Nathan Evans of Flinch
By Matthew Toledo - 5/8/2004
By day, Nathan Evans is a mild mannered geometry and algebra teacher at Warren High School in Vincent, Ohio. By night, Nathan Evans straps on a low-slung Tom Delonge Strat and transforms into the stage diving, meshback-hat-wearing lead singer and guitarist for Flinch.
For the last three years, Nathan has lead this dual life in order to bring Flinch's high energy music to any audience that will listen. Their persistence is starting to pay off. Even though Flinch is only the ripe old age of three, they've been featured on a movie soundtrack, recorded a full length CD, an EP, and have played at gigs across the nation.
I recently had the opportunity to ask Nathan some questions about him and his band.
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AMN: Nathan, So, you're a Math teacher at Warren High School. Did you know that another local musician Tony Xenos, is also a math teacher? Do you think that you two guys are trying to re-shape the stuffy math teacher image or is it just coincidence?
Nathan: I do know that Tony teaches. We've played a couple shows together. He is amazing. it's always nice to talk to someone at a show and know that they have to get up in a couple of hours and do the same thing I am doing--teaching today's youth [smiles] while at the same time answer questions by our students as to why we look so tired! I do think it's important to have teachers such as us to get in there help create an atmosphere that is fun and exciting. We need to get some of these kids in the right direction, plus it's fun! Everyday is different. Everyday is a new challenge.
AMN: Do you and Tony ever have math/rock stories to swap?
Nathan: Like I said, we have chatted at some shows. Maybe we should get together sometime and write a song about math? [laughs] That would be fun.
AMN: You could all play with The Math Squad! Nathan, I see that on your web site, you list you're day gig, teaching, under hobbies. Is that a Type-o? You don't have to answer that one if you don't want to (heh heh)
Nathan: It's cool. I made that bio about 2 years ago, but I do consider teaching like a hobby. I mean, if I had to get up everyday and go to a place I called work, that would be no fun. teaching is not really work to me. I always viewed work as doing something you hated to do. music is definitely my top priority and hobby, but I would have to put teaching a close second. [laughs] Hey man it pays the bills!
AMN: I just heard on the news today that demand for new teachers is at a five year low and that the turnover rate for teachers in southeast Ohio is practically non-existent. If, for some reason, the band had a chance to tour nationally, do you think you could part with your day gig?
Nathan: Oh yea, I would do it in a heartbeat. I just got re-certified as a teacher so I now have a five year license. Plus I will finish up my master's degree in the next 6 months, so if the opportunity came I would definitely tour. We have done some small tours and they are absolutely the best.
AMN: Nathan, as a guitarist myself, I never really took any lessons. I find it interesting that you are a Geometry teacher, because, quite frankly, I play more by fret board patterns than I do by musical notes. How do you approach your guitar playing? Were you school taught, self taught, tab taught or can you read music?
Nathan: I never took a lesson either. To tell you the truth, I was in choir my entire life and to this day cannot read music. I just became very good at hearing notes and remembering them. To me, the guitar is very mathematical. This probably sounds stupid, but I couldn't even tell you what note I am playing. I approach the fret board like a puzzle or a pattern. After lots and lots of practicing and locking myself in my room with my guitar the patterns just started to make sense and playing became easier. I still practice all the scales and stuff, but I have no idea what notes they are.
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AMN: Would you say that Flinch plays high-energy, fun, radio friendly music. Is that a fair summary of your band?
Nathan: Definitely. Our style of writing has always been, is it going to be fun to play in front of a crowd? we have always taken a more live approach to our songs. We want every song to have a real good live feeling to it, so that people who come to a show can sing, dance, and just have a good time and hopefully not get bored with.
AMN: You guys cite bands like Weezer and Blink 182 as just some of your influences. A couple of you also say you like Tool. I can definitely hear the emo-pop influences but where's the Tool, besides the tool asking you this question?
