Austin-based Americana duo The Flyin’ A’s stopped by KGNU’s Morning Sound Alternative to perform live and catch up with host Greg Schultz. The pair shared stories from their summer tour across the Southwest and Colorado, discussed their upcoming album recorded in Wells, UK, and reflected on working with acclaimed musicians including Lloyd Maines, Floyd Domino, Warren Hood, and Paul Pearcy.
Listeners were treated to live performances of “Little Miss Tumbleweed,” “Heartbreaks,” “Llano Estacado,” and “What’s Wrong With You for Loving Me.” The duo also previewed plans for their upcoming U.S. and European tour dates and a special September album release event in Estes Park. (Air Date 6/11/26).
Listen to the studio session here:
Transcript:
Greg Schultz: What I want to tell you is we have The Flyin’ A’s in the studio. Yay! All the way from Austin, Texas.
The Flyin’ A’s: Hey, hey. We’re so excited to be back with some of our favorite people here. Thank you so much, Greg.
Greg Schultz: We’re thrilled to have you on. I think the first time you were here was with Doug Gertner.
The Flyin’ A’s: You’re right. That must have been almost six years ago.
Greg Schultz: It’s been a while. You’ve been making this your semi-home away from home, at least in the summertime up here in Estes Park.
The Flyin’ A’s: Absolutely. KGNU is one of our favorite stations. We listen online all the time, too.
Greg Schultz: We appreciate you coming in. We’ll talk about your new album, your music, and your travels. But why don’t we kick it off with a couple tunes? Tell the folks what they’re going to hear.
The Flyin’ A’s: Awesome. This song is inspired by the drive through West Texas to get here to the mountains. It’s called “Little Miss Tumbleweed.”
(Performance: “Little Miss Tumbleweed”)
The Flyin’ A’s: Thank you so much for having us. It feels a little early for us—we’re usually playing at 8:00 or 9:00 PM—but it’s a great way to wake up here with you at KGNU.
Greg Schultz: The drive in was probably beautiful this morning.
The Flyin’ A’s: Gorgeous. Driving in from Estes Park was pretty awesome.
Greg Schultz: Fantastic. Of course, that was “Tumbleweed” from your latest album.
The Flyin’ A’s: That’s right.
Greg Schultz: You’ve got another one coming out, but we’ll talk about that. First, let’s hear one more tune.
The Flyin’ A’s: Let’s do “Heartbreaks.”
(Performance: “Heartbreaks”)
Greg Schultz: An abrupt ending. I’ve heard that song a bunch of times, and I always keep waiting for one more guitar strum.
The Flyin’ A’s: That’s the surprise. Hit the brakes on the end of that one.
Greg Schultz: All right, folks. We have The Flyin’ A’s here from Austin, Texas. They’ve been on the road playing all over the place. Tell us a little about your trip so far.
The Flyin’ A’s: It’s been amazing. We started at the Kerrville Folk Festival, playing the Memorial Day concert and honoring our good friend and producer from the last two albums, Chris Gage.
Then we headed straight to Raton to play for Grow Raton at The Hub and film a music video for our upcoming project. After that, we made our way through Alamosa, Santa Fe, and Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Then back to Santa Fe and up to Estes Park. We’ve been so blessed. We got to do the Tuesday Music Live series put on by the parks and recreation department. They’re hosting some great shows.
We also have two shows coming up: Friday at American Legion 119 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM and Saturday at Avant-Garde Ale Works, also from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Then we get a few days off before playing Summerfest at the YMCA of the Rockies. It’s free and open to anyone who wants to attend.
The next morning, we head to Minnesota for a show that night.
Greg Schultz: You guys are gluttons for punishment.
The Flyin’ A’s: Summerfest is on the 19th at the YMCA of the Rockies. It’s a beautiful outdoor amphitheater. If you haven’t been there, it’s worth checking out.
We’re thrilled to be back in Colorado, my favorite place on the planet, and to get to see you again.
Greg Schultz: I saw you in Austin back in March.
The Flyin’ A’s: That was awesome. I’d like to give a shout-out to my brother Big Tex, Clara, Alyssa, and Kevin. They’re tearing it up here in Boulder.
