FLOBOTS announce Fall 09 tour – finishing new album for 2010 release

While the band have been focused on finishing their record, they have also managed to contribute time and performances to a number of non-profit benefits recently, including Concerts For Kids, and Somaly Mam Foundation. They also recently performed for members of the Energy Action Coalition at Michigan Powershift, and will be partnering with the nationwide network throughout their fall tour to help urge the Obama administration to take swift action on climate change.

FLOBOTS lead MC Jonny 5 (aka Jamie Laurie), says “our new record has a few different themes, including trying to tell a story of survival through the story of Atlantis… but the major question is ‘Who will turn the tide?’.”

Jonny says “sustainability is another one of the big subjects on the new album – climate change is getting more and more attention and will continue to do in the weeks ahead because of the Copenhagen Climate Change Treaty in December. He adds, “Fight With Tools was a rallying cry, but I think we’re moving away from slogans and toward stories. This album is a lot more personal, focusing on the contradictions in our own lives. There’s a lot of negative energy in the news right now – Darfur, Ft. Hood, Afghanistan. – we need stories that give us hope.”

“The world is an island now, “Jonny continues, “we’re up against limited resources, and there’s nowhere to hide. More than ever we have to learn to live sustainably, and that means addressing things like violence, homelessness and wastefulness on a local level and trying to work together on a global level. We have no choice but to care for each other.”

Viola player Mackenzie Roberts says of FLOBOTS new music, “’I was extremely proud of [Fight With Tools], but I feel that this one really represents who we are”. Vocalist Brer Rabbit adds, “this record is really a breakthrough for us all as a collective. We really pushed ourselves, and I know I personally couldn’t be happier with the growth we’re showing, and the sincerity of our voice”.

Jonny 5 sums it up with, “there may be people wondering how we can possibly make music on the heals of “Handlebars”… but our new album is the shit.”

A six piece collective from Denver, FLOBOTS blend songs of social justice with a playful disdain for anything status quo. Formed in 2005, FLOBOTS ‘good-fight’ mythology can be traced to Denver’s underground and creative community when various members enlivened each others’ gigs and creative events, setting the charge that would eventually power up the band’s rock/rap pedigree, and activist edge with a positive message.

FLOBOTS proved to be one of the most compelling hip hop collaboratives to sign with a major label last year. Their Fight With Tools album sold 330,000 copies, and the “Handlebars” single became a massive hit that permeated Alternative Radio and Top 40, with 1.3 million digital sales.

FLOBOTS have appeared on NBC’s “Jay Leno”, “Conan O Brien” and “Carson Daly”, and were featured in the pages of Rolling Stone, USA Today, and countless other media. The Los Angeles Times called Fight With Tools a “a focused flip-book of progressive-leaning issues,” while the Ft Worth Star-Telegram offered “…think the earthy grooves of A Tribe Called Quest fused with Lupe Fiasco’s conscious, cutting flow. Add a passion for activism — first founded as a “cohesive alternative organism” in 2005, the group has set up a nonprofit Web site (http://www.flobots.org) that connects fans to “social change” organizations — to a rapid rise in the music biz, and you’ve got the makings of a fresh, young band that’s anything but ordinary.”

FLOBOTS were a significant presence around the 2008 Democratic National Convention, and remain committed to social justice through their nonprofit destination, http://www.flobots.org

December 06, 2009 – The Canal Club / Downstairs Lounge in Richmond, Virginia
December 08, 2009 – Southgate House in Newport, Kentucky
December 09, 2009 – The Waiting Room in Omaha, Nebraska
December 10, 2009 – Aggie Theatre in Fort Collins, Colorado
December 17, 2009 – Fox Theatre in Boulder, Colorado
December 18, 2009 – Fox Theatre in Boulder, Colorado