Interview with The Flip Phones

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

• We both loved music from a young age and found inspiration in the melody, harmony, and rhythm of a great piece whether it be Beethoven or The Beatles. However, we followed different paths to learning music. Lindsey began with classical piano and later added flute and piccolo. Ryan started a band with friends in middle school before any of them could play an instrument, and he learned guitar by playing along to his favorite songs. Currently, writing and performing as The Flip Phones is a cross between a job and a hobby - a jobby as we like to call it. Like many other musicians, we work full-time outside of music.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

• We’ve jumped on the pickleball bandwagon. It’s worth the hype! There’s a certain rhythm in the pop of the ball that may help inspire musicality.

How long has your band been around?

• Our musical collaboration dates all the way back to 2009. We’ve written songs about cats and drawn from the melancholy chords of Erik Satie – it’s been a sometimes surprising but fun journey.

Where are you based and how did that influence your music?

• We live in Arlington, VA, which is a suburb of Washington, DC. While the DC area is well-known for Dischord and Go-Go, we are more familiar with the current DC independent music scene, which includes an eclectic mix of musicians who are not constrained by a certain sound or style. The freedom to draw from a wide range of influences has given us space for creativity and experimentation.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

• Flip Phones offer the optimal balance of old-school nostalgia and newfangled fun. We like to think we have that, too. We were also luddites for a time – when we went into the studio to finish the record, we were among the few people left who used flip phones rather than smartphones. Although we ultimately ended our love affair with the Motorola Razr, the name suited us and our sound – user-friendly and a little silly at times.

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

• We love porchfests. Meeting folks in local communities and interacting with new fans and old friends is the measure of a good day. Playing music on porches has been a great way to meet other emerging artists, too.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

• We are excited about several of the venues we are playing to promote Better in the Dark including Songbyrd in DC for our release show, Jammin’ Java in VA for the Mid-Atlantic Band Battle, and the Grape Room in PA, which Ryan last played 15 years ago with college friends. Our favorite local venue is the Galaxy Hut in Arlington, VA for its intimacy, unique artwork, and excellent vegan food. While they aren’t hosting bands currently, we look forward to playing there again when shows start back up.

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

• For Lindsey, the ideal lineup would probably include The Decemberists for their erudite lyrics and Neko Case for the honesty in her songs. Ryan would add Damon Albarn for his endless supply of hits with different bands and Charlotte Hatherley for her underappreciated guitar brilliance and lush harmonies. We suspect our ideal lineup is better suited for a festival than a one-night show :)

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

• We would sum our advice up with 3 Ps - practice a lot, stay positive, and be professional. In some ways music is like any other pursuit and can be a grind at times, but the feeling of writing a great song or connecting with an audience during a performance makes it worth it.

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

• Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a career in music. Don’t get too high or too low. Set simple and achievable goals and work toward them week by week.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

• For Lindsey, it’s “Fly Back to You”, which was inspired by the story of an Australasian gannet, known as the world’s loneliest seabird, who fell in love with a concrete statue of a bird. It’s a sad but strangely sweet story. For Ryan, it’s difficult to choose one, but “When the Lights Go Low”, which we played at our wedding, contains some funny oblique (and not so oblique) references to our relationship!

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

• “Man-Made Moon” is a live favorite that features our signature sounds - vocal interplay, guitars, piano, and melodica - with Lindsey and Ryan singing alternate verses before joining their voices on the choruses and the ending of the song.

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

• Our songs typically begin with inspiration from our personal lives, stories in the news, or things we find funny. We start with a melody or music, but sometimes the lyrics come first. From there we collaborate to create that Flip Phones magic.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

• Our music challenges listeners to ponder little moments and big questions, all while not taking anything too seriously. Whether you’re in a cocoon or on a spaceship to the moon, there’s an inevitable clash between light and darkness, luminance and obscurity. We wanted to reflect on these timeless themes in new ways. We finished these songs just as the world was descending into the uncertainty of the pandemic. But stories of resilience emerged amid the gloom, revealing splendor despite sorrow. Light and darkness are inextricably linked.

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

• Musically we don’t tend to have many disagreements. If one of us is not moved by a song, we typically keep working at it until we are both happy or we set it aside until further inspiration strikes.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

• We are playing the release show for Better in the Dark on December 29 at Songbyrd in DC with additional shows set up for early 2023 throughout the mid-Atlantic. Our website is current with the definitive list of upcoming shows at https://www.theflipphones.com/live. We also head back into the studio in January to start recording again and hope to share those songs in late 2023 or early 2024.

How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?

• Definitely start on our website at https://www.theflipphones.com/ and follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/theflipphones/, Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/theflipphonesband, and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheFlipPhones. We update these sites regularly and look forward to interacting!