The Flys
By: Dan Hicks - ModernRock.com
The housefly’s lifespan is short, revolving around garbage and the instinctual drive to mate. Pop-rock outfit, The Flys’ stage show at the Phoenix New Times Music Showcase this April 30 was not much different. The 40-minute set served as a quick dose of their latest release, Outta My Way.
As The Flys buzzed through their set, survivors of the four-block beer garden played soccer with piles of plastic Miller Light bottles. They took some timeouts for album cuts like, "Fire In the Pit," which captured the energy and feel of Anthrax’s "I’m The Man." "Fire in the Pit" was not the only cut that rang with the influence of Scott Ian’s old outfit, songs like "Outta My Way," and "No Sad Story" were 3 parts pop, 2 parts hard rock and 1 part hip hop.
And, The Flys didn’t sport leather pants or frilly jackets or any other rock star attire. In fact, I’d say 80 percent of the crowd was dressed wilder than the band. With their sunglasses and short-sleeved polo shirts, they looked more like a bunch of pledges from the Tau Kappa Epsilon house than a group who was about to open up for Bush and Methods of Mayhem in the coming weeks.
They were not there to provide good theater either. What they are is a party band, and a damn good one. They don’t break down into any moody ballads for every one to whip out their lighters to, and they probably won’t need to include any lyrics in their liner notes. But if you want to get rowdy after knockin’ back a few, or sing along with several thousand of your closest friends to their first big hit "Got You Where I Want You," then The Flys deliver the goods.
The band showed good rock n roll form at the end of the show, as they requested that any interested women should report to their hotel’s pool across the street. Judging from the howls and screams from the girls up front, the mating call worked. No, not much separates these Flys from their winged little buddies, not unless you count a gold record or two.
 Copyright © 2012 ModernRock.com All Rights Reserved
| 