Greg Schultz: Colorado is a beautiful place. Let’s talk about the new record.
The Flyin’ A’s: We recorded it in Wells, UK. Special thanks to our producer Ron Rogers and to The Rosellys, who connected us with him. They’re an incredible Americana duo from England.
We played almost all the instruments ourselves, with a few guest appearances from some close friends. The album won’t officially be released until February, but we’re doing an in-person CD release on September 3 at Listening at the Legion in Estes Park.
Maybe we can get you a copy so you can play a track next week.
Greg Schultz: We’d love to preview it here in the Boulder Valley.
The Flyin’ A’s: We also have Lloyd Maines playing steel guitar on a couple of songs. Floyd Domino, who has played with Asleep at the Wheel and Merle Haggard, contributed piano and B3 organ.
Warren Hood and Simon Roselly both played fiddle, so we’ve got a bit of a cross-Atlantic collaboration.
Our friend Paul Pearcy, who now lives in Denver, is all over the album. He recorded his parts at a studio in Lyons while our producer was up at three in the morning helping remotely from the UK.
Kevin Hall also played drums on several tracks. It was a joy to put together, and we’re excited to get it out.
Greg Schultz: You have Texas royalty on this album. Lloyd Maines and all those players are world-class musicians and some of the kindest people you’ll ever meet.
The Flyin’ A’s: We learn something from them every time. Life’s too short to work with people who aren’t kind.
Greg Schultz: Congratulations on the lineup and the new record. Right now, let’s hear another song.
The Flyin’ A’s: Here’s a song called “Llano Estacado.” It’s going to be on the new album.
(Performance: “Llano Estacado”)
Greg Schultz: Beautiful song. It has a great Tex-Mex feel with the accordion and some stellar guitar work from Stuart.
The Flyin’ A’s: This little Collings guitar is the smallest one they make. The top is spruce and the body is walnut. I love it.
Greg Schultz: It’s perfect for traveling and sounds huge.
The Flyin’ A’s: Come visit us in Austin and we’ll take you to the Collings factory.
Greg Schultz: I might have to go back to work to afford one.
The Flyin’ A’s: I can create a diversion if you need one.
Greg Schultz: Before we wrap up, tell people where they can find you online and what’s coming up.
The Flyin’ A’s: You can find us at TheFlyinAs.com and on Spotify, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube under The Flyin’ A’s.
We’re sharing stories behind the music, tour adventures, and videos from sessions like this one.
This Friday we’re at the American Legion in Estes Park. Saturday we’re at Avant-Garde Ale Works. Next Thursday we’re at the YMCA of the Rockies.
After that we head to Madison, Minnesota, then Wisconsin, the Kansas City area, and eventually to Europe. We’ll be in England, Wales, the Netherlands, and Belfast, Ireland. We may even make it to Scotland.
We spend June touring the U.S. and July touring Europe every year.
When we return, we’ll be at Listening at the Legion on September 3, premiering the new album. You’ll be able to get a copy before the digital release in February.
Greg Schultz: That’s a beautiful tour. They love Americana and acoustic music over there.
The Flyin’ A’s: We feel incredibly fortunate. We really have a music family both here and abroad.
Greg Schultz: It’s always a pleasure to have you here. You keep moving forward as artists, and your musicianship keeps growing.
The Flyin’ A’s: That’s the goal. We keep adding new things. I’m up to playing four instruments on stage now.
Greg Schultz: You’re also an incredible multitasker.
The Flyin’ A’s: We’re 100% independent, so special thanks to our Kickstarter supporters. This album was made possible not only by musicians but by people who believe in our music. Many people in Colorado have supported us since the beginning, and we’re grateful.
Greg Schultz: Supporting independent artists is part of our mission, and it’s been our pleasure to host you. Let’s go out with one more song.
The Flyin’ A’s: This is a song by Alice Dehaley called “What’s Wrong With You for Loving Me.” It’s on our latest album.
(Performance: “What’s Wrong With You for Loving Me”)
Greg Schultz: The Flyin’ A’s, folks. Thanks for coming in.
The Flyin’ A’s: Thank you so much for having us.
Greg Schultz: We’ll see you down the road.
The Flyin’ A’s: Thanks again.
