Fly Golden Eagle
Live at the Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn, NY
Thursday September 11, 2014
By Elliott Fisher
With the tribute to the Twin Towers illuminating over New York City, Fly Golden Eagle took the stage at the Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn on September 11. Hailing from Nashville, TN the five-member band entertained the crowd with an entertaining and goofy sound check, including some break out chants of “Freak Out” from Chic’s “Le Freak,” then began under the spinning lights of a slightly dusty disco ball.
I find a couple things very appealing from the beginning: Fly Golden Eagle has an organ player, a drummer and separate percussionist with bongo drums and a lead singer with a great voice and enthusiastic energy. Piano players, let alone organists, are always a delight to see making a comeback into rising bands. As a native of Tennessee I was proud to have these guys represent my home state in Brooklyn.
The lyrics are inventive and the sound unique. With a few of the night’s songs extended and jammed out, I was simultaneously transported from the chilly city night to a lazy summer afternoon as the voice of lead singer Ben Trimble’s pleasantly echoed in accompaniment with groovy guitar and steady percussion work. But the music is far from lazy: Just listen to songs like “Horse’s Mouth” from their sophomore album titled Quartz, out October 14, and you will want get up and dance. It is not quite the music that inspires a mosh pit, however, like some of the other Nashville-based Natural Child music has inspired, but it is music that entices prank behavior; think of pushing your friend in the pool then concluding with a level ten cannonball.
Despite their tendency to spark goofy behavior, Fly Golden Eagle pays careful attention to what their music projects. With a packed crowd before them, they effortlessly intertwined varying pitches and tempos, like lowering the volume of the guitar work to highlight the bongo work and organ at times.
Fly Golden Eagle is a fun and enjoyable show, not only the music, but they are having a lot of fun on stage too. Be sure to check them out this fall as their extensive fall tour makes the rounds across the country.
Tour Dates
9/11 – New York, NY – Glasslands
9/13 – Burlington, VT – Nectar’s
9/26 – Chattanooga, TN – JJ’s Bohemia
9/27 – Charlotte, NC – Double Door Inn
9/28 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre#
9/29 – Asheville, NC – The Mothlight at Mr. Fred’s
9/30 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre#
10/1 – Oxford, MS – The Lyric Oxford#
10/2 – Jackson, MS – Duling Hall
10/4 – Norman, OK – Opolis
10/6 – Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck#
10/7 – St. Louis, MO – Plush#
10/8 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge#
10/13 – Tucson, AZ – The Flycatcher#
10/14 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern#
10/15 – Los Angeles, CA – The Satellite
10/16 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubador#
10/17 – San Fran, CA – The Independent
10/20 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge#
10/22 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
10/27 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater#
10/29 – Dallas, TX – Trees#
10/30 – Houston, TX – Fitzgeralds#
10/31 – Little Rock, AR – Stickyz Rock N Roll Chicken Shack#
11/2 – Birmingham, AL – Workplay Theater#
11/3 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West#
11/4 – Winston Salem, NC – Ziggys#
11/6 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair#
11/7 – New York, NY – Stage 48#
11/8 – Philadelphia, PA – Theater of Living Arts#
# = with J. Roddy Walston and the Business