by Jason Walsh
photos by Jez Beasley
The brothers Bawinkel from Chicago’s South Side are celebrating the tenth anniversary of FLATFOOT 56 and this year has surely proven that they are continuing to progress forward. Tobin, Justin, and Kyle are spreading their blend of Celtic street-punk to every corner of the planet with a new record, “Black Thorn,” and maddening touring schedules, which has included the WARPED TOUR, a current run in Europe, and dates set with STREET DOGS and SICK OF IT ALL at the end of the year. Vocalist and guitarist Tobin Bawinkel said that the landmark year has been a whirlwind.
“It's hard to believe we're already in the last part of 2010,” said Tobin. “It's been an incredible year for us and we haven't really stopped to take a breath, and it doesn't look like we'll be doing that anytime soon.”
FLATFOOT 56 capped off the summer with some dates abroad after covering the U.S. extensively during the early part of the year. After countless shows, Tobin expressed that the experience overseas is unlike that in the Americas.
“We're only in Europe for a short run of Germany and The Netherlands right now, but we're having a blast,” he said. “Living in a van and touring the U.S., you kind of see the same sights over and over, but going to Europe is great because we see so may amazing countries and people and cultures. The countryside is beautiful and the people are very fun to be around. I guess what makes it special too is that we don't do it often enough. Coming to Europe is a nice break and a bit of a cultural injection for us. We love it. The fans here are almost as crazy as back home in the States.”
This past March, FLATFOOT 56 released their third label-backed studio offering, “Black Thorn.” This collection of new songs truly represent the band’s development since their previous albums, “Knuckles Up” and “Jungle of the Midwest Sea.”
“We really worked hard on that record and poured our heart and soul into it,” Tobin said. “We wanted to write a record that kept the flavor of FLATFOOT 56, but also focused on topics and subject matter that were more relevant to us culminating in our ten years as a band, and showed maturity. We owe a lot to our producer, Johnny Rioux, for helping guide us and pushing us to shape these songs into what you hear on the record.”
STREET DOGS bassist Johnny Rioux took the helm on “Black Thorn” as the album’s producer. Rioux had become familiar with the guys from FLATFOOT 56 after hitting the road with them in 2009.
“I was really excited to work with Flatfoot 56 for a number of reasons,” Rioux said. “Mainly because they are such great guys and have a lot of energy and ambition. Street Dogs had them on tour and we had the best time. But, it was a challenge I am all too familiar with.”
In modern times, Irish-influenced music in America has been defined by its two most recognized interpreters, DROPKICK MURPHYS and FLOGGING MOLLY. Not only Rioux’s challenge, but the challenge of every Celtic band is to find a unique voice and definitive sound that doesn’t come off like a carbon copy of their predecessors. Rioux knew what he was up against when he took on the project.
“The comparisons of being Dropkick Murphys’ ‘red-headed stepchild’ or ‘little brothers’ obviously struck a chord with me and gave me a ton of ideas to help steer them in their own direction. I wanted it to sound like a finely-oiled machine of a Chicago punk rock and Celtic band making a driving record in Texas. I'm really happy that people seem to get that. They are also a very spiritual band, where I am not so much, so I wanted to help them deliver the messages they were trying to convey in a way that a guy like me could relate with.”
Where many punk-rooted bands have come from negative upbringings and hostile environments, the Bawinkel boys grew up in a positive Christian family, with their father, Pastor Dan Bawinkel, serving as a spiritual leader and role model. The roots of FLATFOOT 56 stem back to early rehearsals in their church’s empty sanctuary at the Risen Savior Assembly in God in Chicago‘s South Side. Though working with a Christian influenced outfit was not familiar territory for Rioux, he agreed it was an enjoyable experience collaborating with a determined and focused group.
“It was alot of fun,” Rioux said. “I'm used to working with guys you have to pull out of the bar, or make sure they have the right combination of rest, caffeine, and THC (laughs), but with these guys it was a month of dedicated work. When they wanted a break, they'd search out Blackhawks games anywhere, pizza parties, and Justin even spent an afternoon whittling a heart from a piece of wood for his wife at Valentine’s Day. Totally different experience and really cool. They were completely open to new musical ideas and would try just about anything you threw at 'em.”
