A B O U T
David Flitner
It’s been said that we often don’t notice the most significant moments of our lives, right while they’re happening. But there are occasions when we’re given a gift so clear and evident that we sense something utterly new has arrived, beckoning us in directions unimagined. The arrival of The Beatles in the U.S. was an unavoidable signal to me. It wasn’t so much about being a “fan” as it was about an energy and spirit of expression that were compelling, joyful, and full of possibility.
I started as a bass player and was in bands throughout high school in Cincinnati.As is often the case in these stories, the origins are humble but the players are hungry, motivated by a seemingly insatiable desire to learn songs and play them in front of eager listeners. By the time I started college Cincinnati was a celebration of music. I’d moved on to guitar. Along with drummer Gary and another friend, we formed The Secret People, a progressive rock group which, along with John's band, The Dingos, was among the best-known bands in the area.
I was a freshman when I met John, and a journey of musical collaboration was begun, built on a common love of the ensemble vocals and unpretentious songwriting of artists we admired. We practiced, we recorded, we ate macaroni and cheese in order to afford studio time.
While John went in one direction professionally, I moved to Boston, pursued a Ph.D. and wrote books. With the completion of graduate school I felt a need to return to music, full-time. For the better part of a decade I performed in rock bands – Precious, Computer Blue - working in Boston and throughout New England. I also spent too brief a time in the Southwest. And then I moved to a lake in New Hampshire.John and I continued writing and recording. Eventually, Cara began adding natural vocal backings to our work. Years went by and Ken, an old friend and recording partner, joined the band. Phoenix-based producer and guitarist Bobby Frasier has stepped in and added to the dispersed mix as well. Despite – or because of – the unusual geographical distances between band members, we discovered a joint process of recording which involved cooperation, interpretation, and collaboration – and a lot of travel.
If you’ve ever sat in silence before the vastness of a Southwestern sunset… If you’ve known longing and found a way home… If you think that sometimes the only medicine worth trying involves melodic guitars and voices in harmony… Those are the kinds of feelings that have come to inform the music. Many of our most meaningful moments involve very thin lines of distinction – between light and dark, between love, loss and hope. We’re trying to explore these experiences without insulting anyone’s intelligence.
John Domaschko
My world changed forever when the Beatles and their music arrived on AM radio. Their harmonies and those of groups that followed inspired me to embark on my own musical journey. My early musical interests evolved along with the music of the day through my performance in a series of garage bands, the last of which enjoyed significant popularity in the late sixties in the Cincinnati area. Popularity unfortunately did not translate into financial success, so I exited the industry in 1969 via the well-travelled road of a business degree and the interesting “day-job” endeavors to which it led. Those included careers as a CPA, COO/CFO of an entrepreneurial adventure, President of a non-profit organization, and service on countless boards of directors.
My non-musical pursuits were rewarding in every way, but the irresistible draw of making music could not be denied. For many years my only opportunities to make music were the annual visits with my out-of-town former roommate and best man of my wedding, Dave Flitner, with whom I shared friendship, musical tastes, parallel band experiences, and many late-night philosophical discussions dating back to our college days. In 2000, 31 years after I thought I had left the music industry forever, I was asked to join my fellow bandmates from the 1960’s at a reunion of popular bands from that era. That one night turned into 17 years of performing in a local cover band, the founding of a charitable fund-raising engine, Suits That Rock™ , and some more serious session work with my friend, Dave, through Thinline.
All these later-in-life musical pursuits reminded me that my enjoyment of making music had little to do with the audience reaction of my youth. The religious experience for me has always been the collaboration with others to make music… to lock in my bass with a good drummer or to get that soul-warming feeling of my voice blending in harmony with others’ … in other words, that buzz I get from working with the members of Thinline.
Ken Creech
So, I’m the newbie to the group. But my association with Dave and John goes way back. Back to the days of playing in various bands in the Cincinnati area in the 1960’s and 70’s. Sometimes together, sometimes not. But we were always friends.
We last played and recorded together in a band called simply, “Each Other”. Like many of my Thinline colleagues, that February 9th Beatles performance was the catalyst for my getting into music, and it has been a part of my life, one way, or another, ever since. (That photo was snapped in front of the Kaiserkeller in Hamburg made famous by the Liverpool lads). I retired from a career as a university, professor, where I taught and published in the communications field, more specifically, media, and entertainment, law, and policy. Yeah, I know. The cool thing about that, though, is it allowed me to stay in touch with my music and the music industry. I continue to play, write, perform and record.
So, when, after many years apart, Dave, John and I reconnected. I was ready to be a part of Thinline. Dave didn’t have to ask me twice!
I am so thrilled to be working with Dave and John again after all of these years, and so happy to have the opportunity to sing and play with Cara and Gary and contribute some of my songs to "Moonstone". This was really fun and I hope you enjoy listening as much as we did making this album.
Gary Brichler
Here are the facts. My exposure to music began with accordion lessons at an early age - first grade. By
the eighth grade, I was recruited to join my Cincinnati, high school's nationally acclaimed marching band and I learned to play drums.
During this. I worked in various local rock bands, and helped form The Secret People. We played venues throughout the region – some of the best times of my life – during my high school years and into college. For many years, beyond school, a corporate career, and raising a family, I continue to follow my music. The passion is still there
Cara Flitner
I am a onetime airline pilot, a career loaded with procedures, checklists, aircraft systems and memorization. It is a “left brained” job which demands psychic balancing. For me, that balancing has taken many forms… horses, figure skating, crafting, metalsmithing and now, thanks to Dave, my friend
turned husband, music. It has been a great gift to learn about the fifth voice, to know what makes grown musicians giggle and, the mother of all mothers, the importance of toney tone tone!!!I’m not a boomer like my band mates who were so altered by the arrival of The Beatles. I didn’t experience that watershed type of moment in my formative years. Good music is timeless though and I am blessed to have found a home doing backing vocals with these amazing men. If I can provide something complementary to Dave’s wistful compositions, John’s angelic harmonies or Ken’s gritty songs and get a giggle out of the guys in the process, that is all I can ask for.
Bobby Frasier (member for album #1, "Beneath the Burning Sky")
After a lot of years in Los Angeles I landed in Phoenix where I worked as an instructor at the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences. I taught children (ages 16 to 65) how to make records, run a recording studio and, I truly hope, get along with others in the high stress environment of the recording world. I’ve never stopped playing the guitar. I’ve always had a recording project going somewhere, a studio in my home. And you can reliably find me playing in a corporate band or down at the local watering hole. Music is life itself. Existence is a vibration. Everything vibrates. We are in constant motion. Different music resonates with different people; some is consonant, other forms are dissonant for that particular individual. This is the beauty of musical creation; there will be a soul that resonates the same as you. Working with David, and our far-flung group, emphasizes this confluence. His use of language and realness of purpose is a never – ending source of inspiration for my additional sonic musings. I trust that you too, when, listening, will find this coincidence.