About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 2011)
LT RSK has been getting a signifi cant amount of press here at Flagpole lately—multiple live write-ups, a pre- AthFest Calendar Pick, not to mention their inclusion in the Flagpole Music Awards' Best Electronic category—but through that fog of adulation, Athens has yet to learn who these guys really are. Sure, drummer Matt Woolley and bassist "Matty G" Mansfield are nearly Classic City royalty, thanks to the suc cess of New Earth Music Hall and their long- running act DubConscious, but the origins of the FLT RSK project remain shrouded in mystery. With a remix album of the band's debut LP People and Places due out Aug. 30, it seems time to cut through the maze of wires and samples and see how this skyrocketing trio began its ascent. "Well, I guess the first band I was ever in was the Polyester Pimptrap, a little funk outfit in Florida," begins J3 Lawrence, FLT RSK's indefatigable producer/keyboardist. "We opened for DubConscious years ago—they have a real presence in Tallahassee—and we became good friends. I'd played one show as FLT RSK with another drummer [Josh Harris], and then we booked the second Purple Hatter's Ball, hut he had to back out because he had a commitment doing Last Comic Standing. (He's hilarious.) I started freakin' out, so I called Matt Woolley and asked if he'd want to fill in. He said, 'Yeah, and why don't we get Matty G to play, too?’ I loved the idea, so I was drivin' up from Tallahassee like three weekends in a row to rehearse four songs, and the second Purple Hatter's Ball was our first show. That was really special to me because the Purple Hatter's Ball is a memorial for my good friend Rachel, who Matt Woolley also knew. It's something really special, and I think about it every time I think about her. I honestly don't think FLT RSK would exist right now as it does if it weren't for her. We actually just played the fourth Purple Hatter's Ball, and it just keeps growing and growing. It's really cool." That collaborative spirit from which the band was born has grown exponentially with the recording of both its first LP (which fea tures local chanteuse Lera Lynn and Atlanta MC Priceless the Kid) and its subsequent remix project. "Working with them has been wonder ful," Lawrence effusively continues. "Priceless came up and recorded with us when we played with Lotus—real professional. He's a great guy. And Lera's just... that girl is goin' places. I'm excited that we got a hold of her before she costs $2,000. She's got a really hard work ethic and she's a perfectionist, which I appreciate because I sometimes am maybe not [laughs]." "And the remix album is a real testament to the plethora of talented DJs/producers in the Southeast," Woolley chimes in, noting that the remixers include several Athens talents like Immuzikation, Up Until Now, Feral Youth and Triz, to name just a few. "I hope this com pilation can help the contributors gain some exposure. We decided to release an EP that will contain five remixes of "For Real" (Lynn's contribution) in addition to the roughly 16-track People and Places remix comp that we are naming Our Peoples. We'll be releasing both as a free download at www.FLTRSK.com." The release show for Our Peoples on Saturday will feature several of the remixers as guest performers, and FLT RSK will attempt to recre ate the remixed versions of their tunes live. If that sounds like a lot for one year, don't tell FLT RSK. This band has no time for laurel-resting. "We actually already started recording for the next EP," Lawrence says. "AM of the songs [on People and Places] were writ ten over two years ago, when I first started writing music on my own with [computer software] Ableton. I think it shows. Not to say that I'm not really proud of the album, but there are songs that didn't make it that I wish we could've gotten on there. But it's also exciting to know that we've got four new songs that come to mind right away that are really gonna pop, and this EP is gonna be done in the fall. We're thinkin', like, October." So, there you have it. Behold, the band behind the curtain. From humble beginnings to a banner year that's still only two thirds of the way over, this act has made one hell of a trip. Remixed and reloaded, with the red clay trails and sun-baked interstates of the Southeast thoroughly covered, the men of FLT RSK have nowhere to go but up. David Fitzgerald \ WHO: FLT RSK, Greenhouse Lounge, HeRobust, T8R, UPRISE WHERE: New Earth Music Hall WHEN: Saturday^ Sept. 3,9 p.m. HOW MUCH: $7 V J Where the Party l*egin$! Celebrate Labor Day All Week Long with our Special Prices! Save 10-15% on Wine when you buy 6 or more bottles (7somL) Captain Morgan $ 21.99 1.75L Patron *19.99 I m 'M 375mL Sir Smirnoff *17.99 1.75L I * IRNOFF I ' M<’! u Woodbridge *9.991.5L Yellow Tail iT* *9.99 1.5L »’ 1800 Tequila < ® Idil *19.99 750mL Crown Royal *42.99 1.75L |j 1800! .IV T_ I It Y a* v* 42° BELOW *18.99,75. 30 PACKS AND 36 PACKS OF BEER ON SALE AT LOW, LOW PRICES! Prince Ave. UG cJ^’. e *' J’s Bottle Shop Man.,** ★ Cheer’s Packaae — 1452 Prince Ave f 1 (besides Sam’s Texaco) g> | Normaltown, Athens 706 353 8881 Habbvl (besides Sam’s Chevron) L W 2545 Atlanta Hwy 706 354 8707 AUGUST 31, 2011 • FLAGPOLE.COM 13
