FLYJACK
Austin, Texas, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2007 | INDIE
Music
Press
Flyjack is the latest entrant into Austin's soul revival, mining near disco-era R&B and Afro-funk. The quintet's debut On the 1 (Bean Pie) plays it safe, with only a few flashes of Paolo Negri's Hammond B-3 wizardry, but there's a catch. John "Jab'o" Starks of the original J.B.'s handles the sticks, which lends some credibility to the rousing James Brown cover "Ain't It Funky Now." - Austin Chronicle
When somebody hands you a CD and says “Jabo Starks is up on drums,” the ears tend to perk up just a bit. John “Jabo” Starks, of course, is the other Funky Drummer. Clyde Stubblefield was the skin thumper on that particular James Brown cut but Jabo held down the rhythm section for the greatest band on earth for most of the early 70s, backing the Godfather on classics like “Super Bad,” “Soul Power,” “Make It Funky” and “The Payback” not to mention the killer sides he recorded with the JB’s.
Needless to say, I was surprised to learn that none other than Jabo was playing drums on the new EP from Flyjack. The Austin funk band can start a dance party to be sure but they aren’t particularly well known outside the local scene. Chalk up the musical coup to the charm and chops of bassist Brad Bradburn who befriended Starks last year and was audacious enough to ask the legend to grace their five-song EP On the One. After all, if anybody knows about The One, it’s Jabo:
Flyjack (sans Jabo) will be celebrating the release of On the One this Friday, May 7 at the Ghost Room with Akina Adderley and the Vintage Playboys. The Corner has one pair of guest list passes to give away so email me at thomas.thecorner@gmail dot com with “FLYJACK” in the subject if you’d like to attend. - KVRX
SOME THINGS JUST SLIP THROUGH THE CRACKS.
It happens. Had this disc in plain site, wrapped for some time. People kept telling me about it. Shit just kept me from opening it, or getting it to HUX (cd reviewer). Today I got to it and gave it a spin. Actually, that was a few hours ago and it is still spinning. God damn yall, this is the funk! If you dig funk like I do, you gotta pick this up. My experience with this genre of music is that the live shows are always way better than the recorded material. I think it has something to do with the room left for improvisation at live shows and the energy and groove of live expression. Yes, yes I am a spoiled bastard to have the luxory of catching live shows on a nightly basis. That’s why I live in this town. I know many of you agree. That is why the heat doesn’t bother me that much. Do yall remember GNAPPY? I liked that outfit. Two guys from that band are behind FLYJACK, Brad and Buck. The players on this cd can be caught in many different jams on a nightly basis. The drummer here used to be the beats for JAMES BROWN. This cd is damn good. My only complaint is that it is too short. That issue is solved by putting the repeat/shuffle function on. This is a groovy disc. “Ain’t it funky now” is my favorite track. I wanna catch a live show. The Momo’s stage would be a nice fit. Maybe double billed with BROWNOUT!, Akina Aderly and the Vintage Playboys, Hector Ward & the big time or Bruce James Soultet. The choices are endless. I just hope FLYJACK plays more often.
- Austin Daze
Discography
"FLYJACK" - Bean Pie Records, 2008
"One The One" - Hammondbeat Records, 2010
Photos
Bio
FLYJACK got its start in 2007 playing a weekly residency at TC’s Lounge on Austin’s deep eastside – a dilapidated but much-loved holdover from Austin’s “chitlin’ circuit” days. In 2008, the band initiated a funk/soul series called “Superfly Soul Party” – featuring other like-minded groups, performing at the Victory Grill and other establishments in and around Austin. In April 2008, FLYJACK moved their residency to Antone’s – Austin’s Home of the Blues – initiating the successful “SuperSoul Mondays.”
In 2008, FLYJACK’s deep-funk single "Black Water Gold" was featured on the tastemaking Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show on the BBC in the UK – gaining the ear of several influential DJs and musicians in the UK deep soul scene, including DJ Snowboy, who introduced the group to Hammondbeat Records. Later that year, the group performed at the ASPEN-SNOWMASS JAZZ FESTIVAL with Widespread Panic and the New Mastersounds. More recently, the group has shared the stage with DJ Numark (of Jurassic 5), Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Stanton Moore, Marc Broussard, The Scabs and Brownout. In 2016, FLYJACK initiated a monthly residency back where it all began - at TC's Lounge (now the Sahara Lounge).
In 2010, FLYJACK released its second EP "On The One" on Portland, Oregon-based label Hammondbeat Records. The platter features legendary James Brown drummer Jab’o Starks and labelmate Paolo "Apollo" Negri from Milan, Italy.
FLYJACK'S third release "New Day" - a full album of 12 tracks - will be released in early 2017.
Flyjack's founding members - guitarist Buck McKinney and bassist Brad Bradburn - hail from the groundbreaking Austin alternative-jazz group Gnappy, which released three critically-acclaimed albums from 2001 through 2006, the latest of which made it to #22 on the CMJ jazz charts.
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