Style, tours and more with Fly South artists

The Mathis Brothers, the Travis Denning Band, Lingo, Flannel Church and Saint Francis performed at the Fly South Music Festival. The Cluster was able to catch three of the bands after their performances for interviews.
The Travis Denning Band consists of singer and guitarist Travis Denning, guitarist Josh Graff, bassist Jake Johnson and drummer Brad Sorrell. This Middle Georgia group performs what they call “homegrown American music,” combining country, blues and southern rock. When asked how their group formed, Travis replied with a laugh that he “tried to get the best players available and these were the only people left over.” The members had actually played together in various performances before forming the band.
“At heart we are an alternative country band,” Denning says, explaining that they are influenced by a wide variety of music. They are fans of everything from blues and country to jam bands. They will be appearing at the Hummingbird on Nov. 30, after which they plan to go on tour in 2013. Their music is available on iTunes.
Lingo, the third band to play at the Fly South Festival, tries to blend various genres of music to create a sound all their own. They draw heavily from many genres, pulling together the guitar riffs of classic rock bands, a Latin beat and an excellent New Orleans jazz undertone to create something unique.
When asked about the meaning of the band’s name, Justin and Alex Tramble reveal a humorous story about its origin. “One day we looked at a dictionary,” Justin begins, “We were carrying it down the stairs to pick the name of the band. It was, like, ceremonial. He [Alex] tripped down the stairs and the dictionary fell open. We bent down to pick it up and Lingo just stood out.”
“It was highlighted,” Alex adds with a laugh.
Lingo is currently on tour. “We do a lot of regional stuff,” Justin Tramble says. The band is currently touring primarily in the southeast. More information on Lingo can be found at their website, lingomusic.net, and on Facebook and iTunes.
Flannel Church was the fourth band to perform at Fly South. They are made up of an eclectic group of people who possess a strong sense of humor. The group includes drummer and front man Duane Trucks, bassist Kevin Scott, guitarist Gregory Hodges and vocalist Marshal Ruffin. When asked about how their group was formed, Trucks replied jokingly that they used Adult Friend Finder. “We were looking for Swingles. Swingles that were ready to mingl,” Trucks said.
The band was actually formed through several jam sessions between various members of the group, many of whom had played with Col. Bruce Hampton in Atlanta. The name originates from an avant-garde group of which they were once a part.
Trucks describes their inspiration as “mostly what, Tim McGraw or Alan Parsons? We’ll say both.” The band members were a hilarious group to speak with. This sense of humor certainly made the frigid November weather at the festival more bearable.
They hope to record an album soon and plan to go on tour in the near future. Flannel Church can be followed on Facebook and on their site, flannelchurch.com.