Former Jersey girl Rachel Flotard made the trek to the Greater Northwest, more specifically Seattle, 14 years ago to attend a high school friend’s wedding.
She never left.
“I wanted a change,” Flotard said. “Seattle is ridiculously beautiful. I moved to town a year or two after 'grunge' was winding down and peeling its long johns off. Housing was still affordable.”
Just learning the guitar, Flotard eventually landed in a band called Hafacat. Once the band dissolved in 2001, Flotard, along with Hafacat drummer Ben Hooker, formed Visqueen. They recruited legendary Seattle musician Kim Warnick of the Fastbacks to anchor bass duties.
With the trio gigging around the Northwest, opening for the likes of Cheap Trick, Guided By Voices, The Donnas, and the New Pornographers, Visqueen polished their already tight and crunchy, hard-driving indie sound and laid it down their debut King Me in 2003. The album was well received, with Visqueen earning positive press from the locals in Seattle all the way to Rolling Stone. As the trio continued to build momentum, they issued their sophomore effort a year later with Sunset on Dateland.
The two albums quickly established Visqueen as major players with their punk pop sound in the Northwest music scene. With stunning performances at the CMJ Festival, South by Southwest Festival, and Seattle’s Bumbershoot Festival, Visqueen became know across the states.
During that time, Flotard’s father, George E. Flotard, Jr., was diagnosed with terminal cancer (2002) and came from his home in New Jersey to Seattle to live his remaining years with his daughter, who he affectionately called “Ray.”
The prognosis was grim for the elder Flotard, who was a New York City steamfitter since the mid 1960s. He fought and loved in Hell's Kitchen bars on the West Side, and broke all ten fingers twice. He was a strong, red-headed foreman who ordered holes in the ground and fit miles of pipe.
The doctors gave Flotard’s father four years to live at best, but in typical George E. Flotard, Jr., fashion, he thumbed his nose at them and lasted seven. He passed away in April of 2008.
“That experience made me a better person, hands down. It made me realize that this is act two. No dress rehearsals.,” Flotard explained. “We’re all going to be lying in that sick bed one day, so you have to learn to live. Dad showed me how to be brave and strong when things are out of control. He never complained about the little things or the big things. He dealt with it, and he loved the hell out of me and my sister. He is the only reason why I have this spark.”
Flotard was more than a daughter to her father. She was his caregiver, nurse and best friend. And no matter how sick Mr. Flotard was, he always encouraged his daughter’s music career.
Over those years, along with producer/friend Barrett Jones, of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame, Flotard wrote and recorded new songs for the third Visqueen CD.
While recording whenever she could and taking care of her dad full time, Flotard also had to find a new bass player for the band. Warnick retired from playing music (in a band anyway) and went through what Flotard likes to call “the Spinal Tap of bass players.”
“You can’t replace someone like Kim. But man did we come up with some hilarious alternates,” Flotard said. “After Kim retired, Ronnie [Barnett] from the Muffs toured with us behind Sunset on Dateland. But he lives in Los Angeles, so Bill Coury from the Seattle band Once for Kicks came in to play bass for a spell. Going into the studio, I asked Barrett to play bass while he recorded the sessions. I knew he couldn’t tour with us as a busy producer so I had to look for someone that could stick around. And lucky me, that was Cristina Bautista.”
“Christina is 22, gorgeous, and sings like an angel. But bonus, she is brilliant, kind and dynamic. Amazingly, she’s been a Visqueen fan since she was 16! She opened up for us at The University of WA with her former band Paxil Rose. The best! Oh, and did I mention she also bakes us cookies? After having Christina in the band, I hope I never have to play without her.”
After overcoming several pitfalls, Visqueen’s third release Message to Garcia saw the light of day this past September. The new baby of the Visqueen family was digitally released on Sept. 8 and shot up the Amazon.com rock charts to No. 12 within the first few days.
Flotard isn’t writing any letters or typing out emails to anyone named Garcia. No, that’s not where she came up with the new album’s name.
"A Message To Garcia" is an essay written in 1899 by Elbert Hubbard, inspired by the Spanish-American War. The story celebrates the initiative of a soldier who is assigned and accomplishes a daunting mission. He asks no questions, makes no objections, requests no help, but gets the job done.
This story has a special meaning for Flotard. It is the only time her father physically handed her something to read rather than just suggesting it.
The first two Visqueen records (King Me and Sunset On Dateland) were released on local label Blue Disguise. Now, Flotard has taken on another task drawing inspiration from her father by launching her own label, Local 638 Records (http://www.local638records.com), inspired by her dad's New York City steamfitters union.
With Flotard on guitar and vocals, Bautista on bass and vocals, Tom Cummings on guitar, and Hooker on the drums, Visqueen has been solidified. So, Flotard decided to call on some friends outside of the band to lend their musical influences for her phenomenal third full length Message To Garcia.
“A lot of killer human beings stopped in to play. Jon Rauhouse, the sweetheart of all sweethearts and pedal steel wizard. I sing and tour in his jazz sestet, and I hope to do so until I fall down dead. My good lady Neko Case sings on a lot of this record and even John Roderick of the Long Winters makes an appearance. Barett Jones plays almost all bass tracks and even my little 15-month-old niece Beatrice gets in some handclaps. The folks just nailed it.”
Neko Case, who sings on five songs -- “Janitor’s Waltz”, “Hand Me Down,” “Ward,” “Tall Grass,” and “Forgive Me” -- is a special story in itself. Flotard opened for Case’s other band the New Pornographers and the two became friends. Flotard sung back-up on Case albums Middle Cyclone and Fox Confessor Brings The Flood and was recently on “Late Night with David Letterman” with Case.
“I will do anything for the sake of harmony,” Flotard said. “Luckily, I get to sing and play on my friends’ music. It’s pretty much my favorite thing ever, and only getting more fun. My most recent outing was singing with Minus The Bear. I am in love with those dudes as they are my homeslices, but man, their new record is insane.”
Over the past decade, there is no question Rachel Flotard has changed as a person, and in turn, her music has changed. Visqueen doesn’t look the same and Message to Garcia doesn’t sound the same as their previous efforts, but why should it?
“People say the new album sounds different from the last.” Flotard said. “and yay! I’m a different dude, and these are different songs. I unabashedly wanted Message To Garcia to be a gigantic piece of candy. I told Kurt Bloch (who mixed it with me) to crank up the crème brulee torch. Which he did! Now that it’s done, I think of the process like golf. Our record is sitting on the tee, and it’s up to the fans to drive the hell out of it. My hope is that they feel good buying our records and support a band which runs their own label. It’s the lovers and word-of-mouthers of Visqueen who sustain us. So thank you!”
http:www.visqueenonline.com
http:www.local638records.com