Local band hits the big time.
by Keenan Moore
The question that seems to be on everybody’s mind is: can you ride your bike with no handlebars? It seems obvious that Johnny 5, lead singer for the Flobots can.
Fight with Tools was the first major CD that the Flobots released and it contained their hit single Handlebars, along with other hits such as Rise and Mayday! The CD was a major smash among the local Denver residents as they had been waiting since the band’s creation in 2005 for a major CD. When the Flobots signed with Universal Republic, they knew that they had begun the route to stardom.
However, their quick rise to fame was not always what the band had intended, for their music was supposed to influence a generation. Their steadfast rise to fame seems to be keeping them out of their element, as they wished to be able to keep their original status. They were originally a band that told the public that they had to fight for what they wanted to happen in the government, and in the world in general. Their music is highly political, often referring to things such as the war in Iraq. Their most recent performance was at the Democratic National Convention here in Denver. The band played along with Rage Against the Machine as a protest to end the war in Iraq. They also played because they are hard-core fans of Obama and his goal to end the war in Iraq, as well as his ideas of change. Their rise to fame allows many people from around the world that might never have ever heard about this small local band to ask if they can ride their bike with no handlebars.
The band was originally formed as a side project that brought together all different sorts of music together into one band. “Intelligent, visionary emcees joins forces with a battle-hardened, groove-fusing rhythm section, a classically trained violist, and a jazz trumpet player. The result is a sound that explores and expands the frontiers of live hip-hop,” states the members of the Flobots on their website. From classical performances by the band’s only female member, Mackenzie Roberts, to the modern-day rap/ hip-hop of Johnny 5 and Brer Rabbit, it was unlike any band that was out there at the time. The band put out its first album entitled Platypus in October of 2005 to little appeal. The problem with the Flobots was the fact that they were still a local band and not many people knew about them; however, this would soon change and they would soon be in the fast lane towards stardom. They recently completed their first ever European tour from September 8th till the 23rd.
Local radio station 93.3 hosted Home for the Holidays in which a local band would be able to do a live performance at the Gothic theatre. There were 35 bands that were on the ballot and the Flobots won by a huge margin. Their number-one single Handlebars was such a monumental success that 93.3 decided to start playing it regularly on the air. Pretty soon the whole state of Colorado was singing about how they themselves could ride their bike with no handlebars.
This major development gave the Flobots the chance to put out their first major CD, which was titled Fight With Tools in late 2007. It was just a matter of time before the entire world would become aware of the small local band that started in Denver.
