Check out below our interview with front man of Flor, Zach Grace. We got to chat with him about how Flor became who they are today, their writing & recording process and so much more! Make sure to check out the guys on their headlining tour! Enjoy the interview below!
The Vinyl: To those who aren’t familiar with your music, mind giving introducing yourselves?
Zach Grace: We are the band flor. it’s nice to meet you new listeners. I am singer/guitarist Zach Grace. I’m writing this on behalf of McKinley Kitts (guitar), Dylan Bauld (bass), and Kyle Hill (drums).
TV: How did “Flor” Happen? Where did you all meet?
ZG: Flor officially came about when we all moved to Los Angeles together to entrench ourselves in the life of music that flourishes there. We wanted the connections and the drive that came along with being in such a creative hotspot, but we had all been making music up i’m Oregon for years prior to fully discovering ourselves in flor. Three of us grew up in the same small town of Hood River, OR where we went through elementary, middle, and high school together. It wasn’t until we graduated that Kyle moved in from Portland and started making music with us.
TV: What/who are some inspirations you may have? Where do you get your musical inspirations from?
ZG: Everything can be inspiring, and I try hard to remind myself of that every day. Every moment can be a creative trigger, but the constant push I have creatively comes from storytelling. Whether it’s a book, a movie, a game or other music, nothing riles up my emotions and makes me want to create like transporting myself into someone else’s world.
My musical inspirations are infinite. I try to listen to something new daily, but I’ve been impacted by everything from the Tarzan soundtrack from my early youth, to whats on the radio right now. To get specific, I think my writing emulates some of my favorite bands from high school, like Tegan and Sara, Death Cab for Cutie, and Bombay Bicycle Club, but this list could go on forever.
TV: You all just recently released your sophomore record, ley lines, what was the writing and recording process like for you all? Is there anything you may have learned from previous recording sessions that you brought to the table for this writing/ recording session?
ZG: We did indeed. This time around it was a collaborative experience between all of us. We still kept it very D.I.Y, by keeping the writing and producing in house, but everyone had their input and voice in these tracks, which differed from the first album which was more of a look directly into my emotions. We learned to trust our gut and move forward with what was working and ditch what bogged us down, which left us feeling much more free and excited about the art we were making.
TV: Where did ley lines originate from? Is there a meaning to the record name?
ZG: ley lines are these invisible connections between places of perceived importance. It’s very mystical, and the idea intrigued me and it got me thinking about life. It made me think about the ways that we anchor our identity in ourselves with what we believe, who we know, and what we love- which got me thinking about the importance of these strong connections we can make. Ultimately I found themes of this connection throughout these songs and the album name lined up.
TV: You all have gotten to support many talented bands/artists, how does it feel to be headlining a tour of your own? What are some expectations you have as a headliner vs being support?
ZG: Both kinds of tours are incredible and opposite experiences. Both are enriching in different ways. Headlining is always such a treat because we get to take what we’ve learned and apply it to ourselves and our audience. We get to forge the connection with our people. The feeling of knowing how excited they are to be apart of a flor show is so fulfilling. We just hope we make them proud.
TV: What cities are you looking forward to visiting the most? And what is your ideal off day?
ZG: Buffalo, NY. We have a whole Buffalo wing tour planned, even some vegan options for Dylan. We can’t wait. We’re mostly just excited to be out on the road experiencing all of these new places we haven’t been together.
My ideal day off is staying far away from the van. That can be in a pool, or in a bed, or at a coffee shop- just off the road and enjoying the stillness that’s so hard to find on the road. A book, some coffee – unbeatable.
TV: Since you’re out here promoting your record, do you have any other plans in store? Any summer festivals, tours etc? That you can share of course.
ZG: We have some things coming up- really soon, but no I can’t dish out the details. Sorry, I know. so lame, but they’ll come and get me. You might be asking “who is they?” to which i can only remain vague and say them.
TV: What are some goals you have for 2020? What do you want to accomplish individually and as a whole.
ZG: I just hope to continue to push our live show to its limits. I want all of us to grow into the performers we want to be and for us to be confident in the story and world we are creating as a band. And I just really want to push my chess elo to at least 1300. Somewhere around there.
TV: As we conclude this interview is there anything you would like to say to your fans?
ZG: Love you. You rock my world every day. If you got a notification every time i smiled because of you throughout the day you would turn off notifications cause it would drive you absolutely nuts.