“Johnny is a super awesome dude,” Drummer Justin Bawinkel said. “He’s a really good friend of ours and it was really nice to able to spend a whole month down there at his place in Houston and just work with him. He had a lot of insight for us about different stuff, different writing styles, and just some wisdom on writing. We really trusted his opinion a lot and so we felt this kind of outsider perspective and fresh set of ears on our music. It was super helpful and he really brought a lot of the good stuff out of us, so that was really cool.”
Brother Tobin echoed Justin’s feelings about working with the veteran Rioux in the studio. His background in the underground scene and their connection musically paved the way for a positive experience.
“Johnny was great to work with,“ Tobin said. “When it was time to record our record, we turned to him for advice, because we respected him as a friend and musician, and he showed interest in wanting to work with us. Johnny has been in so many great bands that we love that we thought it was a natural thing to work together. We're glad we did and he definitely pushed us to make the best record we could. His input was invaluable and his great family opened their doors to us for a month during the recording of ‘Black Thorn.’ Great people. It was a very long and hot month recording it in Houston, Texas, and we're very proud of the result.”
Rioux started his producing path in the 90s, working with some of the great bands and engineers in New England. When former DROPKICK MURPHYS frontman Mike McColgan started STREET DOGS, Rioux jumped on board and eventually relocated to the Houston area so his wife could be close to family while he was on tour. There he met Troy Warner Jr., owner of the Absolute Sound studio, who has been a valuable source of knowledge and has provided a great facility for him to continue his work as a producer. Future Rioux projects include releases for Houston’s THIS YEARS TIGER and BLACKMARKET syndicate, as well as an experimental endeavor with progressive and traditional Celtic artist Hugh Morrison. The “Black Thorn” sessions saw Rioux really challenge the Chicago guys on finding their own voice.
“I think I worked them a lot harder than they thought I would,” he said. “I would say the biggest items would be focusing on a rock-solid rhythm section that would be a foundation for any great record. This is also something I really picked up from the jedi-master Ted Hutt, who had done STREET DOGS two previous records. I worked Justin and Kyle relentlessly in my shed for a solid week straight. Also, when you record punk rock and vocals the singer is usually overdoing the ‘throaty, tough guy’ thing. I really let them know that a happy balance is tougher and shows a broader musical range. The lyrics and message are super important too certainly, so I really pushed Tobin in that department as well. ‘Can it be said better? Can it be more universal?’ All of these components make for a great record.”
There is a darker spirit on this latest collection of tracks that show the band’s progression since those early days in the family church. It kicks off like a charge and never loses speed, proving these guys from the frigid northlands of the Midwest have improved upon their mastery of weaving Gaelic and street punk styles together, cementing their own unique battle cry.
“I think the fact that we pushed ourselves out of our comfort zones on some songs like ‘Shiny Eyes’ and ‘The Hourglass’ really made us look at our music in a different way,” Tobin said. “It was also great to be able to have my (then fiancee) wife, Jane sing on ‘Shiny Eyes’ with me. There are different flavors of style on the record from punk rock to hardcore to American folk to Celtic folk. We tried to mix it up and push ourselves musically on this one. Hopefully, there is something for everyone to enjoy on it. Just being able to continue to put records out after ten years as a band is a huge blessing for us and the fact that our fans love it, well that's awesome beyond words.”
From musicianship to songwriting and arrangement, the kids from Chi-town are all grown up now and “Black Thorn” is the evidence. FLATFOOT 56’s resident percussionist said the new sound comes from the passage of time.
“I would say it sounds a lot more mature,” Justin said. “And, it’s a little more like, not as happy, but still not a depressing sounding record, but not as goofy I’d say. It sounds like we kind of grew up, and I guess we did, but it doesn’t sound like we’re little kids anymore, which I’m happy to say we are not (laughs). I think that would be one of the first noticeable differences. We also tried to just really step out of ourselves, ourselves as far as our normal writing styles, and do stuff we were even thinking was different, you know, in order to get not-the-same record again. I’m really excited to put out something that’s different from our other ones but I don’t know if it is too far off to be like, ‘well, this doesn’t sound like Flatfoot at all,’ you know.”
