Pure pop innocence is sweeping the Midwest and direct from Indy, it's the Good Flying Birds, perhaps the most beloved group of the jangle boom. Good Flying Birds initially began as a recording project for guitarist-vocalist Kellen Baker, but has since evolved into a full band over the last year. At its best, the Birds' work possesses an undercurrent of dark uneasiness that clearly marked it as a vehicle for personal expression rather than mere genre exercise. And with definite ideas, they intend to reject contemporary pathways and seek new worlds of sound with a wide-eyed charm that elevates the artistic reach of their endeavors, yielding a number of wonderfully memorable toons that you can hear on the newly compiled Talulah's Tape, released back in January on Rotten Apple. Recorded between 2021-2024, the 16 tracks offer newfound clarity through the softest heart of 12-string guitar slingers, an altogether uplifting and imaginative reflection of an echo of times gone by in both life and art. The Birds are here and happening!
Hot Sounds: Before we dive into Good Flying Birds, let's dig into your history. First tell me what your childhood was like growing up in Fort Wayne and what kind of records would we find if we would travel back in time in your teenage room?
Kellen Baker: Hmmm. Fort Wayne always felt pretty isolated, but maybe that’s just being young. I grew up in a big house surrounded by occasional gun shots and drug houses, with Zesto ice cream a couple blocks down, where I’d walk often in the summers. Sweetwater was a great resource for learning an instrument but generally pushed proficiency over creativity. Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Periphery were a lot bigger in that crowd than Mac DeMarco in 2014. It seemed like the local band people talked about had already happened 5-20 years prior. At turning 13, I had been in my first real band for about a year, and we were obsessed with The Beatles, The Kinks, The Zombies, and Nirvana. I had just started watching that Warhol clip with VU's "Heroin" endlessly. My path of discovery opened up a lot around 15-17 playing with my old friends the Record brothers, they had a cool dad that put them on to a lot. Television, Pere Ubu, Swell Maps, Squeeze, we covered all those bands in our high school band The Windows. The first LP I owned was Sgt. Pepper's.
HS: How exactly did you get into playing music? You struck me as a guitar prodigy, especially with the lightning strap.
KB: That strap is badass, and I knew my roommate Judah was a good person when I saw he had the same one, though his old band "ZAPP" was painted over the bolt. An asshole kid on my block knew "Come As You Are" by Nirvana and taught me that in between sips of Bacardi (I was 10). I learned as much Nirvana as I could on YouTube and my dad taught me some AC/DC and Neil Young riffs. My parents' friends Deb and Condor had an annual backyard summer party, and this guy Kenny Taylor played. I was pretty mesmerized by his playing and whipped out the voice memo on my iPod Touch to capture some. Started lessons with him shortly after and he changed my life, a second father to me. Grounded me in the first wave of rock 'n' roll and put me on to so much, put me in my first band, took me on trips to plays guitar for him. An invaluable person in my life.
HS: Last summer, you sent me your dad's old music "Demo Crew." What can you tell the real heads all about that and how you discovered that?
KB: He was holding out on me!! Him and his friend John made that in 1980, written in 1976 or '77 shortly after hearing "punk" for the first time. It had been completely lost/forgotten till a year ago when John mailed him a CD-r of their old demos. There’s some other cool stuff on there that I need to digitize, including a mid-80s song about the Cincinnati Reds called "Red Baseball." It's goofy with a slow groove and slowed down vocals, it’s like Ween before Ween. My dad had put me on to John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, lots of old delta blues stuff. Some classic rock like Neil Young/Crazy Horse and The Who. Had no idea he was remotely interested or involved in other kinds of music till these demos surfaced.
HS: I first discovered you from Namen Namen when we did that interview in January '23. What are your thoughts looking back on that group? I still frequently play "The One I Love Most."
KB: That band unfortunately never got where it was heading. We were all young and growing and changing so much throughout it. Dylan was/is a fantastic songwriter, and that song overall is probably my favorite we released. We recorded a full-length album with some great tracks, but I doubt it’ll ever be released. Tensions were high by the time we recorded and it reflects in the performances, it’ll never be what it could’ve. There’s a live tape we took on our last tour with some of those songs, it’s probably the better representation of them. When people ask me to explain that band I find myself tongue-tied, we had the same problem while it was happening. When we first started we joked about being bound to break up, having twin brothers and a couple, notorious no-nos. It was inevitable!
HS: Shortly after Namen Namen disbanded in '23, you were recruited to play guitar in Heavy Mother after Mark McWhirter moved to Mexico. What exactly was that conversation with Eddie Flowers and how has it been playing in that group?
KB: I had filled in for Mark on a couple shows. There are few people I’ve hit it off with like Mark, the night we met we talked for four hours straight. Eddie asked me in April '23, I was living in Fort Wayne with no plans of moving and Bloomington was too far, so I turned him down. At the end of that month everything flipped upside down, I moved out of my house with the Record brothers, Namen Namen broke up, Zara and I broke up (after nine years, we’re still great friends and her and her family will always be family), and I was living in Susie’s (singer in gfb) basement by mid-June. Being closer, I agreed to play in Heavy Mother. It’s been cool, those guys are always a fun hang and have a lot to say. Eddie has put me on to a lot of interesting rock music. Chode is one of the great bassists of our time.
