New EP “Solastalgia” from Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter BATTLEFLAGG
The project of Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter, Jeff Hartwig, Battleflagg was conceived in 2020 after demoing a new set of songs and feeling the need to regain some agency in an age of personal, social and political unrest. Battleflagg is not so much a band but a collective of like-minded musicians and visual artists, formed during the pandemic to combat an age of creeping cynicism. With a sound that blends traditional rock instrumentation with ambient synths, drum loops and samples, Hartwig’s Battleflagg songs seek to straddle the Heartland/Americana/Indie rock divides, leaning into direct, heart-on-sleeve lyrics and arena-size, sing-along choruses.
Hartwig’s musical backstory is prolific. His first pro gig was opening for the Ramones as the lead singer of King Flux, made up of former members of punk rock innovators the Plasmatics, a show for which he was castigated by Johnny Ramone for jumping on Johnny's stage box during the opening set. After a year of powering through the downtown scene at CBGBs and other Lower East Side clubs, King Flux dissolved -- Richie Stotts, the band's founder, went on to grad school -- and Hartwig found himself opening as a solo act for bands on the Blues/Americana circuit, including The Holmes Brothers, Clarence Gatemouth Brown and Commander Cody.
Looking for a change of sound and scenery, the singer-songwriter moved to San Francisco in the late 90s, where he immediately fell into a thriving Indie/Americana/Punk scene. Fronting an Americana(ish) band called the Dangs, he established a strong following playing with then-rising bands Third Eye Blind, Cake and Train, who the Dangs opened for at the Fillmore Auditorium on the release of Train’s debut album. The Dangs also shared stages with many Americana/Indie acts while on tour, including Dave Alvin, The Connells, and Dash Rip Rock.
As the new Millenium approached, Hartwig inked a deal with About Records -- a UMG-distributed imprint formed by veteran music executive George Daly and producer/engineer Chuck Plotkin (Bruce Springsteen) -- as a solo artist, spending a year writing and developing songs for his first release. When About reorganized in the wake of the bursting dotcom bubble, however, Hartwig lost the momentum and was ready to make a change, this time to law school.
Over the next decade, Hartwig pursued a career in corporate law, all the while continuing to write songs and playing the occasional live show. In 2019, with numerous demos in hand and a new desire to be a part of the democratization of music distribution, Hartwig contacted Brit-Award winning producer, Chris Potter (Richard Ashcroft, Rolling Stones), who agreed to produce Battleflagg's first EP, The Blood Meridians, which was released by Hartwig's own label, Resolute Juke, in November 2022. The Blood Meridians was recorded in London and the south of England and would feature talent from both the UK and US, including the guitar work of Rob Marshall (Humanist) and Steve Wyremann (Richard Ashcroft), the drumming of Steve Sidelnyk (Seal), and the soul-searing vocals of Miko Marks.
After the release of The Blood Meridians, Hartwig again set the production process in motion. Upon hearing Sharon Van Etten's hit single, "Mistakes", and loving the sonic vibe, he reached out to its producer, Daniel Knowles (SVE, Cigarettes After Sex), to see if Mr. Knowles would have interest in producing his upcoming EP. Knowles listened to the demos and readily agreed to be a part of the project. After almost 18 months of recording and mixing, the new EP, Solastalgia, is out now. Co-produced by Knowles and Battleflagg, the breadth of musical collaborators on Solastalgia even exceeds that of The Blood Meridians and includes members of The War on Drugs, Ethel Cain, Japanese Breakfast and Elvis Costello.
When asked what he hopes people would take away from listening to his new music, Hartwig says "When listening to these songs, I want the listener to understand, and feel the power of, the simple snapshots described within, and how such moments are common to many. Hopefully, in understanding that the experiences in the songs are common to all of us, particularly in the face of massive change, the listener will find a deeper connection to the people and places around them."
