Austin Reed Flygt’s first and only drum set, a Christmas gift given to him way back in ’96, made quite an impression on him.”My father, ‘Rex the Great,’ went on a brief excursion to the East Coast. He and my brother Adrian returned from a routine pillaging trip of the northeastern coastline of Nova Scotia with this amazing set of white drums,” Flygt said.
“After killing all able-bodied men with his own bare hands, he came across an older clansman huddled around his two grandchildren, and a set of drums. The old man pleaded for their lives as my father finished them off with a clean sweep of his double-headed battleaxe. My father then grabbed the drums, got aboard his longboat, and traveled the elaborate river systems back to Baraboo,” he finished.
With a beginning like that, it only seemed logical that Flygt would pursue a career in music. In fact, this dashing senior is now a double-degree student in music education and percussion performance with a schedule that finally allows him to focus just on music — an ability that he felt he lacked previous to his time at Lawrence.
His love for percussion, however, does not end when he exits the studio of Dane Richeson. Next summer, Flygt and three other Lawrence students will be traveling to Ghana to studying native drumming and dancing techniques. He also cited several “special projects” going down during this term, but he refused to elaborate. Reed Flygt is certainly an artist on which to keep a well-trained eye this year.
As for Reed’s own personal music taste, one might say that it is eclectic, including such artists as Anna Hainze — “such a unique sound!” — Chicago, The Bad Plus, and Happy Apple. His inspirations include Brett Favre, Luke Skywalker, Nancy Truesdell, and Nurse Carol.
A word from the wise to future and fellow percussionists: “Don’t freak out, stay cool and collected. Practice now when you have the chance,” Flygt advised. “Ask questions. Keep on pushing.”
All of this from the guy whose career aspirations include being more like Dane Maxim Richeson, but with a beard and a dog.