The travel agents

Flatbed Honeymoon’s sophomore album, The Traveler, is going somewhere. It’s also a record about the band’s arrival, because judging by the solidity of this sound, the members of Flatbed have been on a journey of their own.

A lot has changed since the band’s last release in 2008, when Kevin Casper and Jimmy Sehon joined Eric Schmitt and Denise Brumfield to finalize the group’s lineup. It took some time to feel their way as collaborators and to define a unique sound. “We’re all very different,” Schmitt says, “and we each have musical influences from all over the place.” These days Flatbed encapsulates Americana in the truest sense of the word, with influences from ragtime, pop, standards, western swing, outlaw country, folk, rock and more.

The second leg of Flatbed’s trip was fine-tuning this sound. “We used to just be individual musicians who played together,” Brumfield says. “Now we are a band.”

Promising from the outset, the band has become stronger and more confident of late. More comfortable.

“We’ve been together long enough that we just intuitively know how to accent each other,” Sehon says. Their cohesiveness and camaraderie is evident on both The Traveler and at their live shows, where boots have a hard time not dancing, or for the shy, at least tapping.

Flatbed’s latest leg is the release of The Traveler, a record the band recorded on its own in Schmitt’s home studio. While Casper has experience with production, the members admit the album’s beautiful outcomes were often reached by trial and error. They enjoyed taking their time and focusing on the details without having to pay someone else by the hour. One listen reveals a joyful spirit to the sessions that pours through each cut.

“Recording was a very diplomatic process,” Casper says. “It was a lot of work, but thoroughly enjoyable. We could not have made a better record right now. We gave it all we got.”

All of these stops on the road—the band’s layers of influences, the years together, the newfound autonomy—are packed neatly into The Traveler. This eclectic folk album holds tight to a string of melodic motifs, Schmitt’s velvety voice—sometimes languorous, sometimes strong—Brumfield’s smooth, confident sass, strong harmonies, exuberant drinking songs, wistful ballads and above all, extraordinary musicianship.

This is the sound of a band clearly enjoying the ride.

flatbedhoneymoon.com