“Black Thorn” hit the shelves on March 30, finding FLATFOOT 56 on a new home with OLD SHOE RECORDS. Tobin said the move to a new label was an easy decision for the band.
“Our commitment with our old label was over and we were contemplating releasing the new record independently by ourselves, when our manager decided to try and see if there was any other label interest. OLD SHOE was interested right away. They are great guys that run it and the label is shaping up to be a great American punk rock label. We really liked their philosophy and when we met them they seemed like great people who really loved our band. We gave it a shot and we're glad we did. They've stood by us every step of the way and have given us nothing but love.”
The lineup has changed since the album finished, seeing the departure of original bagpipe and mandolin player Josh Robieson, who decided to spend more time with his family rather than pursue a rigorous touring commitment.
“Brandon Good joined us as our crazy new mandolin player this year, as well as Eric McMahon as our bagpiper,” Tobin said. “Both guys have been friends of the band and fans for a long time, so it was a natural move for us. We're very happy with the new lineup. Both guys are part of our family and they work their butts off.”
Prior to and following the release of “Black Thorn,” the band had been on the road a great deal promoting the new music. This year also saw another landmark for the band, in that they were added to the roster of the WARPED TOUR.
“Yeah, it was our first time and it was great,” Tobin said. “We had so much fun on it and played to some great crowds. We're very grateful to all the fans, bands, WARPED TOUR crew we became friends with on the tour. We did twenty dates and it was grueling, but well worth it. It was a very fun experience. We especially loved waking everyone up every morning with the bagpipes and kettle drum. Brandon and Eric would go play for the line of people waiting to get in. It was a ton of fun and we hope to do it again next year.”
However, this summer was far more brutal than many in the past, with nonstop heat waves across the country. The demanding tour schedule set by the WARPED TOUR coupled with extreme temperatures could have been disastrous, however Tobin said they made preparations and found a way to endure.
“Before the tour, we installed a window unit air conditioner in the van so that we could keep cool without running our engine, but it went out after only a few dates. We got lucky towards the end of the tour and got some decent days, but for the most part it was scorching. But we've toured in worse conditions so it wasn't unbearable.”
When FLATFOOT 56 returns from Europe, they have some stretches with NYHC legends SICK OF IT ALL as well as their allies in STREET DOGS. Tobin said the “fans” in the band are excited about the tour alongside Queens’ Alleyway Crew.
“We're so excited to be going out with SICK OF IT ALL , STREET DOGS, DEVIL’S BRIGADE, and CONTINENTAL. We love SICK OF IT ALL , and especially so do Kyle and Brandon, and we can't wait to get into their pit and tear it up side by side with them on stage as well. Bands like SICK OF IT ALL transcend time and continue to make amazing music and it's our honor to be hitting the road with them. We always love it when we can introduce our fans to great bands we tour with too, and hopefully vice versa.”
Rioux, now back in touring mode again, looks forward to seeing his friends from Chicago hitting the road with his band once more. However, as wild as FLATFOOT 56 is on the stage, he says they are really good, down-to-earth guys.
“These guys are totally not crazy and that is a great contrast to my lunacy,“ he said. “Very grounded, very family orientated, and I really respect them as people, friends, and musicians. Can't wait to tour with them again this year. I would love to work with them again for sure. On this latest effort, I had to engineer, produce, and mix. Maybe next time we can hire an engineer to help out.”
And if you haven’t had a chance to check out the proud sons of the South Side, you still have an opportunity as 2010 winds to a close. There are many dates ahead and plans for another record next year. Brother Tobin assures as insane as the performances can get, there is always a guarantee for a good time.
“Our shows are always a blast and very unpredictable as to what we may do next. We've had people come up to us and say ‘hey, I broke my collarbone at your last show and I can't wait to get in the pit again.’ Our fans are amazing and we give them everything we've got for our live performances. It's a big party. You're all invited. Especially, you, Jason. Will we see you in the pit anytime soon?”
(your faithful journalist, fist raised in the pit)
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