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Music Scene Spotters: Up-And-Comers Seazon Of The Fly

11/10 Nightlife & Music Seazon of the Fly
Photo Credit: Ned Domm

With the release of their second album and a fan base rapidly on the rise, area band Seazon of the Fly is poised and ready to take the metro by storm. The five member group from north of the cities brings together their musicianship, love of their craft, and a passion for the local scene and leaves it on stage every time. The eclectic sound and attention to detail in their music make them an easy listen, both live and through their albums. Seazon of the Fly graciously lent me their time to give readers an inside look at their life in the music scene. Seazon of the Fly consists of Kyle Kutz, Cole Pilarski, Dan Schepers, John Hollingsworth and James Swensen-Flagg.

Emily: All right guys, explain to me who you are and what you do.

SOTF: Seazon of the Fly was conceived in a farmhouse in Santiago, Minnesota in the fall of 2004. We remodeled an old farmhouse into a studio to record our debut self-titled album. Since then, we have released two other studio albums, The Garden in 2008 and Wonderfly in 2011. We are a band that has two very different sides. One is rockoustic, droning riffs set to the syncopated rhythms and thick harmonies. The other side is what we call "junt." It is digital noise, twisted riffs, and groans and grunts that might snap even the thickest neck. We are a high-energy band that gives the crowd everything we have every time we play a show. We have shared the stage with acts like BuckCherry, Saliva, Days of the New, CandleBox, Powerman 5000, and many more national acts and hundreds of local artists.

11/10 Nightlife & Music Seazon of the Fly 2
Photo Credit: Ned Domm

Emily: How did you get your start here in Minneapolis?

SOTF: In 2006, Seazon of the Fly entered the Emergenza Music Battle of the Bands. We placed first in all three rounds of the Minnesota bracket by playing rockoustic sets at Lee's Liquor Lounge, The 400 Bar and The Cabooze. We brought two coach buses from St. Cloud to the shows. Our enthusiastic fans actually drank the 400 Bar out of beer by 11 p.m. We took first place out of 50 plus bands in Minnesota and took second out of 140 bands in the Midwest bracket. That is when we found out how rabidly loyal our fan base was. It was our first taste of success in the Twin Cities.

Emily: Why is what you are doing in the Twin Cities music scene important?

SOTF: We are important to the scene because of the diversity we have in our writing style. From album to album we try and change up our sound and styles because we are constantly trying to improve as writers and players. I think we do better when we are outside the box and experimenting. We like trying new things and testing the boundaries of melodies and rhythms. The most important thing that we bring to the Twin Cities scene is that we genuinely like playing together and I think that comes across in our live show.

Emily: What is your favorite thing about working in the Twin Cities music scene?

SOTF: We have played with so many talented bands in the Twin Cities. We are really lucky to be able to play some of the same stages that artist like Prince and Bob Dylan have played on. We have a rich history of music downtown at places like First Avenue that have had thousands of iconic bands perform sets there.

11/10 Nightlife & Music Seazon of the Fly Live
Photo Credit: Seazon of the Fly

Emily: Five-second shameless plug ... GO!

SOTF: Please continue to support local musicians. We have CDs and tons of merchandise at our web sites. Check out our calendar and come rock out with us. Check out our new music video for our tune "Safe" off of the newly released Wonderfly album. Please sign up for our mailing list at Reverbnation or like us on our Facebook page.

Emily Buss is a music journalist from Minneapolis and author of On the Rechord blog. On the Rechord is a music site dedicated to the local music scene in the Twin Cities. Emily writes concert and album reviews, band and artist profiles, and provides information about local shows. A college graduate with a degree in Mass Communications with an emphasis on Journalism, Emily has been professionally writing for newspapers and online outlets for six years. You can find Emily at www.ontherechord.com, on Facebook at On the Rechord and on Twitter @TheEmilyB.

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