Flatfoot 56

Last updated

Flatfoot 56
Flatfoot 56 2009 (3654172116).jpg
Flatfoot 56 performing in 2009
Background information
Origin Chicago, Illinois, US
Genres Oi!, Celtic punk, hardcore punk, punk rock, Christian punk
Years active2000–present
Labels Flicker, Old Shoe, Paper + Plastick, Sailor's Grave
Spinoffs6'10 (Tobin, Josh), Brick Assassin (Kyle), Sexually Frustrated (Kyle, Justin), The Uh Ohs (Josh), Fuerza Bruta (Kyle)
MembersTobin Bawinkel
Kyle Bawinkel
Keith Perez
Jon Nowicki
Josh Robieson
Past membersJustin Bawinkel
Brandon Good
Conrad Allsworth
Eric McMahon
Website www.flatfoot56.com

Flatfoot 56 is an American Celtic punk band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 2000. Known for their use of Scottish Highland bagpipes, the group performs an Oi! and Celtic punk sound similar to Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. [1] [2] They have released seven studio albums and seven extended plays; their fifth album, Black Thorn (2010), debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and No. 160 on the Billboard 200 at. [3]

Contents

History

2000–2004: Origins, Rumble of 56, and Waves of War

Flatfoot 56 formed in Chicago, Illinois in the summer of 2000, originally a three-piece punk band consisting of brothers Tobin, Justin, and Kyle Bawinkel. The brothers started writing songs together in the fall, and by the Christmas season they were playing their first concert. Josh Robieson (bagpipes, guitar, mandolin) joined the group in January 2001, adding Highland bagpipes and a second guitar to their sound. [4]

Following a self-titled demo EP in 2001, the band recorded their first studio album, Rumble of 56, in the summer of 2002, at the Noise Chamber studio in Rockford, Illinois. Their second album, Waves of War, was released in 2003. [5] Their song "That's OK" had heavy radio play on stations across the Midwestern United States.[ citation needed ] It has been known as one of the higher-rated songs Flatfoot 56 has ever played and is a crowd favorite at live performances.[ citation needed ]

2004–2008: Knuckles Up, signing to Flicker, and Jungle of the Midwest Sea

In 2004, Flatfoot 56 performed at the Cornerstone Festival in Illinois for a crowd of about 700 people.[ citation needed ] It was at this concert that the band released their third album, Knuckles Up. It has been the band's best-selling record, and the group continues to record and tour. The band has been signed to Flicker Records and has re-released Knuckles Up through the label. Their fourth record, Jungle of the Midwest Sea , was released on May 15, 2007. [6]

2008–2011: Signing to Old Shoe and Black Thorn

After the release of Jungle, the band embarked on tours, appearing at festivals including Skanksgiving (2008), [7] [8] Sonshine Festival (2008, 2009, 2011), [9] and Warped Tour. [10] They also appeared on the Warped Tour's 2010 Tour Compilation album, and recorded a song for the Swingin Utters tribute album Untitled 21: A Juvenile Tribute to the Swingin' Utters.

In January 2009, the band announced on their website that they were recording a fifth album.[ citation needed ] On December 18 of the same year, it was officially announced that they had signed to the California-based Old Shoe Records for the release of their new album, Black Thorn . The album was initially due for release St. Patricks Day (March 17) 2010, but was delayed until March 30, 2010.[ citation needed ] Upon its release, the album debuted at No. 2 on Billboard Heatseekers New Artist Chart, and on the Billboard Top 200 at No. 160, among other Billboard charts. [3] The video for the Black Thorn single "Courage" was nominated for a 2010 Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award for 'Best Director', and another album track, "Born For This", was featured on the Old Shoe compilation album Welcome to the Family Vol. 4. [11] Black Thorn was included in Spin magazine's "List of 7 Life Changing Records". [12]

