Larry and His Flask — Happily, Half Full - The Source

“Don’t lose hope, because it’s not impossible that we might play again.”

So said Larry and His Flask member Andrew Carew, addressing fans in the farewell-ish article “Is the Flask Empty?” the Source published in early 2020.

Yet to the delight of fans, Larry and His Flask are back, for the time being, at least, playing locally and “selectively touring,” says founding member Jeshua Marshall.

Chatting with the Source by phone, Marshall detailed LAHF three-city tour through the Pacific Northwest that will kick off at Silver Moon Brewing on March 27. Tickets are still available.

The occasion for LAHF’s quasi-reunion is the 15-year anniversary of the band’s album, “All That We Know.” It’s the group’s fifth album, Marshall points out, but it’s the first album where the members felt their sound had grown into its own.

“It’s our first album that really encapsulates what the band has become since it transformed from a grimy, hardcore punk band to more of an Americana, harmony-driven banjo and horns kinda vibe,” Marshall said.

Presently, Larry and His Flask is a six-piece, including: Marshall (stand-up bass, harmonica and baritone horn); Ian Cook (electric guitar and lead vocals); Carew (banjo and vocals); Jamin Marshall (stand-up drums and vocals); Brandon Prinzing (acoustic guitar and backing vocals); and Miguel Mendoza (trumpet).

When the punk-rock/Americana outfit, which formed in Redmond in 2003 when some members were still in high school, went on hiatus in 2019, life on the road had taken its toll, Marshall says. As members edge toward 40, long drives between venues and histrionics in the van have taken back seats to starting families and building careers.

But one of the pleasant discoveries of getting older is that giving into “adult” responsibilities can offer a stabilizing foundation. When home and work life are finally good, Marshall agrees, staying rad and thrashin’ the tunes that made early life exciting is way more feasible.

“We don’t want to go back on the road for 250 shows each year,” Marshall says. “But we’d like to work on some new music and keep doing selective touring.”

The making of “All That We Know” also marks a distinct place and time for LAHF. The group had just signed to Silver Sprocket, a San Francisco indie label. That signing opened the doors to the greater indie rock touring circuit, including billing on the barnstorming Vans Warped Tour.
“‘All That We Know’ became a fan-favorite album and a super important one for us,” Marshall said. “We had figured out how to play these songs while touring the country, busking on the streets of New York and New Orleans.”

Busking is how LAHF spent downtime — and earned crucial extra scratch — between sets on tours that, all told, have taken them through every American state and 14 European countries.

The recording on “All That We Know” is career-defining for Marshall and his bandmates as well. Aside from finally making enough money to get by since the Silver Sprocket signing, LAHF had fallen in with the members of the NorCal indie scene, particularly Willy Tea Taylor, whom they met at an open mic in Stockton (not always the friendliest of locales).

Marshall describes Taylor as an almost “a mystic cowboy” figure, “an excellent songwriter who’s become a really good friend.” LAHF spent time with Taylor and his family and their NorCal tea farm, even recording the song “Slow it Down” — which is the “All That We Know” album closer — in Taylor’s barn. The patriarch and his family members pitch in on backing vocals, Marshall recalled.

“It was just a special, collaborative project that means a lot to all us,” Marshall said. “We decided to bring the band back together and see if people still remember us.”

In addition to the short-and-sweet Pacific Northwest tour, LAHF will join legendary Celtic punk band Flogging Molly on its Salty Dog Cruise in late October. The Salty Dog is a live-music cruise ship showcase that will pit-stop at Caribbean ports when not thrashing the high-seas with nightly sets from a dozen punk bands.

Marshall alludes to more LAHF shows in Central Oregon, yet details have yet to be hammered down.

Larry and His Flask
Friday, Mar. 27, 7pm
Silver Moon Brewing
24 NW Greenwood Ave, Bend
https://www.bendticket.com/events/larry-and-his-flask-all-that-we-know-15-year-anniversary-show-3-27-2026
$22.94