Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • D3

AZCENTRAL.COM SUNDAY, JUNE 13, 2021 3D www.SedonaFilmFes�val.org 928.282.1177 BY: The BEST independent films from around theworld, celebrities, workshops andmore! LIVE VIRTUAL EXTRAORDINARY June 2021 Elizabeth PitcairnBob Mackie Tom Skerritt Loretta Devine Marianne WilliamsonJames Caan Mariel Hemingway Luis Valdez A I 2 7 A FOR YOUR Limited Choose your No waiting in No crowded seating Call to Schedule a FREE Estimate! NOT PAINT BETTER Ceramic based coating that chip, crack, or peel with a 25 year warranty. Free Estimate No Hassle Consultation Outdoor Painting Only Ma OF terial La bor NEVER PAINT AGAIN! GO RHINO! AR-GCI0657872-02 480-576-6553 (Expires ARIZONA ROC 324738 Offer cannot be combined with others and must be presented at point of sale. HARDCOVER FICTION 1. by Elin Hilderbrand (Little, Brown) 2. by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Ballantine) 3.

Last Thing He Told by Laura Dave (Simon Schuster) 4. by John Grisham (Dou- bleday) 5. by Nora Roberts (St. 6. Midnight by Matt Haig (Viking) 7.

Hail by Andy Weir (Ballantine) 8. Other Black by Zakiya Dalila Harris (Atria) 9. Four by Kristin Han- nah (St. 10. by Paetro (Little, Brown) HARDCOVER NONFICTION 1.

the by Dugard (St. 2. the Word Is by Clint Smith (Little, Brown) 3. Happened to by 4. the by Ben Rhodes (Random House) 5.

by Matthew McCo- naughey (Crown) 6. Anthropocene (signed ed.) by John Green (Dutton) 7. by Michael Lewis (Norton) 8. Hill We by Amanda Gorman (Viking) 9. Bomber by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown) 10.

by Carol Leonnig (Random House) MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS 1. by Danielle Steel (Dell) 2. by Christine Feehan (Berkley) 3. by Lee Child (Dell) 4. by Axum (Grand Central Publishing) 5.

River by William W. Johnstone (Pinnacle) 6. by William W. Johnstone (Pinnacle) 7. by (Zebra) 8.

by Heather Graham (Mira) 9. by Debbie Ma- comber (Avon) 10. by Fern Michaels (Zebra) BESTSELLERS shared objective and the writing team to achieve those goals had since he recorded as a teenager. very hungry for Knutson says. feel like our turn to get to that next level like Testa- ment or Death Angel or any of those other bands that have been around as long as we have.

They all made it to that next level. And they deserve it. They worked their butts for it. But we never quite got to that To be fair, they always worked their butts Seeing other thrash bands grab the brass ring in the Knutson says, thought it was all luck, or people like us for some reason or Over time, he says, learned that you have to put the work in. Those guys put the work in.

(Megadeth co-founder) Dave Mustaine, not the nicest guy in the world. But he is a hard worker. And he put in the work every day of his life to get where he Metallica put the work in, too. they also got super lucky and were in the right place at the right time doing the right kind of he says. you happen to get lucky and your timing is wonderful, you can get up the steps that way.

But those guys, they all got their hands dirty, writing songs and building their empire, so to speak. And we really get that until a few albums into our The return of Michael Gilbert It probably until he started working on he says, I actually stopped blaming other people for me not making it and started taking a little responsibility for my- self. You rely on other people to get you where you want to go. You have to put the work in. And we are putting a lot of work in in the is Flotsam and fourth re- lease since the return of Michael Gilbert, the only other member of the current lineup to appear on The guitarist left in 1997 and rejoined in 2010, a reunion Knut- son sees as a pivotal moment in rebirth.

was always a big part of the writing team back in the Knutson says. when he left, I just kind of used the band as an excuse to go on vacation in Europe a couple times a year. I really that worried about what the songs sounded like. I was just like, put a record out so we can get out on tour We serious about When Gilbert returned, he says, decided to make another serious stab at it and just been going uphill ever Guitarist Steve Conley signed on in 2013, with drummer Ken K. Mary (who played on Alice most metallic album, Your Fist and joining the fold in 2017 and bassist Bill Bodily rounding out the current lineup when he joined in 2020.

The making of in the that we have Steve Conley in the mix, he writes just as much and just as well as Gilbert Knutson says. really something not used not uncommon for Gilbert and Conley to come in with 45 songs going into an album. none of them are Knutson says. I just pick the one that kind of pleases my ear the most and start putting vocal melodies to that. I could have ousted this whole record and used other songs they wrote, and it probably would have been just as good.

an amazing writing The original plan was to call the album for another highlight of the album. reasoning behind Knutson says, kind of, got a new record out. You better hang on to some- We all loved the idea of Then they saw the album art, a brooding portrait of Flotzilla, the dragon-like monster that appeared on the cover of for the lurking in the water. So they changed the album title to the name of the opening track. just perfect, you Knutson says.

How the pandemic shaped the album not saying a concept record. But there is a subtle through line. of the feeling behind the songs is feeling sad for losing loved Knutson says. all in that frame of mind of losing loved ones and not being able to go out on tour and people stuck at home. Even though I never sat down and went, gonna write a song about the sure all the songs have a little of that under- tone in Knutson says he almost lost his mother during the pandemic.

mother, 83 years old, was on a ventilator for three months in the hospital, unconscious, and she made it out of he says. it was very touch and go for a while. But she made it out of it really well. And she and my 92-year-old father are doing just great One of the reviews for in the at New Noise magazine, raved, the modern thrash sound distinct from the and material, Flotsam And Jetsam are retain- ing their legacy as one of the few bands that kept the multiple in one song rule and matured with time while staying rele- very hungry and going for Now that the album is out, got some touring plans lined up, but not until the new year. is just now starting to open back up because of the Knutson says.

we want to be caught up in that time that we know is gonna happen, where every band on the planet is out on Once they do go out, they plan on touring hard. And doing more media than usual to get the word out on this album. doing everything we can to get the album name out there, the band name out there and let people know that not going Knutson said. not done. I probably have enough songs that make it on the last two records to do two more records.

So very hungry and going for it and I hope people receive us Reach the reporter at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com. Flotsam Continued from Page 1D Flotsam and Jetsam AFM RECORDS.