Nash (Guitar), Zev (Vocals), and Eli Gold (Drums) started playing together in Florida, writing songs and playing covers of their favorite bands like Sublime and Jack Johnson for their own amusement. The following year, Nash left for Israel and Zev and Eli returned to their home in suburban Chicago, continuing what began in Florida. During Nash's time in Israel, Zev met Avi (Bass) at a course in Chemistry at a local College. Avi had taken a year-long hiatus from performing after leaving his p...
Nash (Guitar), Zev (Vocals), and Eli Gold (Drums) started playing together in Florida, writing songs and playing covers of their favorite bands like Sublime and Jack Johnson for their own amusement. The following year, Nash left for Israel and Zev and Eli returned to their home in suburban Chicago, continuing what began in Florida. During Nash's time in Israel, Zev met Avi (Bass) at a course in Chemistry at a local College. Avi had taken a year-long hiatus from performing after leaving his previous band, Lucius Warbaby. Zev also had a history of performing on stage, with groups including the Niles North Jazz Choir and Free Porn Industry, as well as stage appearances with two founding members of Cornmeal. Upon Nash's return to the United States, the four immediately discovered a unique musical chemistry.
Playing around with a few originals and some Sublime covers in a basement, they enjoyed making music together so much it was a logical step to form a band. They played their first show before they even had a name, at a small house party on the Jewish holiday of Purim (a holiday known for costumes and drinking) in 2008. The response to their performance was so positive, it was evident they needed a name. Within a few weeks, the Gold brothers had come up with several names, but the band could not come to an agreement. Finally, after much silence by Avi, he brought in a list of 20 or so names. Among the names, near the middle of the list, was a name that caught their eyes: Flow Theory. Unanimously, they decided to take on Flow Theory as a name. It was at that point that they began to play multiple times a week, consistently. This immediately impacted their music, creating more ambitious tunes than ever before.
As the rest of the year went by they continued to play as Flow Theory in their jam space. They wrote new songs, tweaked the songs they already had, and developed as musicians, though they were not playing gigs. It was during that early period that a life changing event happened to Flow Theory. They attended a premiere music festival in Michigan. At the music festival, they were fascinated by the bands and the countless number of people who came to enjoy live music. They quickly realized that Flow Theory could be good enough to perform onstage at such a level if they put in the hard work and dedication that was evident in the performers they were admiring.
Flow Theory started to play almost every day and began gigging regularly. At that time they were still a rock band, taking cues from hard rock bands like Primus, alternative acts like Cake, and ska bands like Sublime. They played their songs straight and tried to rock them out with passion each time. For a while this was enough.
As the band's skills progressed, they naturally began to experiment with news genres of music as well as improvisational jamming during practice. They integrated sounds from funk, middle eastern music, jam music, and even instrumental electronica. The inevitable direction of the music crafted was a more experimental and improvisational style onstage as well.
After much consideration Flow Theory decided to change the overall direction of the band and become a jam band in earnest. However, there are marked differences between Flow Theory and the typical jam band. One particular edge we hold is Zev's ability to jam as a vocalist. He is able to improvise lyrics and tunes during jams in addition to his talents as a songwriter. Also, Nash and Avi create an innovative interplay between guitar and bass, creating melodic, harmonic, and groove-based jams. Eli's jamming technique on drums brings a percussion-like element to the music. Their stage performance has become charged with a controlled yet spontaneous energy.
The band has taken an active role in organizing and participating in philanthropic and socially conscious endeavors, including benefit concerts and charitable work. They have created a mini-festival called PurimFest starting in 2010 that contibuted to three different charitable organizations in its inaugural year. PurimFest 2010 featured local, regional, and nationally touring acts.
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