photos courtesy of Flight 619
The local music scene, especially Ohio, is continuing to thrive and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
In my three years at Kent State University, I’ve seen countless bands and performers at different venues throughout the area and they all have one thing in common: Passion.
No matter how small or how big their fan base or their audience may be, these bands play with everything they got, livening the entire venue and putting smiles on people’s faces.
There is one band, however, that stands out when it comes to entertaining their audience and bringing rock ‘n’ roll to the Ohio music scene: Flight 619.
The members of Flight 619
Formed back in 2014, the band consists of drummer Dylan Roth, guitarist Dave Rudolph, bassist Mark Matthews and singer/songwriter Dakota Wilkinson. Together, their music incorporates an animated mixture of guitar driven rock and melodic vocals backed with an exceptionally vigorous rhythm section.
Dakota is not only a hospitality management major at Kent State, but she is also a sister of the Delta Gamma sorority, attends a part 61 flight school, a licensed private pilot and a barista at Starbucks.
Dakota Wilkinson
She took time out of her busy schedule to talk about her experiences with the band so far via Facebook Messenger.
What started Flight 619?
My dad and I loved attending rock concerts and local music performances quite regularly. We decided together to start a band. My dad and I met our current bass player, Mark Matthews, as he was playing for a local rock band . We later became close friends through other followers of the band. We then found our drummer, Dylan Roth through Facebook. We first contacted Dylan to help build Mad Rabbit Media, which is our recording studio! We found out shortly after he began helping us that he was a great drummer. And we met our current guitar player, Dave Rudolph, through Dylan!
Dylan Roth on drums
What has been some of the best opportunities you and the band have gotten to experience since forming the band?
As a band I feel as if we have had amazing opportunities already. We have been down to Nashville to record twice with producer, Jon Denney. And we are headed back to Nashville next weekend for more recording. One of my biggest accomplishments with the band was playing in Tampa, Florida for an outdoor festival. The scenery was amazing. I also think that a huge accomplishment has been building our fan base. A lot of it has to do with how loyal the Akron Ohio music scene can be.
What inspires you to write the songs?
Oh gosh it ranges between a lot of different topics! Sometimes we write about things going on in the world. We just finished writing a song about how poorly the Earth has been treated. And other times I just want to channel into my teenage angst years and write about how angry I was with someone.
So I’ve noticed F.I.N.E and L.I.A.R are just a few fan favorites. Do you mind telling me what these songs are about?
F.I.N.E is about telling someone you’re “fine” when really you’re having a terrible day. It stands for “fed up, insecure, neurotic, emotionally chaotic.”
L.I.A.R, on the other hand, was written during the presidential election. I hated seeing people fighting with one another. People can be so cruel to one another just based on what they believe in. It saddens me to see that people can’t just get along! L.I.A.R stands for Love is a Refugee.
Although both songs have somewhat negative connotation, they can both be looked at as having hope for the world and for ourselves.
Do you guys have any plans on releasing new songs or an album anytime soon?
We hope to release two new songs after Nashville within the next few months! The record is being finished very soon and hopefully will be available this summer.
What are your guys’ plan for the band in the near future?
Just to continue writing, hanging out, practicing, and doing some gigs!
Dakota Wilkinson
Flight 619’s next gig is at the Empire Concert Club & Bar in Akron on June 23rd, performing along with Grim Republic, Red This Ever, and Manchester Road. If you want to check out of the band, check out their website.