The Flying Club
Austin, Texas, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Some recordings hit you hard with a strong impression right away. Others wrap around you, enveloping your senses until you are successfully transported to another world. Far and Away is in this latter group. The Flying Club came together a piece at a time. The pieces create a smooth jazz / Brazilian pop ensemble as refreshing as an evening tide lapping at your ankles. Imagine a new, more refined Gilberto Gil album, except Gil doesn't sing because Sade took his place.
In reality, the core group is founder/drummer/composer/songwriter Bruce Popky, Brazilian percussionist Luiz Coutinho, and singer Amanda Walker, who really does sound like a cross between Sade and Norah Jones. Recorded in Austin and Rio de Janeiro, the group's debut album doesn't fit into usual perceptions of either city's music.
"Birds," perhaps Popky's strongest composition, opens with delicate, near harmonics on electric guitar countered by adventurous percussion and arrangement. "This Turn" opens with clean fingerpicking of a derivative chord on nylon strings -- nice and Brazilian like we'd expect. But soon the subtle, yet undeniably funky, electric wah pedal takes us in a new direction. These juxtapositions -- and the distinctive sound by enlisting metal chairs into the percussion lineup -- take Far and Away in unexplored directions. It's always good to know there are still musicians out there exploring. - Austin Music Magazine, May/June 2006
Cool jazz meets steamy samba on the Flying Club’s latest release. If Sergio Mendes collaborated with Steely Dan, it would sound something like Far and Away. The smooth vocals of lead singer Amanda Walker groove over the Latin drumming of main songwriter Bruce Popky. Sonic space is filled nicely by multiple guitars, bass, keyboard, strings and a variety of percussion instruments including cowbell and triangle.
Highlights include the funky beat of “Birds,” the intricate classical guitar work of “Another Day” and the soothing vocal delivery of “I’d Still Know You.” “It’s halfway done, a third from the sun or a quarter to none / I’d still know you,” sings Walker as the band sails away on maracas and the rich string arrangement. Fans of Sade or Dave’s True Story, this is the music your soul’s been longing for. - Performing Songwriter Magazine, July/August 2006
I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard a release come out of Austin in recent years that sounded quite like The Flying Club. They’ve got a fantastically tight jazz-meets-Adult Contemporary sound in Far and Away.
Amanda Walker takes on the vocals like a local version of Sadé. The guitars of Eugino Dale meld nicely with Luiz Coutinho’s percussion and Bruce Popky’s drums.
The poetry-like lyrics throughout the album are soothing as the delivery. I can easily see this CD as background music to a cocktail party or as something to enjoy live in a listening room. There are no filler-songs on this album, but songs like "Friends of Mine," "Pass By," and the title track are standouts.
Popky’s lyrics are nothing less than poetry. Take a sample of from "Temporarily" for example. "Serious / without a plot / how it goes / until we see / this story’s old / the players are playing / so life comes through / in unfamiliar ways."
Recorded parly in Austin and partly in Rio De Janerio, Brazil, Far And Awayis an enjoyable ten-track journey. If you’re looking for some good relaxing music, look no further. Visit www.flyingclubmusic.com for more information. - INsite Magazine
I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard a release come out of Austin in recent years that sounded quite like The Flying Club. They’ve got a fantastically tight jazz-meets-Adult Contemporary sound in Far and Away.
Amanda Walker takes on the vocals like a local version of Sadé. The guitars of Eugino Dale meld nicely with Luiz Coutinho’s percussion and Bruce Popky’s drums.
The poetry-like lyrics throughout the album are soothing as the delivery. I can easily see this CD as background music to a cocktail party or as something to enjoy live in a listening room. There are no filler-songs on this album, but songs like "Friends of Mine," "Pass By," and the title track are standouts.
Popky’s lyrics are nothing less than poetry. Take a sample of from "Temporarily" for example. "Serious / without a plot / how it goes / until we see / this story’s old / the players are playing / so life comes through / in unfamiliar ways."
Recorded parly in Austin and partly in Rio De Janerio, Brazil, Far And Awayis an enjoyable ten-track journey. If you’re looking for some good relaxing music, look no further. Visit www.flyingclubmusic.com for more information. - INsite Magazine
Sounds Like: Sergio Mendes/Sade/Tania Maria
Technical Grade: 10
Production/Musicianship Grade: 10
Commercial Value: 9
Overall Talent Level: 10
Songwriting Skills: 9
Performance Skill: 10
Best Songs: Far And Away, Temporarily, Friends Of Mine, Another Day
Weakness: ?
