Brian Wilson had no idea who the hell Adam Paskowitz was the first time they met. But Paskowitz, frontman for the L.A. modern rock group the Flys, didn't take it personally.

"I went to see Brian and briefly had a chance to say hello and he didn't know who I was, but the lead singer from the Smashing Pumpkins was there and he didn't know who he was, either," Paskowitz says of his first meeting with the Beach Boys' mastermind. "He's just out of that loop, man, because he doesn't know me from Billy Corgan or Beck or Eddie Vedder."

First [non]impressions notwithstanding, however, Paskowitz scored a major coup when he was able to secure Pet Sounds sample clearance from Wilson for the Fly's new album, Outta My Way.

"I took some of the harmonies from Pet Sounds, and some other stuff that had never been released, and manipulated them in some cool ways and sent it to Brian and he loved it," says the animated singer about Outta My Way's Beach Boys-seasoned tracks "No Sad Story" and "Outta My Way."

Even before he got Wilson's blessing, Paskowitz was known to describe his outfit as "the hardcore Beach Boys." Unlike the real deal, however, the majority of the Flys -- Paskowitz, drummer Jack Holder and bassist James Book -- actually surf. (Only guitarist Peter Perdichizzi, a former mountain biker, stays clear of the waves.) According to Paskowitz, who is a product of his family's world-renowned surf camp and a former professional wave rider, the band makes surfing while on tour a priority. "We have surfboards stashed throughout the country in Florida and New York and New Jersey," he says. "In fact, Adam Carolla [of Loveline and The Man Show fame] recently said to me, 'You're a surfer and you're a rock star? You must need three penises.'"

According to Paskowitz, Outta My Way "is about a true surfer's lifestyle." The singer says his father was "one of the first real white men to surf in Hawaii," explaining that he was raised on the beach, living out of a van like a nomad with his parents and his eight home-schooled siblings. "Growing up, we didn't have records," Paskowitz says. "My mom used to sing opera."

To date, the Flys are best known for last year's Top 5 Modern Rock smash "Got You (Where I Want You)" and its accompanying Katie Holmes-starring video. They look to repeat that success with Outta My Way's lead single, "Losin' It," which has been lighting up request lines at rock stations nationwide. Just prior to the release of the album, the band appeared in a February episode of Fox Television's Party of Five, performing the likely follow up single, "No Sad Story."

The title of that song pretty much sums up the remarkable ride the Flys have already enjoyed. One obvious highlight in the Flys' career to date was opening for the Rolling Stones on their last U.S. tour. "That was truly an awesome experience," enthuses Paskowitz. "There's two rides you get with the Rolling Stones: you get the ride that they make you wish you were never in the music business; and then you get the ride that we got, where you're hanging out backstage with Mick Jagger while Keith Richards is onstage starting the set. It's just bad ass. Meanwhile all the roadies are like, [feigning a Cockney accent] 'C'mon Mick you've gotta go,' and I'm like, 'Hey Mick, they're playing your song.'"

Although the band's career trajectory is still on the rise, fans of the Flys who got onboard for 1998's Holiday Man are likely to notice that the young band has already undergone a significant lineup change: the loss of Paskowitz's brother and co-vocalist, Josh. "Basically, my dad called me up and said, 'Josh wants out of the band,' and I said 'OK,' and that was it," says Paskowitz, explaining that his brother left to pursue his own record deal.

The reduction in membership hasn't seemed to have slowed down the Flys. If anything, it's helped the group tighten its focus. While the last album flirted with hip-hop, the aptly-titled Outta My Way jettisons those elements in favor of a streamlined hard rock attack.

"We didn't want to be a rock 'n' rap band -- we just wanted to be a little funky," Paskowitz explains. "And now we've found a suit that fits."

JOHN D. LUERSSEN
(April 22, 2000)