Flying Colors are back with the follow-up to their 2012 eponymous debut album, Flying Colors. The new album is entitled Second Nature and is sure to please the original fans as well as win over the masses. For a band comprised of such virtuoso players, Second Nature may very well be the album fans were expecting the first time around, though all of the elements that made the first record so special are still very present. Lead vocalist/guitarist Casey McPherson still proves to be the x-factor of the band; the true differentiator whose unique voice and insightful lyrics propelled the debut to its inarguable level of greatness. Metal Exiles had the pleasure of speaking with Casey recently about the new album, the supporting tour of North America, as well as an inside look into the singer/songwriter’s role amongst some of rock’s most revered giants.
An interview with Casey McPherson of Flying Colors.
By John Knowles
Metal Exiles: The new album is entitled Second Nature, and features a collection of 9 amazing tracks. What are some of the stand out moments for you?
Casey: Well, in terms of singles I think we nailed it with “Mask Machine,” I love that song. I think it’s a super awesome, big rocker that says a lot, and has a lot of depth to it, and yet is totally radio accessible. And in a band like this, radio never even comes in to the conversation. But having a song that’s radio worthy doesn’t mean it’s a bad song for a band like this. So I was really excited about that. It reminds me kind of like Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, or Muse kind of deal. I think the other moment, or moments, is that I get to play a lot of Steve’s secondary guitar parts on this record. You know, I didn’t do that as much on the first record and you get to peer into that guy’s brilliant head a little bit more when you give him a little bit more room to work with.
Metal Exiles: How was the writing experience this time? Were there things that became easier or things that became more difficult?
Casey: Well, I think it was pretty easy. I had a handful of ideas that I had just coming in – melodic and chordal progressions and we used a lot of them. And that’s so much fun to come up with an idea and watch how Steve and Mike and Dave kind of treat it. And Neal and I working on lyrics and melody and how things kind of end up. And there’s just a natural flow with the band that just works really well. Its not something that we conjured up, it just happens to be that way.
Metal Exiles: I read that for the first record you had about 3 weeks to put the whole thing together. For round two it sounds like you had a little more time?
Casey: Well, kind of. Yes and no, its like we really had a limited amount of time together when we were tracking everything. But we did a lot of Skype sessions this time, which really helped. It gave us the ability to kind of chew on something before we committed to it.
Metal Exiles: There is a notably “proggier” direction on this record. Was the slight change in direction a deliberate move?
Casey: No, not at all, I mean I know I wanted more prog, because I’m from a pop world. The more prog the better in terms of challenging me to be able to sing over stuff like that, and be able to play it and sometimes even make sense of it. So I was really excited that happened. I know one of the songs was more proggier just because I showed up late to the session. I got there and they were already 10 minutes into the song, and I had to grab the mic so I could start singing. I think that was “Open Up Your Eyes” actually.
Metal Exiles: What lyrics were penned by you, and would you mind sharing some thoughts and background on one or two of them?
Casey: Sure. I mean, the lyric writing was a very collaborative effort primarily between Neal and I in the studio. “Mask Machine” was something we worked really hard on – really defining ways of talking about the subject. For me the song is really about getting rid of consumerism. To me, we use our technology and our products and our purchasing and our vanity and our need for stuff to cover up who we really are. In America people don’t ask how good of a Dad you are, or what kind of person you are, they ask, “what do you do?” But I feel like this song is really speaking out about the fact that who we are really has nothing to do with what we do, what we buy, what we wear, and all that. I feel like we said that really well without saying it like a country song – in the realist, least poetic way – and I mean new country, not old country. And then “Cosmic Symphony” was kind of the antithesis of the problem and the coming to grips and terms of maybe not knowing the answers, but being okay with who you are, and realizing that the struggle is okay. It’s kind of that age-old thing that it’s the journey, not the destination. I feel like lyrically we were really able to achieve that at the end of that tune.
