PUNK ROCK LIVES:THE GOLDEN AGE OF FLASHBACK
By Teresa Stern
Flashback, at first glance, appear to be just another aging bar band, men pretending to be boys and going through their second childhoods for the third time and while there's some truth in that assessment - they are, after all, a rock and roll band - it's a first impression that sells the band short. Flashback (Tim Byrnes guitar and vocals, Dan Guerra drums and Kenny Morgan bass) play the same songs as many bar bands, but with the enthusiasm and outright glee of kids who just discovered the electric guitar, if not electricity itself.
All members of the band have been playing music in different configurations for over 30 years and as a result bring a total experience of over 120 years to their craft. Local legend Kenny Morgan had played bass in various Arkansas Valley standard bearers like Authorized Personnel and the Chamblin Brothers, Guerra drummed for a series of club bands in Detroit while Byrnes cut his teeth in the late 70's New York Punk scene with his band Tension Envelopes. After playing with various musicians throughout the area these last few years, the core group of Flashback formed in November in 2000 when Byrnes answered an ad for a bass player that Guerra had placed in the La Junta Tribune-Democrat.
After some personnel changes the current lineup settled into itself in late 2003. The stripped down 3 piece made it's debut at the Fiddle Bow in Crowley at a baby shower, the low key venue befitting the band's punk rock, take it to the street attitude. If nothing else, Flashback understand the beauty of a well tuned garage band going off like lightning in a bird cage. After a rousing set consisting of blues covers and Byrnes penned originals at Axe Haven's 9th Anniversary Show in Pueblo the word was out that Flashback was back. Lean and mean and ready to do business.
The band's secret to keeping the material fresh and new show after show is simple says Byrnes. "What we do is we each act like we're leading our own band. I always decide who we're going to sound like about 10 seconds before we play. Fortunately we've all been playing long enough to have the kind of flexibility that allows us to hear the music as much as we play it and act accordingly to where the music's going. On the best nights I feel like I'm listening to a record. I'm not playing the guitar, I'm just holding it." |
