Since the year 2000, FLATFOOT 56 have steadily unleashed a rollicking
barrage of Celtic punk and folk-tinged hardcore from the South Side of
Chicago to an international audience with intense and positive
party-like energy. Coinciding with their 10-year anniversary, Flatfoot
is set to launch the release of their 3rd label-backed studio effort,
Black Thorn, on St. Patricks Day, March 17, 2010.

Led by spirited front man Tobin Bawinkel (Vocals/Guitar), along with
brothers Justin (Drums), and Kyle (Bass), and multi-instrumentalist Eric
McMahon (Bagpipes/Mandolin), the band is fueled by a sense of
camaraderie that directly translates to their die-hard fans and highly
energetic live shows. \\"We really try to create a positive environment
every time we play so people feel comfortable and can let loose. It's an
experience that everyone is a part of,\\" explains Tobin.

Produced by the Street Dogs Johnny Rioux, Black Thorn tightly packs the
quartet's eclectic and driving musical charge into thirteen tracks that
celebrate the pride of the working class and their Chicago roots. A
collection of songs that delves into weighty thematic content, Tobin
explains that the cohesive theme of Black Thorn is a fundamentally
universal one. Everyone goes through hardships, but you arent alone.
Punk rock is about community and brotherhood. This record is our
contribution to that. As cathartic as it is ambitious, Black Thorn is
an emphatic assault that remains vintage Flatfoot in its effortless
combination of Celtic instrumentation and street corner punk rock.
Bagpipes and mandolins remain just as vital as drums and guitars in
defining Flatfoots sound.

While other bands run the risk of turning their message into overbearing
banter from high on the soapbox, FLATFOOT 56 remain true to their
ability to convey the profound all while allowing fans to get lost in
the sheer energy of the music. The bands multi-faceted approach to
their craft, both in substance and in presentation, ensures that from
the novice to the die-hard fan, everyone walks away with a reason to
come back. After ten years of tour vans, dive bars, late nights, diverse
crowds, broken bones, blood, sweat, and tears, FLATFOOT 56 offers
sincere semblance of the tradition behind the music. When you have a
reason to sing, you will sing louder. And when you have a reason to
dance, you will bring the house down brick by brick.

The bands sonic arsenal, which includes classic rough-and-tumble albums
Knuckles Up and Jungle Of The Midwest Sea, captures both the nostalgia
of brass tacks street punk and hardcore as well as inspiration taken
from traditional Celtic folk. Within this musical fury, FLATFOOT 56
attacks dark and pressing subject matteravarice, strength,
faithlessness, courage, and cowardicethat speaks volumes of the values
and principles on which the band was founded.

The band's forthcoming album, Black Thorn, will be released on Old Shoe
Records in the United States, Stomp Records in Canada, and I Hate People
Records in Europe.