Metal Exiles: You spoke about your guitar contributions, and lyrical ideas. Is there anything else you would like to describe about your contributions to this band and specifically this new record? Any ideas you came into the sessions with?
Casey: Yeah, a lot of them. “Mask Machine” was one of the ideas. “Bombs Away” verse was one of the ideas and the end of “Cosmic Symphony” was one of the ideas. But everyone contributes and we all bring in all of these ideas, and we kind of put them in a pile, and listen to them all, and pick out things, and mix them together. Dave brought this really cool idea in that we used, and I hope to see more of that. Because you know, it’s not always that you get a bass player to the quality of a Dave that you get to play with. He brought a lot of great things.
When you hear a lot of delay stuff in the guitars, I do a lot of guitar noise and delay to try and kind of modernize the band in some ways, vocally and guitar wise, which some might argue is just dumbing it down a little bit, but I come from an alternative rock background so pounding out the chords and making noise is part of the experience. So I added some of that in there and some of the kind of Floyd-like guitar stuff.
Metal Exiles: Well, I think many would agree that you and your parts are often the secret weapon that makes this band stand out.
Casey: I don’t know about that, I was just happy I didn’t get fired the first day to be honest (laughs). Because these guys are so amazing. Just the fact that they would consider anything I say as relevant or relative to what we’re doing surprises me every time. It’s the mix of everybody that really made this record extra special, it really did. It created its own sound because everyone was in the room.
Metal Exiles: There was a comment that “All Falls Down” from the self-titled record was a song meant to allow the more heavy rock guys in the band to totally unleash. It seems this new album as a whole better taps in to everyone’s influences. Does that seem like a fair observation?
Casey: Oh yeah. It’s like a marriage, the longer we’re together the more the lines begin to blur. We’re excited that on this record you see less of that line between people’s influences, and people’s tastes, and everything is just flowing better.
Metal Exiles: One of my favorite performances from you on the last record was on “Kayla.” What is “Kayla” about, or who was it written for?
Casey: So that song kind of went through a transition and for me it really had a lot to do with where I drew from, because originally the word was daylight, not Kayla. I have this concept of a vampire that wanted to be human again throughout that last record as a metaphor for us as humans wanting to be whole again, wanting to feel like we don’t need to feed on all of our addictions, all the things that we feel like we have to have in order to be alive besides food, water, shelter, and love. So it started as this struggle with this person that wished they could have daylight. Then it became Kayla at Neal’s suggestion, and this it really changed in to this song about...when I was younger I did date I guess girls from a broken home...in some ways. And some of these girls it wasn’t their fault that they were super fucked up, you know? It wasn’t their fault that they were crazy, it wasn’t their fault that they couldn’t get their shit together, it was the parent’s fault, or somebody sexually abused them, or something happened in their life that really kind of broke something in them. And for me that song is really a lament, and a song of understanding to those girls and those women that are still trying to fix some of those broken thins that weren’t even their fault. So that’s kind what that song ended up finally being about for me.
Metal Exiles: With so many unique voices in the band, how are the lead vocal assignments decided?
Casey: There’s no real rule. A lot of times it’s a rule of thumb that Neal sings a lot of the bridges and that we give Mike a couple of verses, or somewhere here and there that works for his voice, but we stay pretty open with all of that. That’s the great thing about working with a band without any egos is you can do whatever you want. Well, I say without any egos...we all have a bit of ego. But it’s manageable.
Metal Exiles: How did it feel this time working without a producer?
Casey: It was great. I think it’s great that we worked with Peter for the first record, because he kept our relationships intact, and allowed us to be friends without any pressure. This time we could get into some heated arguments and not feel like we were breaking the band up by disagreeing. Mike never feels that way. He’s always okay with disagreeing, he’s not scared of conflict. But me, I’m not the biggest fan, it makes me uncomfortable. So this time it was easier for all of us to disagree or agree on something without anyone taking anything personally.
