KTTZ's Bishop Van Buren recently sat down with Flatland Cavalry, a band that began in Lubbock and returned to the Hub City last week after releasing their new single: "Lubbock." You can find the interview and a transcript below.
This interview has been edited for time and clarity.
Bishop Van Buren: How would you describe the effect that being from West Texas has had on your sound?
Jason Albers, Drums: I feel like the people in Lubbock, because it’s so isolated — relative to Seattle, Miami, New York, or San Diego — are pretty self-reliant and reliant on each other.
As we started this whole project, I feel like we relied on each other, whether it was going over to Amusement Park Studios to cut the EP, or working with Scott [Faris]. Working with him changed our sound; he’s someone who’s really put Lubbock on his back in those regards. So, if I were to tell someone from the rest of the United States what Lubbock is like, I’d say it’s about community, self-reliance, and strong people.
I am also sure you're expecting a bigger audience at the Buddy Holly hall this weekend [than in other Lubbock venues you’ve played]. What are you expecting out of that audience?
Cleto Cordero, Lead Singer: When we first played in Lubbock, it was at the Blue Light Live, and they capped it at around 300 people or something like that. Since then, they've made it bigger, so every time we returned, the crowds got bigger and bigger. We’re anticipating our largest audience yet.
That’s why we decided to do two nights there — a large gathering of fans from the very beginning, along with people who are just showing up to school here and going, “Who’s Flatland Cavalry?” So it’s going to be a blend of all our fans and those we’ve yet to make. I’m excited about that, to see the melding of the different groups… you can kind of see that, or we’ve seen that on the road.
Albers: I feel like it's almost a homecoming of some sorts, 10 years later, coming back after all these experiences that we've had, coming back and feeling like everyone's partying together at the end of the day, especially in a great venue like Buddy Holly Hall.
A lot of our NPR listeners may not be very familiar with Flatland Cavalry. How would you describe your sound to them?
Cordero: Simply, easy on the ears, heavy on the heart. We put that on our first EP come May in 2015 and whether it's a country song or folk song, a rock song, a blues song, we just try to give the music to whatever the song is asking for. So a lot of different a blend of different styles, but each one aims to be based upon some kind of real motion and real experience.
Have there ever been moments where you've interacted with someone and it's just been clear to you that this person has not been to West Texas before you even talk about it?
Cordero: When we played in New Jersey for the first time, there was a guy talking maybe three times faster than all of us. He goes, “Man, I like you guys. You’re really chill.” He’s like, “Last week, there was a band back here, and they were all puking all over the place — it was a mess.” He says, “But you guys are cool. You’re respectful, you’re, you know, not blah, blah, blah. You guys are from Texas; you’ve got manners.”
I think there’s that element in West Texas culture where we all probably got whipped a time or two for doing something dumb as kids, and you kind of learn to respect your elders and each other. So I think when you’re in a distant place, a strange land, we can still deal with each other with respect and be friendly.
How did the name Flatland Cavalry come to be?
Cordero: It was a toss-up between names. We had operated under different names — Cleto and The Noise was a really bad one. Another was Dancing Crows, because our first bass player had these Velcro shoes he’d wear when he went drinking at the bar.
My name’s been mispronounced my entire life, so I just wanted to do something more band-oriented, you know? I was jogging with my friend Earl back in college, and he said, “What about Cleto and the Texas Cavalry?” I wanted to be Flatlanders — I thought Flatlanders was awesome. I didn’t know it was already a band because I was green and naive. And when he said Texas Cavalry, I was like, “What about Flatland Cavalry?” And he said, “Sounds pretty good.” It kind of stuck. There’s a lot of power in the name, and we didn’t want to be anything that wouldn’t be taken seriously.
Can you take me a bit through the journey of actually putting together this cavalry?
Cordero: I've known Jason since we were in eighth grade. We started jamming from 10th grade through senior year of high school, then during the two years at junior college, and then in college. We still jam at random events, places like bars in town. When we moved to Lubbock, he and I were roommates, and, like, the first weekend we were there, we went out to O-Bar. Our eyes and ears were open to finding bandmates. We moved here to make it happen, you know?
Slowly but surely, pieces of the puzzle started coming together. I met Reed through his brother — we were in a business fraternity here at Rawls, and he was like, “My little brother plays guitar; I heard you’re looking for one.” I was like, “Bro, everyone’s little brother plays guitar.” And he goes, “No, he’s really good.” So, we jammed in the garage, and he came by, and we’ve been jamming ever since — that’s how he got looped in.
Johnny was the last bass player who got a hold of us, through one of the studio guys in the basement of the library. Actually, Brett Brock gave me Johnny’s number when I was at my wit’s end. I had been given this advice to “book it out, and if you book it, they will come.” So, I booked this show before the band was even fully formed. It’s like I’ve heard the phrase, “Leap, and the net will appear.” So I booked a show at Blue Light to perform all our original songs. Johnny was the last piece of the puzzle at the time, and he had been playing with Wesley and Dolly Shine, another band. That’s how Wes eventually joined us.
Then Adam posted a video of him playing mandolin and banjo on a couple of our songs — it blew us away. When we passed back through Lubbock to play a street party at Blue Light, he sat in with us, and he’s been with us ever since.
Honestly, I tell Jason sometimes, you kind of realize that everything you could ever need or want is already around you, if your heart’s open and your mind’s willing. If you look for it, it’s already there. Each time someone came along, it was like, “Awesome!” It just kept building into this bigger thing.
