Flyleaf bassist Pat Seals said he didn’t want to be a bassist. He wanted to be a guitarist.
“I really started playing bass at church,” Seals said during a telephone interview from Los Angeles. “We ended up needing a bass player and no one wanted to do it. And I was, ‘I know all the songs. I want to play guitar, but I guess I’ll do this.’ ”
Little did Seals know that the bass would become his livelihood.
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If this Texan hard-rock band had really wanted to avoid being typecast as a Christian rock band, it would have avoided naming its second album (to be released on Nov. 10) “Memento Mori.” The Latin phrase, Flyleaf bassist Pat Seals explained, is a common theme in Medieval art and means “remember you will die.” In ancient Rome, during parades of victorious generals, the generals’ slaves would also be displayed, reminding onlookers that mortality can never be eluded, and that sometimes the first shall be last and the last shall be first.
“We chose the title because we’ve had a few deaths in the family for the band,” Seals said. “Although it’s tragic, it makes you really happy to be alive.”
Guitarist Sameer Bhattacharya quoted 1 Corinthians 13:13, a scripture that conveyed the message of the album: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Despite raising questions of mortality, the concept album is meant to be uplifting and love-inspiring. “Everything we learn here will be applied in the afterlife,” he said.
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I love this article!!
Comment by Flyleaf\Nirvana Freak!! — November 6, 2009 @ 5:00 pm
I just saw Flyleaf in a very cozy old ritzy club in a kind of bohemian neighborhood of San Francisco and was super close to the stage (maybe 3 or 4 standing rows). It was a great concert. It reminded me so much of their very first music video with that claustraphobic effect that worked to smash their high energy levels together into a ball. Sameer was the best by far in the band that night. NOTE: I just preordered the “Extended Version” of Memento Mori at Best Buy online and this extended version comes with a great T-shirt (really cool design) and Free Shipping for $19.99. Good deal for anyone like me who never bought one of their t-shirts. I wonder what the bonus songs will be on it.
Comment by Todd — November 6, 2009 @ 6:05 pm
I love pat int he second article :P
Comment by — November 6, 2009 @ 11:28 pm
Memento Mori is up on the band’s Myspace, for anyone who is interested in giving it an early listen. myspace.com/flyleaf
Comment by Rebecca — November 7, 2009 @ 1:10 pm