Metal Exiles: I want to ask you about “Peaceful Harbor,” because on my first listen that was probably the most stand-out track for me, and I think part of it was the big choir parts at the end. How did that idea come about to add the outside vocalists and just make everything sound so epic?
Casey: That melody came from the first tour (hums the opening vocal melody of the song). We were just messing around during a sound check, singing that and Steve and I were playing together. Mike, like the musical library he is, never forgot it. So when we got back in to write he was like, “do you remember that melody?...it went like this.” He said he wanted to use that. So we had that melody to kind of start that song with and end it with. It’s one thing to sing that melody, it’s a whole other thing to hear Steve play it. It’s like wow! It’s like the greatest moments of Pink Floyd...getting to hear him play melody like that it sends you into outer space and then it was Neal’s idea to bring in the choir because it was actually this gospel choir in Nashville that he had worked with for another project, and he thought it would be perfect for this. So we paid a lot of money for them but it was totally worth it.
Metal Exiles: That melody you brought up, it was what you sang before “Hallelujah” on the live album.
Casey: Yeah, that happened about halfway through the tour, and I think “Hallelujah” happened about halfway through the tour too when I started doing that.
Metal Exiles: So that melody was something you wrote then?
Casey: Yeah, it was just something that came out and we played with it. Yeah, I had forgotten where we had played that. It started at sound check and then when we added the “Hallelujah” thing we just kind of smashed them together.
Metal Exiles: What can American fans expect on the upcoming tour?
Casey: Hopefully not a band that still needs to rehearse. We only have three days to rehearse and I’ll go ahead and tell you that I’m going to rehearse way before the rest of the guys do because I’m going to need it. But for Steve, Dave, Mike, and Neal, they’re super pros so they can roll in and play it all. The cool thing about this is that the set list is going to be a mix of the first record and the second record and then spiced with some songs from each of our other bands so it will be a pretty epic set.
Metal Exiles: Any song in particular you are looking forward to playing the most?
Casey: I’m really looking forward to playing some of the parts that Steve created. “Peaceful Harbor” has some really cool guitarmonies on there too. There’s nothing more fun for me in this band than getting to harmonize with Steve on the guitar...it’s so much fun. It’s such a guilty pleasure but it’s like getting to sing with one of the greatest singers in the world. His playing really moves me, and it gives me a chance to move with it.
Metal Exiles: How do you see Flying Colors? As a side project or a full-time band?
Casey: Well, I wish we toured more. But you know, Steve and Mike are pretty busy, and Steve’s got Purple, and until Purple kind of slows down that’s his gig. But for Flying Colors, for all of us, we’re all equal contributors in it. There’s no band leader, there’s no main writer. Normally in a band there’s someone that primarily writes everything. And that just doesn’t exist in Flying Colors. It’s an equal input band, and maybe a little later on down the road it will become more prevalent for everybody because we love it so much, but that’s just determent on everybody’s schedule.
Metal Exiles: What’s on the horizon for you? Solo album in the works, other bands?
Casey: I’m writing a new Alpha Rev album, and hopefully I’ll have something out by next year, and I’m working on a score for a couple of films. In Alpha Rev I have this fantastic violinist and cellist so we will score music and then I’m getting in to kind-of some multi-media projects that involve other people’s stories and the music behind it and the performance of both at the same time, so I’m just trying to stay busy and be creative and push my creative limits. I want to stay forever inspired, if at all possible.
Metal Exiles: Are there any artists out there besides your band mates that really inspire you?
Casey: Yeah, I mean I really love everything that comes from the Sigur Rós band. I really love the Bon Iver stuff. I love Muse, I love the bands that are pushing the limits of music in terms of production and song structure and are still able to reach masses. I think that’s really incredible. I’m excited about the new Pink Floyd record.
Metal Exiles: Any last thoughts about the new record for our readers?
Casey: I just can’t wait for people to hear it. I want for people to experience it and to go down the river with us, and I hope that people show up for the gigs so we can perform for them.
