Then I Fly

In the world that I live in, music is as accessible as water. Social media, word of mouth, mixtapes, and even (God forbid) the radio are all ways for music to penetrate my life from every angle. So it kills me when a band is right at my fingertips and I am too overwhelmed with every other song that I ignore what is right in front of my face. Denver’s Then I Fly is now one of my favorite local bands. I have consistently seen their name in my Facebook feed twice a day from event invitations, but I was too self-absorbed to give them a chance. After a glowing recommendation from a good friend I listened to their latest album Please Take Offense and I immediately liked their Facebook page because I genuinely think it is some of the best music to come out of Denver.

Not only is this album as polished as possible, but it is extremely tight. I play the drums. Well. I can hardly say that after this beast of a drummer crushed every single song on the record to make me feel like an infant that hits pots and pans with their hands. Then I Fly is a ska/punk powerhouse. The guitar tone on this record is so clean and the bass is in control of every track. Rarely do I ever hear that, but this album had a very bass driven feel which was something original and badass.

Speaking of originality, the ska elements on this record are so tasteful that not once did I take them to be a Sublime ripoff or Less Than Jake wannabe. All twelve songs have a diverse blend of punk, rock and roll, ska and alternative sound that makes the album extremely pleasant to listen to from start to finish.

I’m not going to nitpick each song or say which breakdowns and intros are badass, but I will say that my favorite tracks are “On+On+On,” “Getting Out of the Rain,” and “Car Crash.” The entire album is an honest blast to listen to and as a new fan I am extremely looking forward to their next live show. - For The Love of Punk: Chris Roob

Joining Hawking, Race To Neptune, The Baltic, and The Piers for a night of music and debauchery on Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, Nov. 25 at the Larimer Lounge, ska trio Then I Fly is focused on completing their upcoming record. “Right now, the most important thing to me is getting into the studio and getting this new album done,” guitar player and vocalist Cody Smith told AXS. “The music is always first in my mind.” After nearly a decade of playing and making music together, Then I Fly discussed their background and future in this exclusive interview.

AXS: Are you Denver natives? If not, where is everyone originally from?
Cody Smith (guitar, vocals): We are a group of transplants. Garrett Shaffner [drums] and I grew up in the small town of Bellville, Ohio. We met Josh Williams [bass, vocals] searching through Casual Encounters on Craigslist and found out he plays bass… He is from Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas.

AXS: What brought Then I Fly together?
Garrett Shaffner: The band was formed in 2006 by Cody and I when we started jamming with some buddies from high school. It was originally formed for a school project with our friends Cody Burden and GoGo George. We played under the name Front Line Fighter for awhile, but we made some major changes with the band and decided no one liked that name very much… so Then I Fly was born.

AXS: How long has Then I Fly been together? What have you learned during that time?
Then I Fly: We’ve been around since 2006, but like we mentioned before we weren’t always Then I Fly. I’ll speak for everyone when I say that we have learned more from being a band than any school class could have taught us. I’ve learned the value of having true friends whom I consider to be family, being passionate about what you choose to do with your life, and that making music with your brothers is the most gratifying experience in the world. But bottom line, we have learned that this is what we want to do, what we want to pursue for the rest of our lives, playing and making the music we love with our friends.

AXS: Where was your first show in Denver, and what was the experience like? Who else did you play with at the show?
Cody: Our first show in Denver was at Tennyson’s Tap back with our long time bass player GoGo George. We flat out sucked! HAHA! We had to break ground somewhere I guess. We played with Gustapo Pussy Ranch. The lead singer was wearing a diaper with what appeared to be shit smeared up his back, and our friend Mike picked up a fire extinguisher and got kicked out. It was interesting to say the least.

AXS: Have any Denver musicians inspired Then I Fly?
Then I Fly: The Epilogues are rad… Witnessing a local band break through to a national level first-hand has definitely helped to push my ambitions. Then we have local bands like Short Bus Rejects (who might I add are in high school… and killing it!), The A-Oks (who sadly are no more… they went hard and never gave a fuck… bonging beers on stage at every show and half of the band lost their shirts by the end of the night… AND they were the reason we were able to play our first show at Summit Music Hall last year. HUGE THANKS fellas), Brave the Breakdown for getting us our first show in Denver, The Larimers for putting up with us on tour (and both for firing Garrett so he can dedicate more time to us), Screwtape (a group of rad young dudes that are helping keep punk alive… they played before us at a show at Lost Lake and got us so stoked to play), and countless others that just continue to impress us every time we play with or see them.

