Flagship LIVE @ The Space
After sitting down to have a conversation with the band Flagship from Charlotte, NC, I realized that these guys were different from all the rest; in fact, I can honestly say they were the most personable, and charismatic group I have ever had the pleasure to sit down with.
When I first arrived at the venue three hours before their set, I expected them to be sleeping or eating and uninterested in starting our interview. Not to my surprise they were doing just that, sleeping and eating. However, instead of being uninterested+, they invited my photographer, Courtney Kresge, and I into their tour van, offered us Oreo’s and woke up eager to answer my questions.
The band consists of Drake Margolnick, Grant Harding, Matthew Padgett, Michael Finster, and Christopher Comfort. Once we were able to gather all of the band mates, because some were exploring the wooded area around The Space in Hamden, Conn., we moved into the venue to start the interview. Knowing that the band was a merge of two different groups, I had to ask how they formed into one, and Padgett was quick to answer. “There used to be two,” he began like he was telling us a bedtime story, “there was Campbell the Band and Flagship Brigade.”
“I came up with the idea of Flagship forever ago,” said Margolnick. “I just really liked the word and what it stood for.”
“Drake went solo after the other two bands fizzled out, and we all supported that. Joining him on his journey, we felt inspired. It was incredible, and soon we were just…Flagship.”
The band is currently on the “Three of Clubs” tour, which Finster explained to me, “It’s been a long-standing tradition where three bands are asked to go on a tour together. It’s the same three bands for the entire length of the tour, and we switch up the order we play in depending on the city. We get along so well with the other bands, it’s really cool, but there are some drawbacks,” he said, “I need to be able to be alone, that’s just the type of person I am. Therefore, never having that option becomes difficult at times.”
“Snoring,” Padgett and Margolnick said simultaneously. “Some people just snore so loud, it’s difficult to sleep when we’re actually able to,” Padgett finished.
“And alcohol,” Harding laughed. “We can never afford alcohol.” I actually felt like I was in the middle of a Saturday Night Live skit, it was beyond fun to spew out questions to these guys.
It was definitely a challenge to get a general consensus from the group. They all have different songs that mean the most to them, and different influences both musically and personally, but I was able to get them to agree on one thing. “We’re all really influenced by The National, and Radiohead,” said Padgett, “and my boys here in Flagship, they influence me a lot.”
I have never met a more humble and brother-like group of guys with such a story to tell. Their sheer personalities make their music that much more desirable, and I feel so lucky to have gotten the chance to sit down with them and chat about the methods behind their musical madness. This is definitely a band to watch out for in the months to come!
