Hoboken’s Icewagon Flu plans on making a stop soon at a bar near you. They have released their debut album Trouble Has a Car and they prepare to play at Maxwell’s on July 3. Blending blues, Irish rock, roots and jazz, Flu creates a smooth and catchy sound.Led by lead singer Kevin Adkins, the band’s charm is found in their witty songs about exposure, parties and adventure. Flu’s six members each have a pseudonym, which adds to their playful attitude. We recently caught up with Adkins to get acquainted with the Flu.
EM – Where are you from?
KA – Icewagon Flu hails mostly from right here in Hoboken. We’ve got one joker from Weehawken and another clown that lives in Manhattan, but the rest of the boys are out-and-out townies. Beast moved from merry ol’ Swindon, England. He’s been stateside for 16 years and still struggles with our language. Personally, I come from a long line of Hobokenites reaching back five generations. Both my grandparents and my parents were married in Our Lady of Grace, and I was even baptized there. My grandfather was a Hoboken cop for 25 years. Like the rest of the Flu, I moved around a lot, gestating in a variety of different cultures.
EM – Who are your influences?
KA – The year was 1993 and everything they played on college radio was pure gold! The Posies, the Judybats, the Connells and Buffalo Tom are some of my favorites. The band draws a lot from Irish greats like the Pogues and Black ’47, but we cannot deny the wide variety of eclectic influences. Beast, our guitarist, models himself as a handsome Andy Summers with a Peter Gabriel-esque instinct for showmanship. Our lead vocalist, Doc Slides, has been described as a mix between a rowdy Sid Vicious and a young Shane MacGowan with teeth. Our music is steeped in a wide variety of musical traditions ranging from Irish, Calypso, Blues, Country and Soul. Icewagon Flu is the true American
music melting pot; we take all the great sounds of early America, run them through the Flu blender and present them in a totally new
way.
EM – Why did you become a musician?
KA – I could never figure out why I was so terrible at sports until the age of 6, when my Uncle Reggie handed me a jaw-harp that he had fashioned out of a Holiday Inn coat hanger. After years of being shunned in social circles, I realized that it would be fun to be a rock star….I mean I could be myself, you know, I could sit around, drink beer and break stuff. When I met Slides the first year of high school, I knew we where destined for greatness. We both got cut from the lacrosse tryouts, and all we kept talking about was the new Sting album and all the pranks we’d play on that rotten dean. Slides and I formed a band called Small Frye our senior year and modeled ourselves off of They Might Be Giants and The Ramones. After nine years of college (collectively), Slides and I ended up in the Jersey area and it was time to invent the greatest band of all times!
EM – Where have you performed?
KA – In the shower. However, we mainly perform in Manhattan, and as far as New Jersey goes, we’ve played all over. Our summer tour schedule features over 10 gigs from June through August. September is already promising two performances in Maryland and Washington.
EM – What is your favorite day of the week?
KA – Hump day.
EM – How would you describe your music?
KA -We take all the great sounds of early America, run them through the Flu blender and present them in a totally new way.
EM – Are you looking for mainstream exposure?
KA – Let’s get one thing clear: Icewagon Flu doesn’t partake in exhibitionism. Many people ask us this question because we do have a song titled "Shameless Exhibitionist" and one of the tracks on the new album is named "Nudity." Having said that, we do like to be free and comfortable on stage and in rehearsal. If that brings attention from the industry, then so be it.
EM – What professional plans do you have for the future?
KA – A couple of the band members, and I have formed an independent record label based in Hoboken called Jivin’ Jones Records. We’re looking to sign some intriguing local acts and help them put out albums. As for the band, we plan to continue gigging and spreading the Flu down the East Coast this fall. We’re interviewing management groups and we hope to perform in the college circuit. Our main goal right now is to get a large following in Japan, so we can quit our day jobs.
EM – What is the best part about your job?
KA – No pressure. That’s the best part about my role in the band.
Icewagon Flu performs at Maxwell’s at 1039 Washington St. in Hoboken on July 3 at 8 p.m. For ticket information visit www.maxwellsnj.com or call (201) 653-1703. q