Nathan: Yea our band is really weird. I am probably the only one on here that will say I listen to a lot of pop-punk stuff, pretty much that is what most of my collection consists of. But I think a lot of people get a misconception of pop-punk. I can't really explain it. The best explanation I have is I really think its an art. The Ramones did a great job of developing it, and I think Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day has kind of helped master the formula... and it seems like all the other bands try to imitate it, but leave out some element. To tell you the truth, I enjoy anything that is catchy and you can sing along to. I don't know, I would definitely consider us on the pop-ish side. Hell, the other guys really don't even listen to pop punk at all. They are more rock n roll. AC/DC, TOOL, STP. which I think is great for our band, especially with some of our newer songs. there is always a part that has some element of surprise and I really like that. I don;t think we would get that if we all listened to the same stuff. I think we compliment each other well. The other guys have turned me onto more rock music, and I have been able to turn them on to a little more catchy-up-beat-bob-your-head music, and we seem to find a happy medium.
AMN: You guys have played in a lot of places and to a lot of different age groups. How does the local music scene in Athens compare to some of the places you guys have been?
Nathan: Well, to tell you the truth, there is no better feeling in the world than to play at an all-ages venue as the out of town band and the kids are totally into the music because they love the music. There is no alcohol involved and the kids are there simply because they love to hear live bands. It's so weird. You become like an idle to them and they really appreciate you. Now we love Athens too. We have had some great shows here and the people that come to our shows are amazing. We have some people that come to every show and give us the best support in the world. It's just two totally different scenes--both of which I like. This is a college town, so of course you are going to have more college kids and awesome drunken friends to play in front of. But its also cool to go somewhere where no-one knows you and you can still put on a kick ass show.
AMN: What's your favorite Athens hangout after a gig?
Nathan: Sam's apartment, Kenny's apartment, my girlfriends bed [smiles]
AMN: What would you guys personally like to see happen in Athens to make the scene better? New venue? Better local support of music from the city? What do you think would make this place even better?
Nathan: I would just like to see more people at shows. I mean, there have been some shows we have promoted our ass off for and there is a decent turnout, but I always expect more. I think help from the city would be cool too--like large signs to tell people who is playing where and to let bands post fliers and not tear them down.
AMN: You guys have a song on the sound track of a recent National Lampoon movie called "Dorm Day Crazy." I barely remember having a drunken conversation with Sam in front of the Burrito Buggy at 1:30 AM a long time ago in which he gave me the details of how it happened. I think he mentioned that Flinch actually hired an agent shop your song to the National Lampoon people? But then again, he could have been telling me that I had salsa on my nose for all I know. Regardless, How exactly did you guys manage to get on that soundtrack?
Nathan: It's not really an agent, just a company that sends music out to various places, such as movies, commercials, video games etcetera. It really happened by chance that we came across this company and it just so happened that it worked in our favor and we are very gracious for it.
AMN: Would you recommend that other local bands should invest in a company like the one that helped you get on the soundtrack. Is it worth the money? Do you think it helped open doors?
Nathan: I don't know its such a hard call. I mean, we don't have a manager or a promoter. We do everything ourselves, and we have sort of learned the ropes as we have gone along. This has helped us make wiser decisions. I mean, hell, if a band has tons of money I don't see why it would hurt getting professional help? But we don 't have that money, so we book all our own shows and do all our own promotion and stuff. I guess it's called paying your dues [laughs] although I feel my dues are way overpayed. [laughs] Just Kidding! It is gratifying seeing all of the hard work pay off once in a while, and hopefully it makes us a stronger band in the future.
AMN: Did you guys ever see the move "Dorm Day Crazy"? I just checked it out on the Internet Movie Database and some people said it was crap, but others said it was very funny in the same vein as American Pie. What did you all think?
Nathan: [laughs] Yea we went to Hollywood for the premiere. We partied with the actors and had a hell of a time. the movie wasn't that good [laughs], but there were some funny parts. oh well. depends on what you go to watch a movie for. It's definitely not going to inspire you.
AMN: OK, back to musical questions. How did you guys all meet?
Nathan: We all went to school together. I met the guys because they were my younger brother's friends.
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AMN: How long have you guys been playing together?
Nathan: 3 years I would say, but we have only been serious about it for about 2 years.
AMN: What do you guys look forward too the most when you're on stage? Is it the audience feedback, the feeling you get after a stage leap? What keeps you guys going?
Nathan: I love watching people sing our lyrics back to us and just looking like they are having a good time. I enjoy seeing smiles, it feels good to have people enjoy the entertainment you are providing.
AMN: Do high-school kids think you're hot? If so, can you tell me what that's like because I never had that experience--even when I was actually in high school. Don't leave out any details.
