Heavy Frequency: What are Kim Anderson and Flee the Seen currently up to?

Kim Anderson: Right now, we are really excited to be recording our first full length record that is scheduled to be completed September 1, 2005. We are also really looking forward to some awesome shows that we have scheduled, as well as the Pitch Music Awards that we are nominated in for the first time this year.

HF: Who are the primary influences on your music?

Anderson: We all have different musical influences, which makes writing together really fun because someone always comes up with something different than what we were anticipating. A few prevalent individual influences include:

• Kim – Beloved, Underoath
• RL – Thrice, Thursday
• Manuel – Bright Eyes, Cursive
• Aaron – Slayer, The Mars Volta

HF: Flee the Seen has joined the bill with numerous national acts such as 30 Seconds to Mars and Weezer. What is the trick?
Anderson: Honestly, we have just been really blessed and we are so grateful for the opportunities that have been given to us.

HF: What goals do you have for the band and yourself as a musician?

Anderson: We are just trying to work as hard as possible to write the best music we can and bring a positive message with our lyrics that we are truly excited to share with people. That is one reason we are so excited for the new record to get it out there. After the record is done, we definitely want to tour and are currently looking for label, booking, management, and distro support.

HF: Describe your songwriting process and your bass playing technique.

Anderson: We all write our music collectively, which is great because it always turns out different from where it starts. It definitely keeps things interesting for us. I write my bass lines first and then go back and work with the lyrics.

HF: As a woman, what is it like to work in a predominantly male music community and business?

Anderson: There are both positives and negatives, but in the end I cannot change who I am, what I am passionate about, or the other people - male or female - that are also passionate about the same things I am, nor would I want to. For example, I may be the only female in the band but I never look at it like that. I am so thankful to have RL, Manuel and Aaron in my life and I am very excited to be on this path with them. I definitely would not want it any other way, nor would I want to change the community that I have encountered in Kansas City and surrounding areas because even when there is opposition it is countered with support and I am grateful for both.

HF: Do you have any pre-show rituals or routines to prepare for your performances?

Anderson: Before our set we always pray and give thanks for the opportunity to play and to be among friends.

HF: What topics do you address with your lyrics? What message do you try to communicate to your audience?
Anderson: The underlying message in every song is hope. Even when things are bad or difficult there is always hope and faith and that is the message that we want to communicate. Every song that I write, I would happily explain the context, meaning, and message to anyone.

HF: How do you define Flee the Seen? How would you describe the band to others?

Anderson: People ask us all the time what kind of music we are… we have no idea. We pull from all kinds of different genres personally and when we put it together it usually lands somewhere between rock and roll and hardcore but that can always change from song to song too, which is fun for us.

HF: What is on the agenda for Flee the Seen for the rest of 2005? Any big summer plans for the band?

Anderson: We are so excited to get the new record out there. That is really our main focus right now, but after it is done, anything really goes, which is exciting for us. We definitely want to tour and are really looking forward to the next couple of months.