Surefire is a band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that is made up of two musicians/songwriters and was created by a family that feels that music can bring you closer to someone else and strengthen an already unbreakable bond formed by a family. Natalie Flango and Jason Duty are in-laws and formed Surefire to merge passions and communicate stories through chords and lyrics. Natalie is a Dylanesque vocal guru and Jason is a master of zoned-out finger picking and angelic humming making this duo the perfect match.
Surefire is the perfect name for a band that has such a fiery single like “Say” is. This eclectic band is hard to pin into one genre as they have a very country rock sound to their music. Natalie’s voice starts the song off with a powerful but soothing tone that tricks you into thinking this is going to be a laid-back, mellow song. If buoyant and positive is what you’re looking for then go no further! With raspy tones and subtle harmonies each complementing the other, this song is sure to get your head bobbing. Natalie has a very Stevie Nicks sounding voice that is relaxing to listen to and gives character to this flowing tune. Her range is quite vast and she showcases that clearly throughout the song. The drums sound very technical and skilled helping the rhythm flow easily and the guitar helps express the emotion that is clearly behind each lyric. Each lyric has passion behind it that clearly is emulated through Natalie’s voice and it is very clear that both are experienced lyricists. Going on a road trip? This is absolutely a song you want on your playlist to get you pumped up and ready for adventure.
Listen to "Say" here and get to know more about Surefire below!
Hey Surefire! Pleasure to chat with you. Can you tell us a bit about yourselves?
J - We are a new pop/rock duo from Pittsburgh (and brother and sister-in-laws). We have been 'kind-of' at it for about 2 years when we were living in different states but really got rolling this past July when Natalie moved back to Pittsburgh. It's a lot easier to write, and record and rehearse from the same city. We're just getting started and we're super excited about our new single 'Say'
N- Yeah the music just started as kind of an experiment but we just kept going and started performing and recording. Now here we are releasing the first of 3 singles this year. It's pretty cool.
What made you two decide to form Surefire?
J - After I married Natalie's sister, we started seeing more of each other...Natalie showed me a song she wrote and we started working on it...recorded a demo on a super old version of Pro-tools on a computer that barely worked and thought...'this is pretty good'. It turned out to be the first song on our 2017 EP 'For What It's Worth' called 'Bullet in the Gun' (it's a metaphor :))
N- It was also a way for us to bond when we became family and we were (and still are) very different people. We didn't have much to talk about until we realized that we had really similar musical interests. It all just kind of worked out.
Have there been any challenges thus far from being Family and in a band?
J - I'd say there is a bit of separation of church and state. Our families have been nothing but supportive, the most supportive, actually. But we don't trade lyrics and work through set lists at family gatherings...we save that for our own time. It helps a bit too because we're stuck with each other.
N-Yeah the family definitely tries to make suggestions here and there, which we ignore out of love. It's our own autonomous thing. It's kind of developed to where we're bandmates and songwriters that just happen to be related.
Where did you get inspiration to write “Say”?
N- It actually came to me after a particularly weird and long night out with some new friends. They had convinced me to go out after I had been laying low after a breakup, and mischief ensued. I won't get into a lot of details but the song covers a lot of it. Let's just say that the song was written the next afternoon while I nursed a bottle of gatorade.
J - ...and when she first sang the '...day is done...', I was like, damn gurlllllll...this is gonna be a hit!
What can we expect in 2019 from Surefire?
J - Well, 'Say' is the first of three singles we plan to release in 2019...we are currently compiling some new songs for a full-length. But in the meantime, we plan to play out as much as possible and meet as many other talented artists in Pittsburgh (and hopefully beyond)!
N- I plan on launching a successful solo career and leaving the name Surefire behind me. I'm totally kidding. We're recording the new singles and writing new material for our full length which will be the follow up to our debut EP.
Connect with Surefire on social media
Instagram: www.instagram.com/surefiremusicpgh/?hl=en
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Surefiremusicpgh
www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8Mt5OSfMvw