Wild Flag builds on its high early expectations

Few bands in recent memory have started out with higher expectations than Wild Flag.

Because its members previously played in beloved groups like Sleater-Kinney and Helium, Wild Flag was able to sell out shows before anyone heard a note of its music.

What fans found was the same mix of punk, indie rock and 1960s pop and garage rock that informed the members' previous bands, but with a spirit all its own. 

amNewYork spoke with Mary Timony, who, along with Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney and "Portlandia," is one of Wild Flag's two singer-guitarists.

Were you surprised at the excitement for this band? Yeah. I wasn't prepared for the amount of buzz we had. It was out of my experience as a musician, but it made it really fun.

Did you feel any pressure? I don't think any of us focused on it too much. We focused on making a record we liked and writing songs we felt good about.

A lot of the album is about your love of music, but when you recorded it, most of you were taking a break from music. What rekindled your love of playing? Of the lyrics I wrote, a few are about not having made music and feeling like I lost that part of my life. Returning to playing in a band made me excited.

What's different about this band than others you've been in? I hadn't been in a band that was a good live band before. With this band, it's really fun to play live because everyone is such a great performer and we try to make sure there's something a little different going on each night.

Is it hard to go from being a bandleader to being in a band that's more of a democracy? It's been great. It was exactly what I wanted to happen. I was burnt out on doing solo records. All I wanted to do was collaborate. I was thinking about something like this, then it happened.  

If you go: Wild Flag is at Celebrate Brooklyn! at Prospect Park Bandshell on Friday at 7 p.m., Prospect Park West, at 9th St., 718-855-7882, FREE.