Metal Exiles: Well Casey, the new album is incredible, and I can’t wait for everyone to finally hear it. Good speaking with you, and take care.
Casey: Thanks, man. Take care.
Second Nature will be released in the States on September 30th via Music Theories/Mascot Label Group.
“Mask Machine” Music Video.
Flying Colors Official Site
Buy Second Nature here.
An interview with Casey McPherson of Flying Colors.
By John Knowles
Metal Exiles: The new album is entitled Second Nature, and features a collection of 9 amazing tracks. What are some of the stand out moments for you?
Casey: Well, in terms of singles I think we nailed it with “Mask Machine,” I love that song. I think it’s a super awesome, big rocker that says a lot, and has a lot of depth to it, and yet is totally radio accessible. And in a band like this, radio never even comes in to the conversation. But having a song that’s radio worthy doesn’t mean it’s a bad song for a band like this. So I was really excited about that. It reminds me kind of like Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, or Muse kind of deal. I think the other moment, or moments, is that I get to play a lot of Steve’s secondary guitar parts on this record. You know, I didn’t do that as much on the first record and you get to peer into that guy’s brilliant head a little bit more when you give him a little bit more room to work with.
Metal Exiles: How was the writing experience this time? Were there things that became easier or things that became more difficult?
Casey: Well, I think it was pretty easy. I had a handful of ideas that I had just coming in – melodic and chordal progressions and we used a lot of them. And that’s so much fun to come up with an idea and watch how Steve and Mike and Dave kind of treat it. And Neal and I working on lyrics and melody and how things kind of end up. And there’s just a natural flow with the band that just works really well. Its not something that we conjured up, it just happens to be that way.
Metal Exiles: I read that for the first record you had about 3 weeks to put the whole thing together. For round two it sounds like you had a little more time?
Casey: Well, kind of. Yes and no, its like we really had a limited amount of time together when we were tracking everything. But we did a lot of Skype sessions this time, which really helped. It gave us the ability to kind of chew on something before we committed to it.
Metal Exiles: There is a notably “proggier” direction on this record. Was the slight change in direction a deliberate move?
Casey: No, not at all, I mean I know I wanted more prog, because I’m from a pop world. The more prog the better in terms of challenging me to be able to sing over stuff like that, and be able to play it and sometimes even make sense of it. So I was really excited that happened. I know one of the songs was more proggier just because I showed up late to the session. I got there and they were already 10 minutes into the song, and I had to grab the mic so I could start singing. I think that was “Open Up Your Eyes” actually.
Metal Exiles: What lyrics were penned by you, and would you mind sharing some thoughts and background on one or two of them?
Casey: Sure. I mean, the lyric writing was a very collaborative effort primarily between Neal and I in the studio. “Mask Machine” was something we worked really hard on – really defining ways of talking about the subject. For me the song is really about getting rid of consumerism. To me, we use our technology and our products and our purchasing and our vanity and our need for stuff to cover up who we really are. In America people don’t ask how good of a Dad you are, or what kind of person you are, they ask, “what do you do?” But I feel like this song is really speaking out about the fact that who we are really has nothing to do with what we do, what we buy, what we wear, and all that. I feel like we said that really well without saying it like a country song – in the realist, least poetic way – and I mean new country, not old country. And then “Cosmic Symphony” was kind of the antithesis of the problem and the coming to grips and terms of maybe not knowing the answers, but being okay with who you are, and realizing that the struggle is okay. It’s kind of that age-old thing that it’s the journey, not the destination. I feel like lyrically we were really able to achieve that at the end of that tune.
Metal Exiles: You spoke about your guitar contributions, and lyrical ideas. Is there anything else you would like to describe about your contributions to this band and specifically this new record? Any ideas you came into the sessions with?
