trying to explain the drum part of a new song to Tyler (the drummer). No one had a recorded copy of the song to play for him. “Your part sounds like the fa-dum-fa-dum-fa-dum sound you get when you're driving on a flat tire,” one guy said. Flat tire – the words stuck in Jon's head. Jon also collects old pinups. His favorite pinup is a 1952 Elvgrin of a curvy gal! putting on lipstick perched on the back bumper of a '49 Series 62 Cadillac with a flat tire. When he showed us that, everything clicked. We became Flat Tire. That pinup turned into our logo.

Kind of Music: Simply put, we play music that swings and moves and takes everyone along with it. Our songs cover 70 years – we play the 40s big band swing, Jump Blues, Chicago Blues and 90s West Coast Swing. We're rooted in the blues – that's the musical passion we all share. But the two things that really define us as Flat Tire are the same things that keep us from being either a swing or blues band. Swing bands have a large horn section. Flat Tire has guitars playing horn lines. Blues bands have harmonica players. We have Dan and his saxophone.

What city are you based out of? We're the big-city sound band based on, the most northern tip of Chicago – that tip's titled Fond du Lac.

Members and their roles:
It takes five lug nuts to hold a tire on a car. Each of us is a lug nut. We all work together. That's what keeps a car rollin', even with a flat tire!

Lug Nut One: Jon (Todryk) He picked up his guitar at twelve set it down after high school. Fifteen years later, he dusted it off to play in a wedding band. Holding the guitar again felt great but the music wasn't the blues he loved. Left that band and decided to start his own. Flat Tire began then, in Jon's mind.

On stage, Jon plays guitar and he's our main storyteller - he does alot of the singing. His gritty voice mixed with his sense of humor give his songs “grit and grin.”

Lug Nut Two: Jim (Schustedt) Jim's dad was a music teacher who bought Melody Music. Alto sax first, then guitar, flute, mandolin, trumpet, banjo – Jim learned them all. And played them in his dad's variety band. Eventually, Jim took over Melody Music sure that was his fate. Then one of his students encouraged him to respond to ad. a publisher needing a music transcriber. Jim was hired! Now he works at the world's largest printed music publisher, Hal Leonard. Fate had more in store for Jim. It sent Jon to Melody Music.

Jim is our musical technician, the voice of reason. He's the guy who listens to the original song we want to play and decides if we can do that song justice. That song might have six horns and a piano playing – Jim breaks down the song dynamics to see if and which of our instruments can best carry the parts.

On stage, Jim plays guitar, and takes lead vocals on various songs including Minnie the Moocher.

Lug Nut Three: Tyler (Kobs) Tyler's only real training came in the five years he spent in drum and bugle corps starting back in 1960. School was tough. Music came easy. Tyler taught himself to play the three-piece drum set his uncle bought him. Drumming to Ringo Starr filled him with visions of stardom and he started playing with King & I band at 16. His playing days include time with Fiddling Crab, Elements of Sound and opening for Muddy Waters. Later, friend and former band mate, Larry Williams, turned him onto jazz drumming, he was hooked. Then, Larry hooked Tyler up with Flat Tire. One night in 2000, Tyler showed up in Jon's garage. He's been there ever since.

On stage, Tyler's drumming drives the rhythm section. He takes lead vocals on Your Love Is Real.

Lug Nut Four: David (Le May) At 14, Dave was already a bass player in a Virginia-based band. Dave's decades of making music (how many, he's not saying) has him telling the stories of time with Bruce Hornsby, Jimmy Buffet and Charlie Daniels. Shortly after Jim and Jon met, Dave would turn up at Jim's house, to practice with them. He left to play with Shaken, Not Stirred. Flat Tire went on with another bass player, but the group chemistry was gone. In April 2002 the bass player moved on and Dave moved back in. This time he brought his big 'ole stand up bass with him. The chemistry was back.

On stage, Dave plays his upright and electric bass, or as Dan puts it, the largemouth and small mouth bass His vocals drive home the song, Satisfy Suzy.

Lug Nut Five: Dan (Gilgenbach) Dan is “Mr. Sax Man.” As lug nuts go, he's the last, maybe the looniest. Mr. Excitement on stage, Mr. Fun in every stage. Dan boarded the band in April 2003, thanks to Dave. He brought 26+ years of making music, teaching music, and fixing music with him. When it comes to picking the songs we do, Dan's the architect. While we're sitting around enjoying the sound, wanting to play it, Dan ana