NOTES ALONG THE
Corridor
by RICK REILEY
CHRIS JONES and The Flycatchers I recently discovered the music of Chris Jones and the Flycatchers of Norman, Ok. Chris is an Oklahoma grown talent who’s been writing and making music for years. I saw a video on Youtube of his song, ‘Desperado’ (not the Eagles song). I was sold on the song and mentioned it to singer/songwriter Gaikob Lee who I saw walking in Cushing one day last week. His eyes lit up and he told he would be opening act for Chris and band in El Reno at the end of the week. He mentioned the band’s recent (2021) release, Flowers and Weeds and I put it on repeat. Gaikob put me in touch with Jones and we visited. Flowers and Weeds (2021) and Letters due in 2022. Songs for Red fits nicely in the catalog of red dirt Americana, a la, Turnpike Troubadours, Jason Boland and the Stragglers and others. Songs of love, loss, drink, good times, repentance and whim with a steady thread of hope underlying it all. Here’s the chorus to the song, “Skin”, from Songs for Red... “I’m alright, I’ve just been dealing with uncertainty -Tried to pin me to the wallAin’t a crime to be uneasy in uncertainty at all” In these times I often wonder what I’m certain of myself and Jones’ conclusion that it’s no crime to be uneasy is certainly welcome to my ears. The autobiographical song “College Dropout”, also on this collection, is about a kid who leaves college to figure out things for himself. “Doubt is a merciless thief,” he sings. Maybe he did, indeed, figure something out! Flowers and Weeds, released in 2021 is a decidedly abrupt lane change. And I find it a welcome one. It’s as though somehow this music comes from starry
16 THE CORRIDOR MAGAZINE / JANUARY 2022
nights and walks in the tall, deep woods. Electronic synthesizer sounds, layered background vocals. Mellowing of the harsh edges of youth into a sweetened, well placed maturity. There’s growth here. And it blossoms. In his own words Chris Jones is “just a kid from Dewey, Oklahoma with a dream of making records that help people understand they are not alone.” I asked: RR: Did your family background play a part in music
