Trap and release

“I’ve been in a [mosh] pit where I’ve fallen down, and usually nine times out of 10 everyone stops and pushes people out of the way and helps you up and makes sure you’re OK,” says local Sacramento musician Nate Flygare.

Flygare, also known as Emoflytrap, says he found his voice through sharing his pain with others and says he hopes to inspire a sense of community and togetherness through his music.

“I always felt like I was an outcast because ever since I was little, I never really had many friends, so I would just play guitar in my room and play along to Blink-182 or Green Day,” he said. “Then I met friends who liked music, and found myself.”

Flygare considers his music to be emo-alternative, noting that some of his biggest musical inspirations are Kurt Cobain, Tom DeLonge and Lil Peep. Flygare says he believes that artists like these help to normalize sadness and help pull people out of dark places.

“I really connected to them on a personal level of being an outcast and [them] just being themselves and being able to release it in the same way,” Flygare said.

Flygare performs solo as Emoflytrap, but he is also part of a larger rap collective consisting of 13 other members, called Refry Worldwide. Refry was formed by Flygare, Ethan Micheal O’Brien, and Daniel Portillo roughly three years ago and has since added many members.

“Even though we have our core members, our biggest thing is just trying to work with as many talented people as we can,” O’Brien said, “We’re just looking for nice people who want to make songs, have fun, be successful and try to make some money.”

Each member performs under a stage name, and the shows feature all 14 performers, sometimes all onstage at once. O’Brien and Portillo produce the group members’ solo music, as well as the music for Refry.

“We’re a collective where we all do our solo stuff, but we also do stuff together, like everything,” Flygare said, “People are always trying to put music in a box but you can literally do anything you want with it.”

Both at Flygare’s solo shows and his group shows, crowds of young people in black clothing, dark makeup and colored hair join together to make one mosh pit. Flygare says the feeling of being in a crowd is about being “super-hyped” and excited for the music.

He describes moshing as pushing and jumping around in the crowd, but not with the intention to hurt others, instead to connect with them.

“You really feel connected and able to get out your energy and emotions,” Flygare said.

For the past year, Flygare has been working on a full-length unnamed concept album that deals with the challenges and changes that come from getting older, scheduled to come out this summer. He said he may call the album Twenty, depending on its release date.

His biggest hope for his music is people knowing they are not alone.

“I’ve worked on this throughout the hardship of [being] 19 and being 20, and it’s a hard age to be—the transition from being a teenager and trying to grow and trying to get your life back on track, and kind of graduate from being a youth.”