Founded by drummer/composer Bruce Popky, The Flying Club project features Brazilian influenced compositions that will both relax and invigorate your soul. Lead vocalist Amanda Walker's soothing voice enhances the excellent instrumentation; creating a perfect union of musicianship and emotional delivery, as evidenced on the most commercial songs: the haunting and seductive, "Temporarily," and the beautifully performed title track, "Far And Away." .....
.... A wealth of licensing potential here. These songs are begging for film placement.
**Recipient of three Muse's Muse Awards.**
- Gian Fiero, The Muse's Muse
"The thing that hits you first is the sultry and effortless vocals delivered by Amanda Walker. Her voice is wonderfully sweet and consistent, euphoric and completely in her element. She gives the music exactly what it needs.
Secondly, you realize the depth of the project - the musicianship, the skill, the songwriting, the production. Brazillian percussionist Luiz Coutinho supplies bateria style rhythms.... There are few sounds in this world that can get your heart pumping and sweat pouring like the thunderous samba of Brazilian percussion - yet Luiz is never obtrusive or distracting in this delicate setting. That's a magic trick if you ask me...." - AustinDaze, Issue #58
Sounds Like: Sergio Mendes/Sade/Tania Maria
Technical Grade: 10
Production/Musicianship Grade: 10
Commercial Value: 9
Overall Talent Level: 10
Songwriting Skills: 9
Performance Skill: 10
Best Songs: Far And Away, Temporarily, Friends Of Mine, Another Day
Weakness: ?
Founded by drummer/composer Bruce Popky, The Flying Club project features Brazilian influenced compositions that will both relax and invigorate your soul. Lead vocalist Amanda Walker's soothing voice enhances the excellent instrumentation; creating a perfect union of musicianship and emotional delivery, as evidenced on the most commercial songs: the haunting and seductive, "Temporarily," and the beautifully performed title track, "Far And Away." .....
.... A wealth of licensing potential here. These songs are begging for film placement.
**Recipient of three Muse's Muse Awards.**
- Gian Fiero, The Muse's Muse
Discography
Far and Away (2006)
Photos
Bio
Taking off from Austin, Texas, The Flying Club performs an original mix of American, Brazilian and other pop music influences. With the release of 2006s Far and Away a new sound came to life which received critical praise from the likes of Performing Songwriter Magazine, Austin Music + Entertainment, Austin InSite and The Muses Muse, as well as radio airplay in the US, Brazil and Europe. 2009 brings a new sound for the stage and for recordings, with new material and new releases due out in the late spring.
About the album:
The Flying Club's debut album "Far and Away," released in 2006, is the result of a year-long collaboration of musicians, producers and engineers in Austin, Texas and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Founded by drummer/composer Bruce Popky, the project had simple origins as a series of home-studio recordings, in which he explored integrating Brazilian pop sensibilities with original American pop music. With a handful of compositions recorded, he started putting together a group to perform them live.
To record the album, he enlisted the help and guidance of Grammy-nominated producer Mark Hallman, whose many credits include Eliza Gilkyson, Ani DiFranco and Carole King. Rio-based producer/guitarist/composer Eugenio Dale joined the project next, with a long history of hit songs, successful recordings and live performances to his credit. Across two hemispheres, recording in both Austin and Rio, the trio collaborated on balancing the many diverse elements that comprise the unique sound of "Far and Away." As Austin Music Magazine writer Derek Lowe describes it, the album "doesn't fit into the usual perceptions of either city's music...."
Dale plays guitar on all of the tracks as well as various percussion, and Hallman adds keyboards and additional guitar. Coutinho plays a wide variety of percussion throughout the album, as Popky anchors the tracks on the drums and sings backing vocals behind Amanda Walker's lead. Top musicians from both cities also contribute to the album, including: in Rio de Janeiro, bassist Gasto Villeroy, guitarist Billy Brando and string arranger Luiz Avellar; in Austin, keyboardist Rolf Ordahl, and guitarist Adam Temple.
Although the album's pedigree contains much Brazil, the sound is uniquely American. The arrangements delve into adventurous rhythmic, melodic and harmonic territory, but intend to strike a balance between these aspects and appealing to many different kinds of listeners.
"Far and Away" was honored as a "Top 12 DIY Pick" in the July/August 2006 issue of Performing Songwriter Magazine and has received three 2006 "Muse's Muse Awards." Tracks from the album have received airplay in over 30 Triple-A radio stations in the United States as well as rotating commercial radio airplay in Rio de Janeiro, and multiple daily spins on Globo FM, second largest radio station in the state of Bahia, Brazil. The single "Another Day" has received regular airplay on Radio Swiss Pop (Switzerland) for much of 2007.
"Far and Away" is available for purchase at Amazon.com, CDBaby.com, Napster.com, Rhapsody.com and the iTunes Music Store.
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