Album Notes

Chicago-based FLY WILLIAMS will never underestimate the intelligence of its audiences. That is why the band's compositions wed thoughtful lyrics and astute musicianship.

"Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai, King's X ... a few others have been guiding forces in what become the subjects of our songs," says Steve Johnson, vocalist and lyricist. "The music can get people to shake their thing on the floor on its own. But, with all of the things that affect our daily lives on this planet, it's both uninspiring and obtuse to tell people to 'get their hands in the air and shake 'dat ass!'"

Moving bodies while stimulating minds - that's the mission.

The FLY WILLIAMS sound is a contemporary funk with its edges blurred by jazz, rock and Latin flavors. It is a sophisticated, oily, funky groove - Super Funk Oil. The aforementioned Jamiroquai can be heard in the music, as can Steely Dan, Earth Wind & Fire, The Meters and Living Color.

Subject matter ranges from mythical Greek figures ("Where In The World") to the fight for social equality ("Somebody Got Hit"). Of course, there are songs about love - both mutual ("I Give") and unrequited ("Tula"). And there are even songs about great boxing anti-heroes.

"They say these razor blades, get hard to swallow ... cutting me inside / Albatross at the window taunting me ... doing it for headlines" (from "Frazier," written by former saxophonist Jon Sanford). These words of inner chaos felt by Joe Frazier in the shadow of Muhammad Ali are being sung over a churning 7/4, 5/4, 5/4 bass groove. This music is not a collection of over-simplified, two-chord jams.

FLY WILLIAMS uses varied harmonic colorizations and the vocals range from the soothing to the soaring. The band's line-up creates a few contrasts in individuality: between Mark Sabatino's fusion guitar and Michael Cole's minimalist keys; between the street-sweaty bass of Nick Thiakos and the driving drum grooves of Brett Holland. And John Schnackenberg's Cali-style tenor stands out from the rest.



Why FLY WILLIAMS?

The band took the name FLY WILLIAMS after one of the most outlandish players in the old American Basketball Association of the '70s - James "Fly" Williams, III. A New York street-ball legend, Fly was known for game-time antics such as dribbling off the court for a water break. There's a well-documented love-triangle between funk, jazz and basketball: each characterized by unpredictability, freedom of expression and a dose of rebellion.