2011–2017: Signing to Paper + Plastick and Toil

While on tour in 2011, Flatfoot 56 played at Summerfest in Milwaukee with Less than Jake. Less than Jake drummer Vinnie Fiorello, owner of Paper + Plastick Records, saw the band play and was impressed by their energy and performance. [13] When he discovered that the band was looking for a record label, he offered to sign them. Paper + Plastick officially announced the signing in October 2011. [14] The band reteamed with Black Thorn producer Johnny Rioux, feeling the familiarity would allow them to work more freely, [13] and recorded the album in January 2012 at Atlas Studios in Chicago. [15] [16] The album, Toil, was released on July 30, 2012 [17] and received favorable reviews from Alternative Press and AbsolutePunk , with the latter writing: “It’s not every day you come across a Christian group that’s unabashedly liberal politically. On Toil, it’s much less a gimmick and much more a reflection of the band’s genuity – their working class roots and the ability they have to combine faith, culture and song to stand up for them. That, to me, deserves a respect that runs deeper than the freshness, or lack thereof, of a melody.” [18]

2017–present: Sailor's Grave, Odd Boat, and other recordings

In 2017, the band crowdfunded a seventh studio album, Odd Boat, released through Sailor's Grave Records. [6] The record spawned two singles, "Cain" and the title track. The group also released an EP, The Vancouver Sessions, through Sailor's Grave the following year.

In 2022, the band released a split EP with The Rumjacks, spawning the singles "Mud" and "Sorry".

Side projects

Bassist Kyle Bawinkel sings for the hardcore side project Sexually Frustrated.[ citation needed ]

The Flatfoot 56 songs "Shiny Eyes", "Son of Shame", and "We Grow Stronger" were featured in the third season of the FX drama series Sons of Anarchy . [19]

Flatfoot 56 also performed two tracks for WWE: Johnny Curtis's theme, "I Told You So" [20] and a version of Irish-born wrestler Sheamus's theme, "Written In My Face".

Members

Josh Robieson, the bagpiper of Flatfoot 56 Josh Robieson.jpg
Josh Robieson, the bagpiper of Flatfoot 56

Current

Former

Discography

Studio albums

YearTitleChart positionsLabel
Billboard

200

Christian

Albums

Heatseekers

Albums

Independent

Albums

2002Rumble of 56independent
2003Waves of War
2004Knuckles Upindependent;

Flicker (re-release)

2007 Jungle of the Midwest Sea Flicker
2010 Black Thorn 160 [21] 11 [21] 2 [21] 17 [21] Old Shoe
2012 Toil Paper + Plastick
2017Odd BoatSailor's Grave

EPs

YearTitleLabel
2001Flatfoot 56independent
2006The EPFlicker
2007The Sounds of Midway
2012I Believe ItPaper + Plastick
2015Flatfoot 56 / 6'10Flix Records
2018The Vancouver SessionsSailor's Grave
2022 The Rumjacks / Flatfoot 56Figure Four

Singles

YearSongAlbum
2006"Brotherhood"Knuckle Up
"This Town"
"Loaded Gun"Jungle of the Midwest Sea
2007"Warriors
2009"The Hourglass"Black Thorn
2010"Courage"
2012"I Believe It"Toil
2017"Stutter"Odd Boat
"Odd Boat"
2018"CainThe Vancouver Sessions
2022"Mud"The Rumjacks / Flatfoot 56
"Sorry"

Music videos

YearSongDirector
2006"Brotherhood"
"This Town"
"Loaded Gun"
2007"Warriors
2009"The Hourglass"Bryan Buchelt
2010"Courage"Kendal Miller
2012"I Believe It"
2017"Stutter"Bryan Buchelt
"Odd Boat"James Gregory Wightman
2018"CainJLS Collective
2022"Mud"Elijah Settles
"Sorry"

Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResult
2008 Jungle of the Midwest Sea Rock Album of the Year (Dove Award) [22] Nominated
2010 "Courage" Outstanding Achievement for Individual Excellence Off Camera [23] Nominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camper Van Beethoven</span> American rock band from Redlands, California

Camper Van Beethoven is an American rock band formed in Redlands, California in 1983, later based in Santa Cruz and San Francisco. Their style mixes elements of pop, ska, punk, folk, alternative, country, and world music, amongst other genres. The band initially polarized audiences within the hardcore punk scene of California's Inland Empire and then found wider acceptance and, eventually, an international audience. Their strong iconoclasm and emphasis on do-it-yourself values proved influential to the burgeoning indie rock movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blind Melon</span> American rock band

