I saw Dom Flemons for the first time in December of 2014. I had no idea what I was about to witness. I was gifted tickets to see him open for Old Crow Medicine show at the Tennessee Theatre, and the sorority girl in me just couldn’t resist the opportunity to hear “Wagon Wheel” live. I brought a friend who loves folk music and he couldn’t stop raving about Dom; all that he is and all he can do.
That night changed the way I listen to music forever.
Months later, Dom came back to headline the Bijou. He stayed for a few days and I was fortunate to catch him before playing a conference on the UT campus. I interviewed Dom Flemons knowing little about him outside of his performance at the Tennessee. I took the opportunity, not to reiterate the same questions that he’d answered all tour long, but to get to know him. I learned that he is not a conventional man, he is simplistic, humble and passionate and that, like most of us, has a thing for Jennifer Lawrence.
In a thrilling game of “Would You Rather,” I came to know Dom Flemons, not only as a performer and advocate for the arts, but as a pretty normal guy. For instance, if forced to choose between drinking a bottle of syrup or eating a container of butter, he contemplatively chose syrup, explaining that it’s sweet like honey and butter “just doesn’t taste good.”
I think we can all safely agree that Dom made the right call, here. He’d rather have the hiccups for the rest of his life over the urge to sneeze forever. Although, I’m not sure how well that’d go over on the harmonica, which he’s been playing since he was a teenager. He’d rather be a wizard and fly than a vampire and read minds. He’d prefer to know when he is going to die and not how, as he’s certain he’d spend his life trying to prevent the inevitable.
As a passionate musician, for whom creating is paramount, he said he’d choose recording over touring. He explained that recording allows for more creativity, while touring calls for too much consistency. He’s clearly not a man who enjoys predictability or monotony.
If he were ever placed in Indiana Jones’ shoes and presented with one of the obstacles in the trilogy (let’s be real, that fourth movie doesn’t count,) he said he’d rather have to select one cup from hundreds to drink from than outrun a boulder. I’m not fast either, but the odds are not in your favor with the cup situation. On this one, I think Dom chose poorly.
He said he prefers the bones to the banjo and took some time to tell me about them. The bones are played similarly to spoons as far as rhythm, but beyond that they are fairly different. While they are worldly ancient, they are a fairly new instrument to Flemons, who learned to play from a woman at the Mount Ary Fiddler Convention just nine years ago.
He’d watch Netflix over Hulu, pick Peeta over Gale and a shower over a bath. He prefers Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka to Johnny Depp’s and Coke over Sweet Tea – as if I couldn’t have guessed by the craft service table stocked full of Coca-Cola. Marvel versus DC proved to be a stumper but was settled diplomatically, crediting DC for its characters and Marvel for its movies. He chose Jennifer Lawrence over Aniston because she’s “slightly unconventional” and, really, who doesn’t love that.
If he had to decide between a concertgoer learning something new about music culture from his concert or leaving the concert with a new favorite song, he said he’d rather them have a new favorite song. Initially, I thought this surprising as he is such an advocate for the arts, however in discussing his advocacy later I began to understand.
He explained to me that in a post-digital world, his music is considered outdated and is swept under the rug dubbed “pop music.” So for someone to find a new favorite song, albeit not the most popular, it opens a door for that person to folk music that was previously locked.
He’d choose reading books over reading music, lasagna over spaghetti with meatballs, nd coffee with sugar over coffee with cream. If he had to choose between strumming the guitar or banjo and singing, he quickly chose singing. He said, “always singing. I like songs.”
And we’re so glad that you do, Dom.
Dom is releasing a new EP, “What Got Over” on April 18 for Record Store Day.
