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Local Band to Play Saturday's MO POP Festival: Behind The Scenes with Flint Eastwood

The MO POP Festival returns to Freedom Hill Amphitheatre on Saturday - and we couldn't be more thrilled. MO POP boasts an impressive line-up - and among big names like Young The Giant, Cold War Kids, and Tokyo Police Club, we spotted Detroit's own Flint Eastwood. Few things make us more Detroit Proud than seeing amazing local talents get (well-deserved) opportunities like these to share a bill with heavy hitters and hit the stage in front of some mega crowds.

Flint Eastwood is no stranger to CW50's Detroit Proud spotlight - you might remember this story we penned last summer about how these local rockers caught Andrew WK's eye...or you might even recognize their tunes from some of our weekly Detroit Proud Playlists.

We were lucky enough to chat with front-gal Jax Anderson in advance of their MO POP appearance this weekend. Check it out!

Q: How excited are you to join the line-up of the 2014 MO POP Festival? (We're excited for you).
A: Extremely! This year's lineup is absolutely insane.

Q: Last summer, you guys (successfully) masterminded a social media campaign to get Andrew WK to come see your set at BledFest. Any MO POP act on your "I want to share the stage with you" wishlist right now…and any guerilla campaigns in store this time around?
A: Ahhh yes - that was a ton of fun. Andrew WK was a champ for performing with us. My high school self wants to say City and Colour while the current me is more along the lines of Wild Cub or The Neighbourhood. We've been too busy writing our next record to organize a campaign this time around, but I'm sure there will be more opportunities to get wild!

Q: What are you most looking forward to at Saturday's event?
A: Oh man there's so much to look forward to - basically every band on the lineup is a band I have been wanting to see.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself – and about Flint Eastwood.
A: We're a three piece band from Detroit that loves bolo ties, yo-yos, and eating fruit leather.

Q: How does Detroit compare to other places you've performed?
A: Detroit has always shown us a lot of love and energy. We love playing here.

Q: What are your favorite places in the city to perform?
A: Though we haven't done many, I really enjoy playing house parties. There's a certain free feeling vibe that comes along with house shows. The Loving Touch is always great, too, though that's just outside of the city in Ferndale.

Q: What has your experience been with interacting with the people of Detroit? Any notable stories?
A: None that really come to mind. I feel like every citizen of Detroit has an interesting story in and of themselves. Not many people get handouts in this city - everyone has worked extremely hard for what they have. It's a very inspiring place to exist in and be a part of.

Q: Okay, we have to ask – how did Flint Eastwood develop their love for bolo ties?
A: I've always been a big fan of spaghetti western films. It stems from my father having me and my siblings watch them when we were young. One day our former bassist, Clay Carnill, mentioned how we should wear some on stage and that his dad has a collection. It sort of started as a joke which turned into something we became serious about. These days bolos are all totally serious business.

Q: What do you like to do in the city when you're not performing?
A: I spend a lot of time in my studio these days. We're currently writing our full length record which takes up a lot of my time in the best possible way.  Other than that I've been into biking a lot recently - I also like to make it to as many festivals/shows around the Detroit area as possible.

Q: What are your favorite places to hang out in Detroit?
A: I spend a lot of my time in Detroit in Woodbridge. There's an awesome community of people around those parts. There's some amazing coffee shops in Detroit as well - though I'm more partial to Red Hook in Ferndale (I'm convinced that they have the world's best espresso and banana bread).

Q: Is there a Detroit legend that has been an inspiration for you in your music?
A: I would say that the entire Motown movement has been very inspirational for me. How they would get in a room with a bunch of writers and create these legendary pieces of music. I love how much they were keen to collaboration. It's something I think about often and would love to see happen more in the modern Detroit scene. Not just as a track featuring an artist - instead more as artists getting together with the intention of helping another artist write for their project specifically.

Q: Flint Eastwood has an incredible stage presence and live show – including some serious audience interaction and participation. How did you come up with this?
A: I've always felt closest to human beings when I'm a part of something. I feel the most alive when I'm next to a stranger, but we have this connection of something we are experiencing together. My goal is to create that feeling at shows - that it's not just us performing and the audience out in front of us as if we're a separate entity. To me, seeing a band live should be an experience with those around you. It should be a time to forget your worries and just be.  We want to break that wall of performer/audience and to build an atmosphere of common experience.

Q: Top 5 favorite Detroit musicians (past or present)?
A: The Supremes
Passalacqua
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
Blaire Alise & The Bombshells
Tunde Olaniran (he's technically from Flint, but I feel as though he's basically an adopted Detroiter by now and is KILLING it in the Detroit scene)

Q: Favorite band(s) you've shared the stage with?
A: We just played a few dates with KONGOS and it was an awesome experience. They were the nicest dudes and are absolutely incredible musicians.

Q: Describe Detroit's music scene, from your perspective.
A: I feel like the Detroit music scene is one of the most passionate music scenes that I've been apart of. It's becoming more and more diverse with every new artist and I'm excited to experience what will happen next.

Q: If you had to sum up the city of Detroit in one word, what would it be?
A: Resilient

Q: What do you think sets Detroit apart from other cities like Chicago or New York, as far as the music scene is concerned?
A: Detroit is interesting in a way that it sets it's own trends. It doesn't really latch on to what the rest of the country is doing and will respond more to passion and honesty than to anything else a musician has to offer. This can be totally awesome in some ways, and can be extremely detrimental in other ways, depending on how you look at it.

Q: One final, very serious question: what is your favorite BBQ food?
A: Pulled pork sandwich and/or watermelon

 

So, there you have it, folks. Bust out your best bolo ties and don't miss your chance to see Flint Eastwood LIVE at MO POP this weekend.

See Flint Eastwood this Saturday, July 12th at MO POP at Freedom Hill Amphitheatre, and find them on Facebook and Twitter.

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