Today, Denver's alternative hip-hop band Flobots announce a short run of pre-election Midwest dates dubbed the "Your Life Matters" Tour. Coming on the heels of recording their forthcoming 2017 album NOENEMIES, Flobots' "Your Life Matters" Tour is a call to action - an invitation to elevate above the noxious fumes of election year rancor and instead raise our voices together and experience the power of community.
For the "Your Life Matters" Fall Tour,
Flobots bring their signature socially conscious slant and explosive musical style to
Midwest and southern U.S. cities. The tour launches on
October 27 in Wichita, KS at Barleycorn's. Next up, Lawrence, KS (10/28), Tulsa, OK (10/29) and then to 2720 Cherokee in St. Louis, MO on
October 30 for a Special Day of Action and Community - a full day at the venue with speakers and activities that will culminate with the Flobots' performance. The "Your Life Matters" Tour continues on to City Winery in Nashville, TN (10/31) and City Winery in Chicago, IL (11/1), then to the Cabooze in Minneapolis, MN (11/3) before wrapping up in Iowa City, IA on November 4. See below for Flobots' full list of upcoming Fall Tour dates. Tickets on sale now at www.flobots.com.
"We absolutely love performing because each concert is a celebration of shared power," says Flobots' Brer Rabbit. "For us, every show is a precious opportunity to experience joy together, in community."
"Our worldviews these days are filtered through social media and internet algorithms that lampoon anyone who doesn't agree," adds Flobots' Jonny 5. "That's dangerous. But our neighbors are not our enemies. It's critical that we remind ourselves of this, and there's no better way to celebrate our connectedness than music."
The "Your Life Matters" Tour is
Flobots first 'traditional' tour in a few years. Instead of touring, the band has been working on several special projects close to home. In 2014 the band launched a project called "NOENEMIES," a two-year series of community workshops and trainings designed to reclaim and practice collective singing and songwriting as a tool for transformative social movements. The forthcomingNOENEMIES album was inspired by the songs and experiences from the project.
Last fall,
Flobots partnered with state agencies Colorado Creative Industries and the Office of Economic Development for "Detour", a pilot program aimed at building tours that are mutually rewarding for artists and the towns they're visiting.
Flobots spent three weeks visiting rural communities across Colorado, sharing songs and stories through workshops in churches, at schools, around bonfires, and on community radio stations. The intimate tour included a performance inside a 5 story water tower, an appearance at the
Southern Ute nation powwow, and an all-night community jam with an all-star lineup of country musicians in Joes, CO (population 40).
"Music has the power to bring people together. Right now we need that more than ever," says
Flobots drummer Kenny Ortiz. "We didn't anticipate hitting the road again nationally until NOENEMIES is released next year. But with all that's happening in the country and in the world right now, there is just too much to say and too much to do to not get out there."
And so, the Flobots' "Your Life Matters" Tour.
"We can't let the madness of an election turn us into monsters." says Jonny 5. "Right now there's so much toxic divisiveness. It's like we have forgotten how to treat each other as human beings."
"Look at the conversation about refugees, for example," continues Brer Rabbit. "These are real families on the run to escape terrorism and war, and yet they are being demonized. We're not going to let politicians speak for us. We want to say directly, 'Your Life Matters'."
"Like many people, we've been inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, and we're very much a part of it." continues Jonny 5. "In Denver, it's a movement not just about police violence, but about affordable housing, homelessness, mental healthcare - stuff that affects us all. Honestly, 'Black Lives Matter' means ultimately that whoever you are, your life matters. Some people aren't hearing that, so we thought we'd go one step further and say it loud and clear. That's why we're calling this the 'Your Life Matters' tour."
In addition to this upcoming fall tour and the recent time in the studio recording NOENEMIES, the band performed at the July 23rd Denver installment of Rock Against the TPP - a multi-city concert tour opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership hosted by Rage Against the
Machine guitarist
Tom Morello and actress
Evangeline Lilly.
Flobots will close out the year with a New Year's Eve show in their hometown of Denver with Nahko and
Medicine for the People. Look for additional
Flobots December dates on the West Coast to be announced soon.
The complete list of currently confirmed
Flobots tour dates is as follows:
10/27 Barleycorn's Wichita, KS
10/28 The Bottleneck Lawrence, KS
10/29 The Vanguard Tulsa, OK
10/30 2720 Cherokee St Louis, MO
10/31 City Winery Nashville, TN
11/1 City Winery Chicago, IL
11/3 Cabooze Minneapolis, MN
11/4 Blue Moose Iowa City, IA
12/3 Moe's Alley Santa Cruz, CA
12/31 Ogden Theatre w/ Nahko and Medicine for the People Denver, CO
1/2 Belly Up w/ Nahko and Medicine for the People Aspen, CO
About Flobots:
Flobots are an alternative hip-hop band from Denver dedicated to creating, performing, and finding anthems for a better world. Since forming in 2005, they have released 3 full length albums, toured the US and Europe, and appeared on late night programs including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. They are internationally known for their 2008 platinum single "Handlebars" and widely recognized for using their music and career as vessels for social change.
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