A New Leaf On Life

"It was definitely a bit strange, but then all change is. That doesn't mean it's not necessary.” Like a paragon of Zen, Flyleaf bass player Pat Seals explains what it was like for the band to go through their only line-up change in a decade of existence. After managing to maintain a stable line-up, last year former Flyleaf vocalist Lacey Sturm said 'adios' as the band were in the middle of making New Horizons, the follow-up to the band's successful 2009 record, Memento Mori.

“Lacey left at the end of the songwriting, but we hadn't recorded them yet, So we went into it knowing that this was going to be our last record with Lacey, if not our last record at all and I think that helped fuel us to focus and not phone anything in and really write some great songs. It worked out in the end.”

Not only did Lacey's departure mark the band's first line-up struggle, but it also left the remaining band members the unenviable task of replacing a lead singer, one who just happened to be a rather pretty American girl. Seals confesses there where moments when he thought it was all over – but ultimately Flyleaf prevailed.

“A lot of what kept us going was the songs. And I think the four of us, before Kristen [May] approached us, didn't feel like we were done. We didn't want to let New Horizons go to sleep and those songs to never be heard. I think the general drive to create and work pushed us on.”

Not only did Seals feel the desire to create, but also to present the material off of New Horizons to fans. According to the bassist, it's not until you hear a song live that you can totally understand it. “They're just objects on a record [otherwise]. I mean, they can still be amazing, but they're dead in a way. When you see a band play a song live it sears into your soul.”

Now that Flyleaf have had plenty of time out on the road in support of New Horizons with new vocalist May, Seals feels the band have found their groove with the New Horizons material. “Kristen really knows how to project her presence. She can draw the audience in and lift them up with her joie de vivre. She's really physical, she dances a lot and brings a great deal of kinetic excitement to our show. That influences how we're playing. I feel like we're not all rowing in different directions. Kristen is this person who's a helm, and is such a big presence so we all know how to fall in behind her.”

The success of the tours that Flyleaf have undertaken since May joined the band seem to be the genesis of Seals' Zen 'tude. According to the bassist, “we're a new band in a way. We're still Flyleaf but I think the time for a season of happiness has arrived.”

A taste of that new band can be heard on their latest EP, Who We Are, which features four live songs with the new vocalist and one brand new studio effort, and Seals promises that fans aren't going to have wait too long to hear more. “Working with Kristen has been a dream. She brings this really bright feeling with her. We've just finished a five-song session and as the year progresses we'll have a nice batch of songs to pick for a new release. Hopefully we'll have something out in the [northern] fall [of next year].”