HS: What were some personal takeaways from the Heavy Möther II recording sessions?
KB: Pressure can make a diamond! Really happy with how that turned out and it was all super spur of the moment, almost no plan going in. It was nice to meet and hang with Joe [Chamandy], his kindness shines brightly. It was a great exercise in following my gut and not overthinking every note. Eddie’s voice still sounds incredible at 69.
HS: Now how did the Good Flying Birds come about? What exactly did you envision for this project and how did it morph into a full band over the last year or so?
KB: I guess gfb was a direct result of opening up, finding myself. I smashed down a lot of internal/emotional walls in abandoning what I was unsatisfied with and moving to Indianapolis to start fresh. I’ve jokingly called it a "public jangly diary" but I do think that is somewhat accurate. The songs are very autobiographical, I’m never really writing about characters or historical events, it’s all within my own experience. I originally envisioned only uploading songs to my YouTube channel anonymously as I finished them, avoiding any schedule or external pressure. As I started sharing demos with friends they started asking about booking it on shows, which over great contemplation sounded pretty fun, so the live group came together. The first one was in late June under "Talulah God" with just me, Susie, and Ari. Early August was the first official gfb show once we’d added Luke and Beastmode. Now Richard Edge is playing bass, he’s fantastic and always a light in the room. It’s been really fun playing with my friends and they add so much to it. I feel like Chicago has adopted us, we’ve played there more than Indy!
HS: Who's in the current live band and what has been like taking this project on the road?
KB: Susie Slaughter on vocals and tambourine, Ari Bales on drums, Luke Corvette on guitar, and Richard Edge on bass. They are a profoundly wonderful group of people. The vibes are immaculate, musically and just hanging. I don’t think there has been a single true argument, any annoyances are met with jokes and understanding. I’ve really put them through the wringer with some of these arrangements and they always deliver. They play the parts better than me. Shows are just a good excuse for us to hang out, and I’m always looking forward to the next one.
HS: That tour with Sharp Pins and Mod Lang earlier in the winter had to have been a great time. What were some of the highlights?
KB: Those crews are all obsessed with vintage clothes, and setting them loose in the vintage section of Dear Mom (magical Indy spot where we played our first show) was a beautiful sight. Ascots and stripey shirts and boots were flying all over the room. Making coffee in the morning and hearing Joe nailing some Doc Watson-style finger picking echoing up my basement steps was lovely. Every show was great, though I regretfully wasn’t very diligent in keeping the Indy show running on time, so it went till about 1:00 a.m. It was cool to see so many people driving from other towns. Cleveland peeps in Detroit, Columbus peeps in Indy. There is a thriving scene and interest for jangly pop guitar music right now and that weekender made it very apparent.
HS: How do you usually approach songwriting in gfb? What kind of role does improvisation have and what themes or topics are you more drawn to singing about?
KB: I can’t say there is any consistent or repeatable approach for me. The spark for a song could come at any time, in any setting. Hopefully I’m in a position to capture it but sometimes just have to let it go. Improvisation has always been a big part of my interaction with music. I used to have this monthly three-hour long jazz gig in Fort Wayne, and there is a big scene for improvised music in Indianapolis as well. I sing about very personal things.
HS: How did the three songs you recorded for the Star Charms tape come about?
KB: "Pulling Hair" was one of the first songs I wrote intentionally for, while I was still living in the wallace basement. Heavily Talulah Gosh inspired. The ending jam is very Feelies and Television inspired. I’ve always pulled my hairs out, especially when something is rattling my brain, it’s not great. Susie recorded the vocal for that one in Leipzig when she was on tour with Data Unknown. She did it backstage before their show on a computer that only operated in Russian with an old rusty microphone, and she nailed it. "I Will Find" was an attempt to write a straightforward '90s indie pop song, and very recent. It’s a silly love song. "Last Straw"… perhaps there is potential for a better recording of it, it’s not my best drumming performance, but I’m proud of that song. It came in a flash and luckily I had a guitar nearby. It’s drawn from a very unfortunate event with somebody who was a friend. They don’t respect women and are selfish, so I had to cut them off and write this song about it.
HS: Diving into some of my favorite toons on the Talulah's Tape compilation, how did "Down On Me" come about? Also, what can you say about its accompanying music video you posted last spring?
KB: That song came together quickly on my couch (formerly my grandma’s, also where I’m sitting right now) after I’d moved into my own place. I was doing a lot of deep internal reflection, writing in my diary, crying on the couch, unpacking a lot. It’s about looking back at traumas with more clarity, and finding small victories in that. It can be hard for me to acknowledge the impact painful events have on me, and this was an exercise in that acknowledgement. It’s a sad song but very cathartic for me, and hopefully for somebody else too. Demi Jo Fenicle, a very talented and dear friend of mine, made that video. We immediately connected on the emotion of the song and a copacetic visual aesthetic, and she knocked it out of the park. I’m still not sure if the song is worthy of such a great video.
