Flat Duo Jets

[1][3] The band's front man Dexter Romweber is considered by many to be the "godfather" of the guitar and drums and "power duo" revival.

[1][6] Romweber and Smith met in fifth grade; by junior high school they had founded a band called The Remains which lasted for a year.

"[1] However, Romweber played a cheap black and white Silvertone 1448 guitar sold by Sears, without effects pedals.

[1][7] Flat Duo Jets played in the Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina area, as well as in Athens, Georgia.

People thought he was possessed…"[7] Another noted they sounded like "an edgy blend of blues, jazz, surf, and Sun Studio's white thrash.

[3] Director Tony Gayton filmed the band at a University of Georgia fraternity party and "still holds it as one of the greatest shows he’s ever seen.

He stampeded across a rickety frat house stage, gutting his Silvertone for bastard rockabilly licks against Crow's intemperate rhythm...His reckless performances made the rest of the Athens music scene—R.E.M., the B-52's, Pylon—seem pale.

[16][8] The trio version of Flat Duo Jets recorded their first release, In Stereo, live at home and in local studios.

[2][16] After hearing the EP, Duke University student Derek Huston was interested in playing with the band, and started joining them for some shows on tenor saxophone.

[6] In early September 1988, the band signed with Dog Gone Records, an independent label co-owned by Jefferson Holt, former manager of R.E.M.

[18] However, the Flat Duo Jets actual release and distribution was delayed by internal issues at Dog Gone Records.

[11] One reviewer noted, "The 14 tracks sizzle like a backwoods bonfire, Dex, Crow, and Tone playing with spontaneity and inspired abandon throughout.

[14] That year, Flat Duo Jets opened for The Cramps on the three-month Stay Sick tour of the United States.

It was a lot of work, you know, playing like six nights a week, 55 minutes sets in big halls and hitting about every major city in the U.S.

[21] The result was 1998's Lucky Eye, produced by both Litt and Chris Stamey, which demonstrated a markedly different approach from their previous lo-fi efforts.

[22] The band was disappointed by poor album sales, and Dexter and Crow went separate ways shortly after the release of Lucky Eye.

It included footage of Flat Duo Jets playing while on tour in 1986 or 1987[16] Two Headed Cow was made by Tony Gayton, who also directed Athens, GA: Inside/Out in 1987.

[23][24][9] The box set also included a 78-page booklet depicting early concert fliers, photos, and history by David Menconi, music critic for The News and Observer.

[25] Romweber pursued a solo career, touring with Cat Power, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Neko Case, and others.

"[9] During that tour, Rowmweber and Crash appeared as The Flat Duo Jets on The Furious Sessions at Sol de Sants Studios in Barcelona, Spain.

[28][24][9] In April 1986, the Flat Duo Jets played in a benefit for the North Carolina Radioactive Waste Watch.

[1] They also copied Flat Duo Jets "monochromatic color schemes, affinity for cheap plastic guitars, and simple, old-school songwriting…"[1] In the documentary It Might Get Loud, White plays Flat Duo Jets' recording of the traditional "Froggie Went A-Courtin'" and discusses the impact that the band had on him.

[7] In addition, The White Stripes used to cover Flat Duo Jet's "You Belong to Me" or "Apple Blossom Time" in their live shows.