An Interview with Rock-Blues Band, Dark Horse Flyer!

In a nut shell, the band, Dark Horse Flyer are high-quality musicians that create detailed blues-based songs that expand the boundaries of rock & roll.

Learn more about this group of talented performers in the interview below with the band:

How did you all meet? Do you remember the moment when you decided to start a band? How did you come to that decision?

The three of us had recorded an album together as “Breeze” in the late 70’s, that was never released. Scott and I had talked about looking up some or all of the 11 people who performed on it and getting together to play – one of those “we should do that sometime” things that never seems to happen. We’re both “make it happen” people, so I felt if we were going to go to all that trouble, why not make a record? In fact we connected and played with 7 of the original musicians at least once, but John is the only one to go the distance. Richard, Raul and Bob we either knew, or knew of. They drank the Kool-Aid and joined the band.

Tell me about your band name. Why “Dark Horse Flyer”?

We liked Dark Horse for the “come from behind, against all odds” sense of the name, but needed a name we could trademark. Our logo reminded me of aircraft “nose art” and for some reason I checked to see if Dark Horse was associated with any historic aircraft. There was a B-17 bomber in WWII named Dark Horse that flew 7 missions and was shot down over Germany. The pilot’s name was Fyler. The full story of the crews’ heroism is very inspirational and can be found on our website. We all consider the name Dark Horse Flyer to be a tribute to them and all American veterans.

You guys are about to release your debut album, Breakaway. How does that feel?

This has been a marathon effort, so we’re excited to be at the finish line. We’re proud of the result and ready for the next phase. We sequenced the songs like we would for a live set and plan to perform them as if the album was playing. We are also rehearsing more than enough material for our next release and will include some of those songs in a live show as well.

What are some of your favorite songs on this new album? How about your favorite songs to perform live?

All band members answers here.

DON: “BREAKAWAY”, “NO GOOD”, “EVIL WOMAN”, We like them all really, both to listen to and to perform. Live, it’s hard not to have fondness for the rockin’ grooves.

RICHARD: My album favorites are “NO GOOD” AND “YOU’VE GOT A HOLD ON ME” and I most love to perform those two and “Since You’ve Been Gone” (because of the 5/4 piano break)

JOHN: “EVIL WOMAN”, “BETTER DAYS” AND “YOU’VE GOT A HOLD ON ME” Because they show the different musical facets the band is capable of. My favorite songs to play live would be all of them because we cover a wide spectrum of feelings and emotions and I look forward to each of them.

SCOTT: While I like them all, my favorite would be  “EVIL WOMAN”, “BREAKAWAY”, “HOLD ON ME” and “BETTER DAYS”. We cover a pretty diverse swatch of music styles… and these pretty well captures them.

Who are some of your musical influences? Who are some of the new artists who inspire you?

All band members answers here:
DON: I’d say at this point, we are influenced by artists that continue to be vital and relevant even after decades of great music. Look at Tom Petty, when he released his first #1 album or Clapton, Robert Plant – guys who continue to explore and grow as musicians. For new artists, we look for people who are authentic and likely to go the distance, like Gary Clark Jr. etc..

JOHN: My musical influences would probably start with my family first, all of whom are very creative! They exposed me to many types of music starting with 50’s R&B acts like the Contours to Roy Orbison, then the Beatles, of course Dylan and Steely Dan. The new artists who inspire me would be would be The Civil Wars and Imagine Dragons.

SCOTT: I’ve been influenced by many historical artists and genres and continue to be by the old masters who still “have it” and don’t just produce music for a paycheck. Today’s artists like Imagine Dragons, OneRepublic, Coldplay and those types seem very relevant to me.

Do you guys get a chance to listen to rock radio today? What do you think of the bands that are on it now?

All band members answers here:
RICHARD: I like some of what I hear, but a lot of emphasis in today’s music seems to be on singer/songwriters – not so much on bands. That puts the focus on the individual “star” performer, disregarding that it almost always takes a team with a “star” player at every position to put on a great show.

JOHN: It seems a little stagnant out there these days… but you can find good music if you look.

SCOTT: Other then then the “newer bands” that are inspirational, I don’t find there are a great deal of “new bands” coming out. There are lots of “supporting acts” for a single performer… but not a lot of true bands.

If you had the opportunity to work with any artist/band living or dead, who would it be and why?

All band members answers here:
DON: I think we have songs on this record and in the pipeline that Clapton, or Carlos Santana or any number of great blues players would enjoy jamming on – we’d certainly be over the moon!

RICHARD: I would love to work with Coco Montoya, just because I really like his music.

JOHN: Todd Rundgren… He seems to always be ahead of his time.

SCOTT: Daryl Hall, Neil Young, James Taylor and the “Dan” Boys, Fagen and Becker… Oh and throw in Robben Ford, Larry Carlton and 10-20 others as well.

When you guys aren’t performing and/or writing new material, what do you guys like to do in your spare time?

All members answers here:
DON: What’s spare time? 🙂
JOHN: Travel, play different kinds of music, jam with friends…
SCOTT: Travel, cook great meals, eat out, enjoy wine and enjoy family time.