AXS: What projects are Then I Fly currently working on?
Cody: Right now, the most important thing to me is getting into the studio and getting this new album done! The music is always first in my mind. We also want to keep growing our fan base, keep things fresh, keep playing shows anywhere people will listen, and keep it fun! As long as we do this it should always be fun! We are also starting to put ideas together for a music video in the near future. We’ve got a lot going on behind the scenes!

AXS: What else is Then I Fly involved in locally, either as individuals or as a group?
Then I Fly: Outside of the band, we all have our own routines. Cody is the sugar daddy. He paid his dues, got a college education and now works in the medical field. Garrett mows yards, is avidly trying to defeat the cooties disease, and likes to attend middle school sporting events… just kidding, but you laughed! Josh is a senior citizen, ambitious college student, ex-Air Force man, and sole participant in his community neighborhood watch. [Laughs] But seriously, we all hold down day jobs, have dog children (Kelso, Bear, and Mac), and still strive to do all we can to make the music we love!

AXS: Does Then I Fly have a goal in mind for the sound the band produces? Are there certain influences or themes the band tries to inject into its own music?
Cody: I take pride in having a pretty versatile sound. We don’t have many restrictions as far as that goes. Being the primary song writer, I like to take songs in many different directions without being limited to certain genre restrictions. Sure we usually stay close to our punk rock/reggae roots, but it is so much more than that. I feel that it’s our own brand and that is what makes us unique!

AXS: For someone who has never seen or heard Then I Fly, what would you tell them to entice them to watch your set?
Garrett: This is a hard one, in this day and age so many products, and gimmicks are shoved in our faces everyday. It feels fake. Someone is always trying to sell you something and it gets old. I honestly just hand out stickers (and stick them in urinals) and ask people to look us up sometime. I know at some point they will and the music will speak for itself.

AXS: What would your ideal live show look like? Where would it take place? Any particular time of year? Would a specific band/musician share the bill with or open for Then I Fly?
Cody: Honestly, I don’t care if we were to play Red Rocks or a street corner. The only part I care about is playing the music I love in front of people willing to listen. If they give us a high five or buy us a beer, that’s enough for me. [Laughs] But yeah, if I could make it a career I’d be more than stoked.

AXS: What shows are you looking forward to over the next few months?
Josh Williams: We are really excited to play the Larimer Lounge with Hawking, The Baltic, and The Piers on Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving, and equally stoked to play Seventh Circle Music Collective on Nov. 28. For these two shows, we are branching out from our normal venues and playing in front of different crowds, I think that is the most exciting part. Our upcoming tour has us ready to pee our pants! As far as seeing national acts, I am really looking forward to seeing Coheed & Cambria in March 2016. I f***ing love them. The intricacies of their music have been a massive influence in my playing. -Josh
Garrett: The Expendables and Sublime with Rome are rollin' through Denver as well and they are always fun to watch… They’ve definitely had an impact on our music.

AXS: What do you enjoy most about Denver’s music scene, and why?
Josh: Simply put, the sense of community. Organizations like Swinging Noose Productions, Noise Junkie Productions, and Seventh Circle Music Collective are keeping the music punk rock scene rad here in Denver. They have built a close knit community of musicians and fans that keep the bands going. All of the bands we have played with can be seen supporting one another at shows even when they aren’t playing.
Garrett: In small town Ohio there isn’t as much opportunity as far as music goes… there aren’t many places to play if you are not a classic rock cover band and it's not a premier destination for national bands. Local bands are also few and far in-between… we found ourselves mostly playing with metal bands (don’t get us wrong, we love all music and all the musicians in those bands were awesome people, but it's just not our style). Denver’s music scene is the reason why we came here. I love that the local scene is HUGE. So many different bands covering so many different genres, so many venues looking to book local bands. It's a completely different world out here. That's what we enjoy about Denver’s music scene, great musicians doing their own thing and great people who are ready to help them along the way. - Alli Andress, AXS.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3QJ39-0jp4 - Flying Pig Productions