Flash Floods

Story by Nick Spacek | Photography by Fally Afani | Lawrence Magazine Spring 2023

Listening to Halfway to Anywhere, the latest release from Lawrence band Flash Floods, one immediately notices the blend of two genres that define some of the best aspects of the Lawrence music scene: indie rock and roots music. And that’s no accident, according to the trio of band members: guitarist and vocalist Christopher Langwell, drummer Frank Mosier, and bassist Zack Krishtalka.

“We all listen to bands like the Arctic Monkeys and the Strokes,” Krishtalka explains one night over drinks with the band at the Eighth Street Taproom. “Weezer—we grew up on that. But then, Chris, as he wrote a lot of these songs …”

“I feel like I kind of veered off into bluegrass, country type of music,” Langwell says as he picks up the narrative. “When I first tried to write songs, I would try to write old country songs. But for some, I wasn’t talented enough. It just all came out sounding punk rock-ish.”

Mosier has a similar take: “I always tell people, ‘It’s like a mix between Tom Petty and the Strokes. It kind of has a Southern twang to it, but not that much.’ It’s a Midwestern vibe, for sure.”

“Every bar has its own niche or community, and I feel like were always down to play…”

Christoper Langwell

It’s almost as though Flash Floods have resurrected the sound of Lawrence in the late ’90s and early ’00s, when prairie indie rock bands like Fourth of July and Connor held sway at local venues almost weekly. It’s no surprise to the band that they play well with the middle-aged Gen-X crowd that remembers those times.

“A lot of our friends’ parents like us,” Langwell jokes. “I’ll take it as a compliment.”

That being said, this is a band of creative fans, not mimicking devotees. A song like Halfway to Anywhere’s “I Don’t Wanna Know,” with its woozy guitars and utterly bounceable rhythm, sounds absolutely fresh in 2023.

Part of this sound might come from the band’s closeness with one another. Spend even five minutes with the guys in Flash Floods, and you can tell that the trio has known each other a long time, having played in bands together for nearly half their lives.

“We used to play in bands as kids, and we’d have jams in junior high,” Langwell recalls. “I was a drummer, Frank was on guitar, Zach was on bass, and we never really had a singer or we’d have a rotating kind of lead singer who wouldn’t ever work out.”

Then, Langwell continues, somewhere along the way as a young adult he started writing music. Since he knew Mosier played drums as well as guitar, he reached out to his friend to see if he’d be interested in making music again.

“He sent us his albums, like, ‘Yeah, let’s get this live thing going,’” Mosier recalls. “I was listening to him on repeat at my job, and then it all came together. I just remember being like, ‘Hell yeah, dude. I want to play drums for this. It’s gonna be a good time.’”

And it has been. Flash Floods have toured throughout the Midwest and beyond, winning over a crowd of University of Oklahoma Sooners fans after a football game and capturing the attention of a St. Louis bar during Mardi Gras. It has something to do with the band’s chill vibes and unwillingness to let themselves be pigeonholed.

“We’re definitely always open to playing to different groups of people,” Langwell explains. “Every bar has its own niche or community, and I feel like we’re always down to play for whoever, regardless of the spot.”