Flatfoot 56 is an American
Celtic punk band from
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
, that formed in 2000. The group's use of Scottish Highland
bagpipes has led to their classification as a
Celtic punk band.
History
The band formed in summer 2000 as a three-piece punk band. The three original members, who are brothers (Tobin Bawinkel, Justin Bawinkel, and Kyle Bawinkel), started writing songs in fall 2000. By the Christmas season of the same year, they were playing their first concert. In January 2001, the band added Josh Robieson (
bagpipes,
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
,
mandolin) to the lineup and the band began including the Highland bagpipes and a second
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
into its sound.
In 2001 they recorded their first demo, then in Summer 2002, the band recorded their first full-length album, entitled ''
Rumble of 56''. This recording was done in
Rockford, Illinois, in a studio called the Noise Chamber. Their second album, ''Waves of War'', was released in 2003.
Their song, "That's OK," had heavy radio play on stations across the
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
. It has been known as one of the higher-rated songs Flatfoot 56 has ever played and is a crowd favorite at live performances.
In 2004, Flatfoot 56 performed at the
Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival was a Christian music festival put on by Jesus People USA and held annually around July 4 near Bushnell, Illinois, drawing some 20,000 attendees each year. In a given year, many artists that played at Cornerstone also playe ...
in Illinois for a crowd of about 700 people. 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
Flicker Records is a Christian music record label based in Franklin, Tennessee. It was founded by members of Christian rock group Audio Adrenaline. The label mainly focuses on rock/pop rock artists, though it also created a subsidiary, Big Hou ...
and has re-released ''Knuckles Up'' through the label. Their fourth record, ''
Jungle of the Midwest Sea
''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 ...
'', was released on May 15, 2007.
After the release of their fourth album, the band embarked on tours. They also appeared in festivals like Skanksgiving '08,
Sonshine Festival
Sonshine Festival was a Christian music festival held annually, starting in 1982 in Willmar, Minnesota and continuing in that location through 2014. That same year, festival organizers announced its relocation to Somerset, Wisconsin for 2015 onward ...
2008 and 2009, and the
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...
. They are also set to appear at the Sonshine Festival 2011 They also appeared in the Warped Tour 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 new, full-length album. On December 18 of the same year, it was officially announced that they had signed to 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. Upon its release, the album debuted at No. 2 on
Billboard Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...
New Artist Chart. The first-week sales have also pushed the album into the
Billboard Top 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artis ...
at No. 160, as well as other
Billboard charts
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...
.
Flatfoot 56 has been playing a positive-natured brand of hardcore-tinged Celtic punk. The Chicago natives achieved nationwide attention with their first two label-backed records, 2006's "Knuckles Up" and 2007's "Jungle of the Midwest Sea." These releases built on a heavy dose of previously established regional notoriety, helping the band gain steam early on. While each record received its fair share of acclaim, the quintet exploded onto a new level with 2010's "Black Thorn." Landing the band on a total of nine different Billboard Charts, Flatfoot 56 proved it could consistently reach an expanding audience while treading in a genre not often associated with widespread success.
Old Shoe Records released a compilation called ''WELCOME TO THE FAMILY VOL.4 - A FREE PUNK COMPILATION CD'' that featured the Flatfoot 56 song "Born for This".
The video for their 2010 single "Courage" was nominated for a 2010 Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award for 'Best Director.'
In 2010 the Flatfoot 56 songs "Shiny Eyes", "Son of Shame", and "We Grow Stronger" were featured in episodes 7, 8 and 9 of season 3 of the TV series ''
Sons of Anarchy''.
While not touring and playing with Flatfoot 56, Kyle Bawinkel sings for the hardcore side project
Sexually Frustrated
Sexual frustration is a sense of dissatisfaction stemming from a discrepancy between a person's desired and achieved sexual activity. It may result from physical, mental, emotional, social, and religious or spiritual barriers. It may also deri ...
.
Flatfoot 56 also performed two tracks for
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...
:
Johnny Curtis
Curtis Jonathan Hussey (born July 22, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) under the ring name Dirty Dango. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring nam ...
's
theme
Theme or themes may refer to:
* Theme (arts), the unifying subject or idea of the type of visual work
* Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos
* Theme (computing), a custom graphical ...
