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Denver Presents…Flobots
The seven piece band you have to see to believe…
Unsuspecting fans of all ages pour into Red Rocks to catch the last of three nights of performances by Denver power Pop locals The Fray. The gales have calmed, and the sputtering rain has moved east in a here-comes-the-sun moment. Some make stops at the merch booth to purchase memorabilia, and those who do largely disregard the brightly colored flyers that adorn the tables. Something about a CD release… Some band called Flobots.
The clock strikes 7:30, and the audience is called to rapt attention by a funky guitar as the seven members of Flobots literally jump right into their first song, the dance-worthy “No W.” The band’s set unfolds as a myriad of quickly spit socially conscious rhymes, soul-tugging melancholic viola (don’t you dare call it a violin), grooving rhythms, and brassy trumpeting. All around the venue, teenagers and parents, post-collegiates, and professionals start to abandon their stone seats in order to get down and, well, shake their booties (if you will).
The thirty-minute time slot gives the Flobots just enough time to pique the interests of the crowd, and for over an hour following the set, the septet is bombarded by new fans asking for pictures and autographs. Shocked at the immediate accessibility and overwhelming friendliness of the band members, these new fans express their own incredulity at the talent and energy of the group – and most praise the band for their political and social message. One middle-aged man, however, approaches guitarist Andy Guerrero, shakes his hand, and says, “You’ve got great beats, but your politics are messed up.” Polarizing though they may be, Flobots lyrics have a way of wiggling their way under your skin.
The musical collective known as Flobots came together in early 2005, and they have since taken the Denver music scene by storm. Violist Mackenzie Roberts met lyricist Jamie Laurie (a.k.a. Jonny 5), while registering people to vote at a show featuring Funk favorite Bop Skizzum with Guerrero on guitar and lead vocals. Jonny 5 had been working with fellow Hip Hop artist Brer Rabbit (Stephen Bracket) in an early Flobots manifestation, and it wasn’t long before Roberts and Guerrero both joined the band. They quickly recruited former Funktion bass player Jesse Walker and Skizzum trumpet player Joe Ferrone. A year later, Denver drummer extraordinaire Kenny Ortiz joined forces with the rest of the group to create the Flobots as we know them today.
The band wasted no time booking shows and releasing their first EP Flobots Present… Platypus, which sold consistently well at shows and local record shops like Twist & Shout. Over the past two-and-a-half years, Flobots have generated a buzz spanning multiple states and a fan base that transcends genre, gender, race, and age. Their live show has taken on a life of its own: pure energy resonates between the band and the audience. They are at home sharing a stage with jam bands and indie Rock hipsters, rappers and Reggae groups. So what is it about this eclectic group that wins over so many fans from every walk of life?
“It’s really simple: we’re ‘progressive indie Hip Hop fusion,’” jokes Jonny 5 as he attempts to classify the band. “We have settled on ‘progressive Hip Hop’ because of the double meaning of ‘progressive,’” he goes on. “We’ll accept both the musical meaning and the social/political meaning.” At the same time, each band member brings in such disparate musical influences that any fan would be hard-pressed to associate Flobots with any specific genre or particular musical stimulus. Individual instruments even alter genre classifications from song to song. That is to say: the viola of “Handlebars” is not that of “The Rhythm Method (Move!).”
Brer Rabbit explains, “We’ve stumbled upon a sound. No, that’s not correct – we have worked really hard to get our synergy together, and we now have a sound.” Nowhere is this more apparent than on the group’s first full-length album Fight With Tools– to be released on Friday, September 21st at the Gothic Theatre in Englewood. “This record is very specific to the people that are on this record,” adds Walker. “If you removed any single person and replaced them with someone else, you would get something entirely different.”
Taken from a World War II era propaganda poster encouraging skilled laborers to help build weapons, Fight With Tools is a twelve-track concept album that deals with pressing social and political issues in contemporary American society and around the world. The album begs the question: if not weapons, what are the tools we must fight with? Brer Rabbit reflects, “The old tools aren’t working. What are the ones that will work? What are the ones we already have?”
The airtight music of Fight With Tools soars on more complete production than the band had on the Platypus EP. The band attributes its superior synchronization to more time spent together, including band “retreats.” Walker notes, “There is a definite correlation between our personal relationships and the power of the music,” as well as the fact that they are “more hypercritical of [themselves] than most bands.” This perfectionism shines through the flawless delivery of musically and lyrically difficult songs.
Fight With Tools opens with “There’s A War Going On For Your Mind,” a spoken word poem backed by tragic sighing viola and anticipatory marching percussion, which then quickly dives into the frenetic chaos of “Mayday!!!” The album takes the listener on a reversely entropic journey toward social progress through activism and awareness, closing with the optimistic “We Are Winning” and anthemic “Rise,” an encouraging tribute to communal action. Roberts says, “When we started writing the album, there was a sort of storyline that we wanted to follow. It was the progress of how we get from point A to point B.”
Songs like “Same Thing” are ripe with political awareness (what other musicians are talking about Leonard Peltier?) and blatantly state the band’s position on particular issues. Current live favorite “Stand Up” finds a place on the album and questions the current U.S. administration’s response to national disasters like Hurricane Katrina and “9/11,” as well as other governmental decisions. In this vein, Jonny 5 decided from the beginning that “music could be just as effective means of social change as… community organizations or working for a non-profit organization.”
Now, we have all heard popular musicians shoot their mouths off about particular issues, but very few actually put their actions where their mouths are. Flobots aim to bring the social consciousness of their music into a third dimension. Not only do they rap and sing about critical problems, they are unique in that they have concrete plans to create a community organization that will engage themselves – and fans – as volunteers. Brer Rabbit notes, “There are lots of things we can say theoretically about wanting to activate a population, but we are actually trying to create a real plan to allow people to be a positive force in the community.” The volunteers, or street team members, will receive various types of training so they might be qualified to work in different areas of the Flobots organization. Brer Rabbit continues, “It is one thing to be as big as Rage Against the Machine and have a big group of listeners that don’t do anything. We want our street team to be people who are actually armed with the training to help the community.”
Already, members of Flobots are in service locally as youth program coordinators and teachers working with kids and developmentally disabled adults. As a band, they are currently associated with a number of organizations in the Denver Metropolitan area, including Veterans for Hope and the United Artist Coalition for Kids, as well as the Denver Children’s Home, where they work with residential and day treatment youth who have experienced trauma. They hope that this list will continue to grow as more fans choose to get involved.
Flobots’ dedication to community is entwined with their appreciation for their fans. They throw their energy into engaging fans because of their commitment to creating a stronger community. According to Brer Rabbit, “Activism is not just about sitting around and getting angry – that’s hollow. Any activism that is worth the struggle in the community is also a celebration of all the different stages of mankind at once… to have that component is actually something that brings us together. That’s what we are going to use as our platform to try to change this world.”
What about those who disagree like the pleased-yet-disgruntled man at Red Rocks? Roberts says, “I’m glad that that happened. Even though he didn’t agree with what we were saying, he still heard what we said.” To join the Flobots’ revolution, check them out online, and make sure to buy your tickets in advance for the CD release show on September 21st – because with all this talent, space will surely run out fast.
Flobots.com