So, you mentioned Scott Faris a little earlier in this interview. Can you explain what it’s like working with him and how your first album came to be?
Cordero: Yeah, so for my 18th birthday, a friend who’s now our day-to-day manager, Roy Johnson, who’s also in the folklore of Flatland on the coyote song, booked with my brother studio time at Amusement Park Studio. So that’s how I got introduced to Scott, and I did a little demo of my songs, and that’s how I met him. Then, I was sitting at my coffee table prior to graduation, having what was probably my first panic attack ever, as I realized my time at Texas Tech was coming to an end, and I had to, like, I got to get a real job or, you know, do something about this music thing. So I picked up the phone and called Scott and asked him about recording a single, which was "Summertime Love." And then we did that, and we started to get to work on the other songs in there. That happened like the last quarter of 2014, and then come May, it came out in May of '15. So in that time, somewhere between there, we were working on the project.
Albers: Scott, if you’ve ever met him, is just a giant bubble of light. Always got a smile on, always ready to do something. He’s excited about anything. And that was no different when we came in. So, you already felt comfortable. Especially for me, I was going to school for something totally different, not necessarily music. I was at a crossroads, like, what was I going to do? But going in there, Amusement Park Studios, I felt comfortable, at home, which I knew was a good feeling, especially since I had never recorded anything before. I was nervous because I wanted to sound good, but going in there, Scott, he understands the music. He understands every instrument and how to record it, and it was just a massive plethora of instruction and understanding of what was going on. And yeah, it was really the first time I’d ever been in a studio. Like I said, just having him there made everything feel right.
Reid Dillon, Guitar: Going back to what you were saying about our sound, I think a lot of it had to do with this: Us three sitting on the front weren’t at all classically trained or professional musicians by trade — we were just doing it for fun. And when we went into the studio, I think Scott could definitely sense that. I mean, he really was super, super patient with us. I remember him helping me with so many of those guitar parts because I was very, very green back then. I had only been playing for four or five years, maybe. And yeah, there was no intimidation factor, like you get in some studios where the producers can be super pushy and try to hurry you along. I just remember him being very patient and helpful with all of our skill levels.
Jonathan Saenz, Bass: Yeah, to tie into what all the three guys said, Scott Faris he's a teacher, he's a producer, he's a dad, he wears a lot of hats.
But like Reed and Jason said, you know, I really believe that if these two guys would have moved to Austin, or, really anywhere, that this Flatland wouldn't have happened. And a lot of that has to do with Scott and he really transformed the sound the way Cleto envisioned it. And a lot of people won't even take the time to do that with artists. They just press record and stop record and stop. But he realized, Oh, this is this kid's dream. This is his, like, passion. These are real lyrics, let's, you know, and he invested it that time into us. And so we really are appreciative of him and how he really, you know, loves us as musicians, but as guys and his friends, and we owe a lot to him, so we're thankful for him.
What would you say to those who don’t understand why people enjoy and live in Lubbock?
Albers: You know, once again, a community and most people just act like they've never met a stranger. And I love that about Lubbock.
What would your message be to Lubbock's creative community that feels like they have more of a hurdle to overcome than in other cities.
Cordero: The art’s going to come out either way, whether you're being supported or not supported. So just keep making art and make this place beautiful, and work together to either bypass or collate together to keep that community flourishing. But yeah, that is definitely a bummer to hear.
If you could take a time machine back and give a message to a younger version of yourself, what would you say?
Saenz: Just keep going. Don't give up. It's gonna be tough, but it's gonna be worth it.
Dillon: I would say your dream of playing a guitar for a living is actually going to come true. Dude like, yeah, it's going to happen.
Albers: I would tell myself just what, as Reed said, your dream of being able to play music play drums is actually possible. I guess at that moment, I guess I almost didn't think it would be possible. So I tell myself that it's possible and just strive for excellence in everything you do how you do one thing is how you do everything.
Cordero: If you could tell yourself that — like John said — it'll be challenging and be hard, but you'll, when you make it through to the other side of it, you realize that you'll realize that anything that you can imagine and you're willing to work towards and believe in will absolutely you can bring it here, to this realm that we're sitting in, you know, before, whenever we exit and we go to the 'by and by', whatever it is, you know, not sure what that's all like, but I know for a fact that if you can imagine it and work towards it, it'll anything's possible.
So when you're backstage, what sort of the pep talk do y'all give each other?
Cordero: We've been playing music an hour before each show, hanging out together, vibing out. Before every show, Jason says a prayer. Reid will give us a little break out, usually catered to the room or the setting we're in or whatever. But I don't know, I just want to say that I truly believe we all believe in each other, so we're not afraid when we hit the deck. And usually, when you're waiting before a show to happen, you can get antsy, or confuse excitement with fear or anxiety or whatever it is. So, I don't know. I just don't really feel that. I don't know what we're going to say or do or anything like that, but I know that we'll be hanging out, having a beer before or something, just kind of remembering when, maybe doing what we're doing right now.
What's the future of Flatland?
Cordero: As long as it remains easy on the ears and heavy on the heart, I’m excited for not knowing what the future holds, but just knowing that we’re working towards creating art and music that resonates with real people and brings people together. As long as we’re doing that, I’ll be proud to keep it going.