, "I Told You So"
as well as a version of Irish-born WWE wrestler
Sheamus
Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sheamus.
Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on the European i ...
's theme, "Written In My Face".
Paper+Plastic Records announced in October 2011 that they would back the band's next full-length recording.
The band will enter Matt Allison's Chicago-based Atlas Studios in January to record its first release for Paper + Plastick Records. “We have always respected Paper + Plastick’s independent approach to putting out records because they always seem to promote the creative side of the album,” Bawinkel said. “As a band we all really value that creative vision, and Paper + Plastick is the place to be for that.” Like "Black Thorn," Flatfoot 56's Paper + Plastick debut will be produced by the Street Dogs’ Johnny Rioux. “We decided that since the last experience with Johnny was so beneficial, we wanted to repeat it,” Bawinkel said. “We have been friends with Johnny for years our mutual respect fosters a good creative environment for putting together a record. He knows how to challenge us and push us the next level, which is what any band hopes for.” While the record is set to be more rootsy and folk-oriented, it promises to pack the same relentless, knock-down punch that fans have grown to expect from Flatfoot 56. More than a decade into its career, Flatfoot 56 isn't slowing down, but maintaining a blistering pace of touring and musical output. “The next record’s sound is taking on a much more mature, heartfelt tone,” Bawinkel said. “We’re writing these songs as life gets thrown at us, and as we all get a bit older and start to interpret life in different ways, we want to express ourselves to reflect the victories and defeats that we all go through. We still love whipping the crowd into a frenzy and making everybody dance but we want to write some tunes that people can relate to, and that they can sing along to.”
In January 2012, Flatfoot 56 announced the finish of the recording stage of its still-untitled new album. The Celtic punk group recorded with Johnny Rioux (of Street Dogs, Social Distortion and Bruisers fame). Flatfoot 56's new record is slated for a summer release on Paper + Plastick Records. The album is now in its mixing stages while Flatfoot is on a month-long tour in Europe and Russia. Despite not hitting the studio for over a year, Flatfoot 56 kept busy in 2011 – playing over 220 live shows in nine countries.
Black Thorn was mentioned by ''Spin Magazine'' in Gavin McInnes' March 2012 "List of 7 Life Changing Records".
On July 30, 2012, the fourth label-backed full-length recording ''Toil'' was released. ''Alternative Press Magazine'' gave the record a favorable score and AbsolutePunk.net heaped praise on the band: “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.”
Members
![Josh Robieson](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Josh_Robieson.jpg)
Current
* Tobin Bawinkel – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
* Kyle Bawinkel – bass, vocals
* Jon Nowicki – drums
* Josh Robieson – bagpipes, guitar, mandolin
* Keith Perez – mandolin, guitar, vocals
Former
* Justin Bawinkel – drums, vocals
* Brandon Good – mandolin, guitar, vocals
* Conrad Allsworth – drums
* Adam Christiansen - guitar (touring musician only)
* Eric McMahon – bagpipes, guitar, bass drum
Chart positions
Black Thorn
Awards
, -
, , , ''
Jungle of the Midwest Sea
''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 ...
'' , ,
Rock Album of the Year (Dove Award) , ,
, -
, , , , "Courage" , ,
Outstanding Achievement for Individual Excellence Off Camera , ,
Discography
* ''Demo EP'' – 2001
* ''Rumble of 56'' – 2002
* ''Waves of War'' – 2003
* ''Knuckles Up'' – 2004
* ''
Jungle of the Midwest Sea
''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 ...
'' – 2007
* ''
Black Thorn'' – 2010
* ''
Toil'' – 2012
* ''Odd Boat'' - 2017
* ''The Vancouver Sessions'' - 2018
* ''Flatfoot 56/ Rumjacks Split EP'' - 2022
Videography
* Brotherhood (2006)
* This Town (2006)
* Loaded Gun (2006)
* Warriors (2007)
* The Hourglass (2009)
* Courage (2010)
* I Believe It (2012)
* Stutter (2017)
* Odd Boat (2017)
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
{{Authority control
Punk rock groups from Illinois
Celtic punk groups
Flicker Records artists
Musical groups established in 2000
Street punk groups