Casey: Yeah, a lot of them. “Mask Machine” was one of the ideas. “Bombs Away” verse was one of the ideas and the end of “Cosmic Symphony” was one of the ideas. But everyone contributes and we all bring in all of these ideas, and we kind of put them in a pile, and listen to them all, and pick out things, and mix them together. Dave brought this really cool idea in that we used, and I hope to see more of that. Because you know, it’s not always that you get a bass player to the quality of a Dave that you get to play with. He brought a lot of great things.
When you hear a lot of delay stuff in the guitars, I do a lot of guitar noise and delay to try and kind of modernize the band in some ways, vocally and guitar wise, which some might argue is just dumbing it down a little bit, but I come from an alternative rock background so pounding out the chords and making noise is part of the experience. So I added some of that in there and some of the kind of Floyd-like guitar stuff.
Metal Exiles: Well, I think many would agree that you and your parts are often the secret weapon that makes this band stand out.
Casey: I don’t know about that, I was just happy I didn’t get fired the first day to be honest (laughs). Because these guys are so amazing. Just the fact that they would consider anything I say as relevant or relative to what we’re doing surprises me every time. It’s the mix of everybody that really made this record extra special, it really did. It created its own sound because everyone was in the room.
Metal Exiles: There was a comment that “All Falls Down” from the self-titled record was a song meant to allow the more heavy rock guys in the band to totally unleash. It seems this new album as a whole better taps in to everyone’s influences. Does that seem like a fair observation?
Casey: Oh yeah. It’s like a marriage, the longer we’re together the more the lines begin to blur. We’re excited that on this record you see less of that line between people’s influences, and people’s tastes, and everything is just flowing better.
Metal Exiles: One of my favorite performances from you on the last record was on “Kayla.” What is “Kayla” about, or who was it written for?
Casey: So that song kind of went through a transition and for me it really had a lot to do with where I drew from, because originally the word was daylight, not Kayla. I have this concept of a vampire that wanted to be human again throughout that last record as a metaphor for us as humans wanting to be whole again, wanting to feel like we don’t need to feed on all of our addictions, all the things that we feel like we have to have in order to be alive besides food, water, shelter, and love. So it started as this struggle with this person that wished they could have daylight. Then it became Kayla at Neal’s suggestion, and this it really changed in to this song about...when I was younger I did date I guess girls from a broken home...in some ways. And some of these girls it wasn’t their fault that they were super fucked up, you know? It wasn’t their fault that they were crazy, it wasn’t their fault that they couldn’t get their shit together, it was the parent’s fault, or somebody sexually abused them, or something happened in their life that really kind of broke something in them. And for me that song is really a lament, and a song of understanding to those girls and those women that are still trying to fix some of those broken thins that weren’t even their fault. So that’s kind what that song ended up finally being about for me.
Metal Exiles: With so many unique voices in the band, how are the lead vocal assignments decided?
Casey: There’s no real rule. A lot of times it’s a rule of thumb that Neal sings a lot of the bridges and that we give Mike a couple of verses, or somewhere here and there that works for his voice, but we stay pretty open with all of that. That’s the great thing about working with a band without any egos is you can do whatever you want. Well, I say without any egos...we all have a bit of ego. But it’s manageable.
Metal Exiles: How did it feel this time working without a producer?
Casey: It was great. I think it’s great that we worked with Peter for the first record, because he kept our relationships intact, and allowed us to be friends without any pressure. This time we could get into some heated arguments and not feel like we were breaking the band up by disagreeing. Mike never feels that way. He’s always okay with disagreeing, he’s not scared of conflict. But me, I’m not the biggest fan, it makes me uncomfortable. So this time it was easier for all of us to disagree or agree on something without anyone taking anything personally.
Metal Exiles: I want to ask you about “Peaceful Harbor,” because on my first listen that was probably the most stand-out track for me, and I think part of it was the big choir parts at the end. How did that idea come about to add the outside vocalists and just make everything sound so epic?