HS: What's the story behind "Wallace"?
KB: That one is about a past relationship. When you’re so tightly connected to somebody, I think it can be hard or impossible to find the space to reflect on feelings about them/the relationship. We all know communication is key, but often there are forces working against that. So this was my big reflection after I had the space to do so. It’s titled after the house I lived in with Susie, Basil, and Pat.
HS: What do you recall putting together "Fall Away"?
KB: I wrote it sitting in my bed one day, I don’t remember much about that part. I do have a tendency to become enamored with new things quickly, and was reflecting on that. I sent the voice memo to Kevin to see if he’d be interested in working on it, figured we’d start from scratch with some mics. He sent back my bedroom voice memo with a complete drum track, played impeccably. No click, just listening to my strumming an unplugged electric, I almost couldn’t believe it. He’s a savant. We built the rest of the track around that in his parents’ basement over a couple days, it was a lovely time. He always brings a warm energy into the room.
HS: What inspired "Eric's Eyes"?
KB: I’d die of silly embarrassment if I told you.
HS: Thanks for sending over the toon "Dynamic" for last year's comp. That's still my favorite track of yours so how did that come together?
KB: That song is pretty pointed. I suppose it’s about realizing you’re a lot bigger than the people who once made you feel small. Giving them a pat on the head. I asked my friend Simon Pommer to play the sax on it, he came over and knocked it out. He’s an excellent player, so I got to go band director mode and get really anal about every nuance of the phrasing and tone. Wrote the part out on a napkin and waved my arms around while he stood in the bathroom doorway with the mic.
HS: There's a section on the tape labeled "(gidget)" with three tracks. What's the intention there? I really dig "A Love Story" out of those ones.
KB: That was a project from 2022 while I was living in Fort Wayne. I recorded everything through a Boss practice amp I found at the bottom of a box-filled room while clearing out my great uncle’s apartment after he passed. We also found letters between him and New York Dolls’ management, he was trying to book them in Fort Wayne. I regret using that amp for the bass as it’s very hard to hear, but those songs were a big personal step for me. Taking account of my influences and trying to channel it all into something unique and personal. DLIMC, Orange Juice, Josef K, Daniel Johnston, those were the big ones for Gidget. I realized while putting Talulah’s Tape together that it was the bones for gfb, so I thought it’d be appropriate to include. There’s a line from Catcher in the Rye at the end of "Art Rock." I couldn’t figure out what to say, the book was sitting next to me, and that line was on the page I randomly opened up to. I found it very fitting. That song is very much an homage to Orange Juice. Later, after putting that song online, I read an interview with Edwyn Collins where he says Catcher in the Rye is his favorite book.
HS: I've been really enjoying your YouTube channel and website. What's that like to have as an added element to your music?
KB: I can’t think of them as an added element, because they have been right there with it the whole time. The music, channel, and site have never existed independently of one another. I suppose the goal is to put my brain on a plate and serve it, and maybe the different mediums and angles help clarify that picture. It’s also just fun to have a silly dumb site, and something independent of social media and algorithms. I think people interact way more positively with things they choose or find. I love finding somebody’s secret little artistic world. Hopefully somebody will enjoy finding mine.
HS: What's the story behind Johnny Skin and what can you tell me about the new record you have coming out in April?
KB: Johnny Skin was a project conceived, recorded, and abandoned in 2022. I was in a dark place mentally and obsessed with Suicide’s pre-album recordings. I went into my parent’s basement, turned off the space heater, waited till I felt numb, and recorded everything very loud and intensely. It was done on a terrible machine that didn’t have proper monitoring, so I had to keep pushing the volume of everything to hear any backing. It all happened quickly. I mostly left the song structures up to however long I played the first part and made the rest fit. That session is the A-side of the record (not including my 13-min long magnum opus — Martin [Meyer] didn’t like that one). He asked me to record new material for the B side, which was a challenge, but I did. I had already laid the project to rest for over a year, was in a very different headspace, and had gear that wasn’t broken, so I had to accept it’d be pretty different. I think it ended up cohesive and complimentary to the A-side. I had fully accepted that it’d be a private Soundcloud link for me and my friends forever, so it feels very strange that an LP is coming out.
HS: Do you plan to do more Johnny Skin releases down the line?
KB: I’m not sure. I’d like to release that 13-minute long song. It’s called "Drive My Car." Every song title is either a Beatles song or a song the Beatles covered.
HS: How did you run into Marty who's putting out all these releases on his labels Inscrutable Records and Rotten Apple?
KB: He and The Dumpers were backing up Alien Nosejob, and we hung out after the Indianapolis show. I told him about Josef K. I saw him again a couple weeks later, and he immediately shared how stoked he was on Josef K. He’s a whimsical fucker who has believed in me and pushed me in a great way.
HS: Aside from the upcoming April tour, what are some future plans for yourself and the birds?
KB: To survive without losing my mind.
HS: Any advice or last words you'd like to share with our readers?
KB: Be yourself <3 find the things that make you laugh or cry or feel like you’re flying and hold them dear.
Talulah's Tape is out now on Rotten Apple. Contact the band here.