Blind Melon is an American rock band formed in 1990 in Los Angeles, California. The band consists of guitarists Rogers Stevens and Christopher Thorn, drummer Glen Graham, vocalist Shannon Hoon and bassist Nathan Towne. They are best known for their 1992 hit "No Rain", and enjoyed critical and commercial success in the early 1990s with their neo-psychedelic take on alternative rock. The band has sold over 3.2 million albums in the United States as of 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Less Than Jake</span> American punk band

Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida, formed in 1992. The band consists of Chris DeMakes, Roger Lima, Matt Yonker (drums), Buddy Schaub (trombone), and Peter "JR" Wasilewski (saxophone).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Explosion</span> American punk rock band

The Explosion is an American punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. On February 13, 2007, the band announced that they had left Virgin Records, and on April 30, 2007, that they were to split up. On September 4, 2007, the band played their final show in New York though they have subsequently played multiple reunion shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social Distortion</span> American punk rock band

Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness, Jonny Wickersham, Brent Harding, David Hidalgo Jr. (drums), and David Kalish (keyboards).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawthorne Heights</span> American rock band

Hawthorne Heights is an American rock band from Dayton, Ohio, formed in 2001. Originally called A Day in the Life, their lineup currently consists of JT Woodruff, Matt Ridenour, Mark McMillon, and Chris Popadak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Wilhelm Scream</span> American rock band

A Wilhelm Scream is a melodic hardcore band from New Bedford, Massachusetts, formed in 1999. Their music has been compared to Strung Out, Hot Water Music, Propagandhi, and Strike Anywhere as the band's similar artists. Their name is a reference to the Wilhelm scream, a famous stock sound effect mainly used in films. The band previously went by the names Koen, Adam's Crack, and Smackin' Isaiah, though the last was the only name to be used in any major releases. "The reason for the name changes from Koen to Smackin' Isaiah, then to A Wilhelm Scream was really a matter of them adding new members, and progressing/maturing as a band."


The Go Set are a five-piece punk rock band, which were formed in 2003 in Geelong by founding mainstays, Justin Keenan, on vocals and guitar, and Mark Moran on bass guitar. By 2017 they had released seven studio albums and toured Australia, Europe, New Zealand and Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enter the Haggis</span> Canadian Celtic rock band

Enter the Haggis is a Canadian Celtic rock band based in Toronto. The band was founded in 1995 by Craig Downie, the only remaining original member in the lineup, which currently consists of Downie, Brian Buchanan, Trevor Lewington, Caroline Browning (bass), and Bruce McCarthy (drums). For about a year, starting in late 2014, they recorded and performed under the name Jubilee Riots, and released their eighth studio album Penny Black under that name, before returning to the original name.

<i>The Meanest of Times</i> 2007 studio album by Dropkick Murphys

The Meanest of Times is the sixth studio album by American celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys. It was released on September 18, 2007, through their vanity label, Born & Bred Records, a division of Cooking Vinyl Records. The album was their first to not be released through Hellcat Records and their last to feature guitarist Marc Orrell, who left the band following the tour in support of the album. The picture on the album's cover was taken at Saint Brendan School in Dorchester, Massachusetts, close to Quincy, Massachusetts whence the band hails. Local kids posed in the picture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juliet Simms</span> American singer-songwriter

Juliet Nicole Simms, also known as Lilith Czar, is an American singer and songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Loss for Words</span> American pop punk band

A Loss for Words was an American pop punk band from Abington, Massachusetts.

Johnny Rioux is a musician primarily known for playing in and working with many punk rock bands. He was initially based in Boston, MA but is now based in Texas. Rioux is most known for his tenure as bass guitarist with the Street Dogs with whom he joined in 2003. In February 2020, Rioux and lead singer and founding member Mike McColgan announced that after 17 years the Street Dogs were disbanding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Hause</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1978)

Dave Hause is an American singer-songwriter. He currently performs both solo and with his band The Mermaid. His music draws from heartland rock, folk rock and punk rock. He has also played in multiple Philadelphia-area punk and hardcore bands, including The Loved Ones and The Falcon.