Casey: That melody came from the first tour (hums the opening vocal melody of the song). We were just messing around during a sound check, singing that and Steve and I were playing together. Mike, like the musical library he is, never forgot it. So when we got back in to write he was like, “do you remember that melody?...it went like this.” He said he wanted to use that. So we had that melody to kind of start that song with and end it with. It’s one thing to sing that melody, it’s a whole other thing to hear Steve play it. It’s like wow! It’s like the greatest moments of Pink Floyd...getting to hear him play melody like that it sends you into outer space and then it was Neal’s idea to bring in the choir because it was actually this gospel choir in Nashville that he had worked with for another project, and he thought it would be perfect for this. So we paid a lot of money for them but it was totally worth it.
Metal Exiles: That melody you brought up, it was what you sang before “Hallelujah” on the live album.
Casey: Yeah, that happened about halfway through the tour, and I think “Hallelujah” happened about halfway through the tour too when I started doing that.
Metal Exiles: So that melody was something you wrote then?
Casey: Yeah, it was just something that came out and we played with it. Yeah, I had forgotten where we had played that. It started at sound check and then when we added the “Hallelujah” thing we just kind of smashed them together.
Metal Exiles: What can American fans expect on the upcoming tour?
Casey: Hopefully not a band that still needs to rehearse. We only have three days to rehearse and I’ll go ahead and tell you that I’m going to rehearse way before the rest of the guys do because I’m going to need it. But for Steve, Dave, Mike, and Neal, they’re super pros so they can roll in and play it all. The cool thing about this is that the set list is going to be a mix of the first record and the second record and then spiced with some songs from each of our other bands so it will be a pretty epic set.
Metal Exiles: Any song in particular you are looking forward to playing the most?
Casey: I’m really looking forward to playing some of the parts that Steve created. “Peaceful Harbor” has some really cool guitarmonies on there too. There’s nothing more fun for me in this band than getting to harmonize with Steve on the guitar...it’s so much fun. It’s such a guilty pleasure but it’s like getting to sing with one of the greatest singers in the world. His playing really moves me, and it gives me a chance to move with it.
Metal Exiles: How do you see Flying Colors? As a side project or a full-time band?
Casey: Well, I wish we toured more. But you know, Steve and Mike are pretty busy, and Steve’s got Purple, and until Purple kind of slows down that’s his gig. But for Flying Colors, for all of us, we’re all equal contributors in it. There’s no band leader, there’s no main writer. Normally in a band there’s someone that primarily writes everything. And that just doesn’t exist in Flying Colors. It’s an equal input band, and maybe a little later on down the road it will become more prevalent for everybody because we love it so much, but that’s just determent on everybody’s schedule.
Metal Exiles: What’s on the horizon for you? Solo album in the works, other bands?
Casey: I’m writing a new Alpha Rev album, and hopefully I’ll have something out by next year, and I’m working on a score for a couple of films. In Alpha Rev I have this fantastic violinist and cellist so we will score music and then I’m getting in to kind-of some multi-media projects that involve other people’s stories and the music behind it and the performance of both at the same time, so I’m just trying to stay busy and be creative and push my creative limits. I want to stay forever inspired, if at all possible.
Metal Exiles: Are there any artists out there besides your band mates that really inspire you?
Casey: Yeah, I mean I really love everything that comes from the Sigur Rós band. I really love the Bon Iver stuff. I love Muse, I love the bands that are pushing the limits of music in terms of production and song structure and are still able to reach masses. I think that’s really incredible. I’m excited about the new Pink Floyd record.
Metal Exiles: Any last thoughts about the new record for our readers?
Casey: I just can’t wait for people to hear it. I want for people to experience it and to go down the river with us, and I hope that people show up for the gigs so we can perform for them.
Metal Exiles: Well Casey, the new album is incredible, and I can’t wait for everyone to finally hear it. Good speaking with you, and take care.
Casey: Thanks, man. Take care.
Second Nature will be released in the States on September 30th via Music Theories/Mascot Label Group.
“Mask Machine” Music Video.
Flying Colors Official Site
Buy Second Nature here.
