Cuttings art by Jaime Zuverza / hi-res here

Band photo credit: Greg Babineau / higher res

John Beaudette - bass, guitar, melodica
Marc Beaudette - drums, percussion
Zack Brines - organ, piano, clavinet, rhodes
Jay Champany - dubwise engineer, mix

All inquiries - contact@flyingvipers.com

Social links:

Instagram

Facebook (shared account with Destroy Babylon)

Streaming links:

Music ADD Records

MusicADD.com

FLYING VIPERS

Deconstructed rhythms. Mutating melodies. Stark grooves. These are the hallmarks of dub, as invented by engineers like King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry in the early 1970's. Since the advent of digital technology, however, the art of achieving these qualities through live fader pushing and knob tweaking has largely been lost to the convenience of automation and programmed perfection.

Enter the Flying Vipers, armed with antiquated instruments, an archaic tape recorder (a Tascam 488 cassette 8-track), and a dangerous combination of strong coffee and stronger herb. Offering their own quirky twist on the tried and true formula for dub, their first two releases on Music ADD Records, The Green Tape (2015) and The Copper Tape (2016) simultaneously build on this foundation while traveling deep through time and space.

2017 saw the band release a vinyl 45 on Jump Up Records featuring Jamaican legend Johnny Clarke, as well as a Cassette Store Day exclusive, The Shadow Tape.

The band embraced their punk roots by covering all of Black Flag's first EP in heavy dub style (2019's Nervous Breakdub) on the 40th anniversary of the original release.

In February 2020, the Vipers may have been begrudgingly prophetic when they released the single "Two Twenties Clash", as shortly after the world turned upside down dealing with the Covid-19 crisis. While in quarantine, they released a couple reworked dubs as Pandemic Versions.

The Vipers released their first full length album, Cuttings, on July 3, 2020. Featuring 12 instrumental tracks, it rides an ebb and flow of hazy harmonies, possessed drum and bass, and the search for meditation amidst madness. Vinyl and cassette followed in October courtesy of Jump Up Records.

The core quartet of twins Marc & John Beaudette (Destroy Babylon, The Macrotones), Zack Brines (Pressure Cooker, Kings of Nuthin'), and Jay Champany (10 Ft. Ganja Plant) have 20+ years in the New England scene, sharing the stage with legendary reggae acts from around the world.

<a href="http://dl.destroybabylon.com/album/the-green-tape">The Green Tape by Flying Vipers</a>

DOWNLOAD

"Dragon Snout" (2:33)
from The Green Tape

"Alone for a Long Time (ft. Jay Champany)" (3:20)
from The Shadow Tape

PRESS

"...a record that we have been keeping on heavy, heavy rotation... one of the top reggae records of the year."
-DJ Prestige, Flea Market Funk (Nov. '20)

"Darting, shaking, vibrating sounds scramble the mind off repetitive, tip-toeing basslines, organ/piano, and rock steady horn blasts... Close your eyelids and sway; this absorbing, echoey juju is like a smokeless contact high!"
-Jack Rabid, Big Takeover Magazine (Issue #87, Nov. '20)

"Cuttings will leave a permanent mark on you and undoubtedly take a special place in your record collection."
-Thoughts Words Action (Nov. '20)

"Flying Vipers have one of the coolest names in reggae. Of course, having a great name makes no guarantee that the music will follow suit. In this case, it does. Drop the crystal on their new vinyl, Cuttings, and instantly be transported to a cramped, concrete bunker in Kingston, Jamaica."
-Rootfire interview (Oct. '20)

Reggae Podclash video review w/ Roger Rivas & Man-Like-Devin (Oct. '20)

"...indebted to the Jamaican engineers of the 70s who pioneered the heady sounds of dub... would make you believe this was a lost relic from the dawn of the genre."
-New Commute (Oct. '20)

"Boston’s Flying Vipers have produced a dub long-player made with feeling, and with a respectful and healthy nod of appreciation to the form’s originators such as Scratch, King Tubby and Augustus Pablo. The use of space echo, stark soundscapes and authentic instrumentation, all pulled together using the desk as an instrument itself, marks it out from other digitally produced modern releases."
-We Are Cult (Sept. '20)

"Cuttings, of course, refers not only to the leaves that have been harvested from cannabis plants, but these musical fruits of the band's labors in the studio--and they have one bounteous crop here... If you haven't been paying attention to this band, Cuttings is a brilliant introduction to the mighty Flying Vipers; and if you have, you're going to love this album."
-Stephen Shafer, Duff Guide (July '20)

"With their relaxed-confident rhythms and cool embellishments of sparkling keys, they can cool down the body and mind."
-The Deli Magazine (Jun. '20)

"...grimey and bouncy dub cuts that would sound at home coming out of King Tubby’s very own speakers."
*Selected for 2018 Most Anticipated Albums*
-The Pier Magazine (Jan. '18)

"Flying Vipers' Copper Tape is most likely the best new dub release you'll hear all year."
-Stephen Shafer, Duff Guide (Apr. '17)

"Forget that 2017 just started and time travel to King Tubby and Augustus Pablo’s music era with this heavy dub."
-ReggaeGooves.com (Jan. '17)

"Instrumental dub in the definitive Lee 'Scratch' Perry style... Green Tape feels impeccable, so full of pot's contact high sensations, that you could get stoned."
-Jack Rabid, Big Takeover Magazine (Issue #77, Oct. '15)

"Destroy Babylon Returns Incognito and in Control of the Dub as The Flying Vipers"
Review + Interview - BostonSka.net (Oct. '15)

"The Flying Vipers' Green Tape contains six fantastic tracks of tangibly warm, vibrant, and crisp dub instrumentals with great melodies--earworms, really-- that will move your body and elevate your mood."
-Stephen Shafer, Duff Guide to Ska (Sept. '15)

"...beautiful sax takes "Coffee Kush" to higher heights, while the mesmerizing "Tape Hiss" has great appeal due to the gentle sound of the melodica... it's obvious that it has been made with love and care."
-Reggae Vibes (Sept. '15)