Nathan: [laughs] Oh come on Matt! [laughs] Tell us some secrets. Come on, do we look like we would have high school chicks on us? [laughs] HELL NO. Matt, I am a teacher, I have to be professional here.
AMN: I mentioned earlier that you guys play for a wide range of age groups. Stuffy old web-admins like myself, college kids, high school kids. Which group do you think is more appreciative of live music?
Nathan: Oh, I think they all appreciate it even if you are not into our type of music. I think everyone appreciates the fact that we try really hard to play our best, write good songs, and entertain people. I love playing in front of all types of people. Hell, I like playing in front of my grandma and grandpa when we are practicing and they come over for dinner. I just love playing music.
AMN: How did you all get started in music? Was it school, were your parents musicians, did TV inspire you, did you do it for a girl? What got you started?
Nathan: I was in choir my whole life and in my senior year of high school I had a close group of friends. We hung out every weekend and one of my friends played guitar and he would always bring it over and everyone treated him like a god. I just fell in love listening to him play and watching people admire him, so I got a guitar for my birthday and practiced, practiced, practiced.
AMN: What was the first record, tape, or CD that you guys ever purchased for yourself, and how do you think you got from that first purchase to where you are now musically?
Nathan: My first tape was Run DMC. My first CD single was Ace of Base's "Sign" and my first full length CD was Dookie, by Green Day. I fell in love with the way Billie Joe wrote songs and how Run DMC put words together and how Ace of Base could make seeing a sign sound cool. It opened up my eyes, I saw the sign. [laughs]
AMN: Are you guys ready to start approaching a label? Are you looking for one?
Nathan: No label--of course we would love to be on a label because it just seems like it would make things so much easier to do--but only on a good one.
AMN: Who would you like to get signed up with if you had your choice of the lot.
Nathan: Hmm, not sure. Geffen, Drive Thru, Vagrant [laughs] any of those would do.
AMN: What direction do you think Flinch is heading musically?
Nathan: I am really happy, we have written some really rad songs. this is really corny, but I think we are all just getting better with our instruments and getting closer as a band. That has opened up many doors for us to explore musically, and as long as we continue to surprise ourselves, I think we are doing a good job.
AMN: Is there anything you know now that you wish you knew back when you were just getting started?
Nathan: I wish I could be Sam, Jeff, and Adam's age and we could have started this band when we were all in high school--just to give us more of a head start. We are learning things now that kids in bigger cities in high school already know. It just seems like they have a head start--[laughs] and I just keep getting older. Oh well!
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AMN: You guys seem like a driven group. Who in the group do you think provides Flinch with the fuel to go all the places you need to go musically, emotionally and physically?
Nathan: Sam definitely pushes us and keeps us on our toes. I try to be the glue that keeps everything together--the father figure--the guy who makes the final say and the responsible one. Jeff is the computer whiz, and Adam seems to just fill in the cracks wherever we need him. We all work well together and compliment each other nicely. We are getting better at being a band. Its very hard. Emotions run high sometime and I try not to let anyone get too high or too low. it's definitely a family. Musically, we all have great ideas and we seem to blend them perfectly. sometimes it takes some extra time, but it seems to work out.
AMN: Where do you see Flinch in the next five years. First band on the moon? European tour? What?
Nathan: I would love to see us making a living by playing music. on the road playing shows and in the studio making CD's. Maybe I will even be married by then [laughs] Who knows?
AMN: Do you guys know that there are a couple of national bands out there with the name Flinch already? What's the plan: "Time for a name change" or "screw em, we're the real Flinch."
Nathan: Screw em [smiles] --it's too hard to change names.
AMN: Some final questions. I like to call this the speed round. I say a word or phrase, and you say the first thing that comes to mind. Here we go. Big Bird, is that big yellow bird a boy or a girl?
Nathan: GIRL [laughs] it may be a boy that wears "the bro"
AMN: Jack Black. Bringer of rock or bringer of cheese?
Nathan: Can we have a blend of rock-cheese? I hear that can be tasty from time to time.
AMN: Boxers or briefs?
Nathan: Boxers.
AMN: MTV. Part of the problem or part of the solution?
Nathan: Hey it helps spread music. I enjoy it.
AMN: OK, what's in your car or home CD player RIGHT NOW? Be honest.
Nathan: Green Day's International Superhits. Hell of a CD! Did they really have that many hits? [smiles]