<i>Devils Brigade</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Devils Brigade

Devils Brigade is the debut album by the rock band Devils Brigade, a side project by Matt Freeman of Rancid. The band, which performs a mix of punk rock and psychobilly, features Freeman on lead vocals and double bass in contrast to the backing vocals and bass guitar he typically performs in Rancid. Originally envisioned as a concept album about the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, Devils Brigade was co-written by Freeman and his longtime bandmate Tim Armstrong, who also played guitar on the album and served as record producer alongside Ryan Foltz. The album also features X drummer DJ Bonebrake and contributions from Rancid's Lars Frederiksen, and was released August 31, 2010 through Armstrong's label Hellcat Records.

<i>Black Thorn</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Flatfoot 56

Black Thorn is the fifth studio album by the Chicago celtic punk band Flatfoot 56. It was released as a part of the tenth anniversary of the band's founding to mostly positive reviews by critics. The album, produced by Johnny Rioux, is the best selling Flatfoot 56 album so far entering the Billboard Heatseekers Chart at number two, after a week of sales.

<i>Jungle of the Midwest Sea</i> 2007 studio album by Flatfoot 56

Jungle of the Midwest Sea is the fourth studio album by the Chicago celtic punk band Flatfoot 56. The album was released on May 15, 2007 by Flicker Records. The album received critical acclaim and the band embarked on several tours after the release. The album was produced by The O.C. Supertones members, Ethan Luck & Daniel Spencer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dopamines</span> American punk rock band

The Dopamines are an American punk rock band from Cincinnati formed in late 2006 by Matt Hemingway (drums), Jon Lewis and Jon Weiner. In 2008, Hemingway left the band and was replaced by Michael Dickson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheap Girls</span> American rock band

Cheap Girls were an American rock band from Lansing, Michigan. The band consisted of brothers Ian Graham and Ben Graham, Jason Draper (Bass) and Adam Aymor (guitar). Formed in 2007, the band quickly began recording and touring, releasing their first album, Find Me a Drink Home in 2008. Together, they released four full-length studio albums. The band toured with bands such as Against Me!, The Gaslight Anthem, The Hold Steady, and The Bouncing Souls across the US and Europe. Their sound was often compared to The Replacements, The Lemonheads, and early Smoking Popes.

<i>Toil</i> (album) 2012 studio album by Flatfoot 56

Toil is a studio album by the Chicago Celtic punk band Flatfoot 56, released on August 14, 2012, by Paper + Plastick. The release is the fourth studio album released by the group since they were signed by a label. Johnny Rioux, a member of the Celtic punk band Street Dogs, returned as the producer.

References

  1. Barrett, Tyler. "Jungle of the Midwest Sea (2007)". Punknews.org. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  2. Walsh, Jason. "Flatfoot 56: Black Thorn". AMP . Archived from the original on December 28, 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  3. 1 2 Archived April 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  4. https://www.mlive.com/entertainment/kalamazoo/2011/02/flatfoot_56_does_celtic_punk_w.html
  5. https://www.discogs.com/release/2687828-Flatfoot-5ifty6ix-Waves-Of-War
  6. 1 2 Monger, James Christopher. "Flatfoot 56". Allmusic . Retrieved November 11, 2010.
  7. "Ska Is Dead - Home". skaisdead.com. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  8. "Alternative Press | News | Ska is Dead Tour presents Skanksgiving '08 Fest". Alternative Press . Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
  9. "SONSHINE FAMILY AND FRIENDS FESTIVAL, 13-16 July 2011". March 26, 2011. Archived from the original on March 26, 2011.
  10. Flatfoot 56 steps to its own street-punk beat on Boston Herald ; Thompson, Barry (Dec 15, 2010)
  11. "Flatfoot 56 featured on new Old Shoe compilation". Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  12. "Eternal Rebel Gavin McInnes' 7 Life-Changing Records". Spin. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  13. 1 2 Moore 2012
  14. Archived August 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  15. "Welcome Flatfoot 56 to the Family" 2011
  16. Flatfoot 56 2012
  17. Archived March 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  18. "Flatfoot 56 - Toil". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  19. Thompson, Barry. "Flatfoot 56 steps to its own street-punk beat". Boston Herald. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  20. "I Told You So". iTunes. July 25, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  21. 1 2 3 4 "Black Thorn - Flatfoot 56". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  22. "Nominations Announced for 39th GMA Dove Awards". CBN.com. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  23. "Indie programming up for Nov. 6 Emmy Awards". ReelChicago. Retrieved April 11, 2011.

Works cited

Further reading