MUSIC - JUNE 19, 2002

After hitting its stride, Flatfoot ready for a break

By ANDREA ALEXANDER

Flatfoot bandmates goof around at home.

The crowd is eclectic. Cliques eye each other distrustfully. Some groups, regulars at this bar, are disconcerted by all of the strangers in their midst.
Others, aware of their foreignness, have defensive postures. By the end of a half-hour, though, the tension has melted, and all of them shout and clap together.
What could have brought these Wolverines and Spartans to a sense of camaraderie? The answer is simple: Flatfoot.

The East Lansing band Flatfoot played its second Ann Arbor show June 11 at the Blind Pig. In deference to Leading Green, the band Flatfoot shared billing with, they played a relatively short set. Flatfoot packed it with a lot of energy and enthusiasm for the music and for the crowd, made up of Ann Arbor natives who were soon won over, and the loyal band of East Lansing groupies who call themselves “Flatheads.”

“We were honored to have such a strong turnout,” said lead singer Aaron Bales. “The Blind Pig has a mystique to it, and I think that helped draw our fans in on a Tuesday. The audience was very warm and receptive, and there was a great feel to the whole experience.”

The band, led by Bales and his brother Jason, has been together since 2000, but has hit its stride in the last year, since the addition of drummer Joe Irvin and the decision to go electric on many of its songs. The band’s style has been described as “Americana,” a fusion of rock, folk and country influences that come together in some covers (an old favorite is Bob Dylan’s “Hurricane”), and many original pieces, penned by the bandmates and occasionally its friends. Adding to Flatfoot’s uniqueness is its incorporation of instruments that don’t usually appear in a college band.

Aaron Bales plays guitar, as well as the harmonica, the lap steel, and also the pedal steel. His brother Jason plays guitar, banjo, and ukulele. Classically trained violinist J.P. Nichols joins them on most of their songs. They’ve been known to incorporate a kazoo every now and then.

Rounding out the lineup is Tom McCartan, who was unable to play the June 11 show but has otherwise been a fixture with the band since its beginning, contributing his skills on the guitar as well as mandolin and accordion.

Regular appearances at East Lansing coffee shops like Café Latte and the former Espresso Royale have more recently given way to gigs at bars like The Elbow Room in Ypsilanti and The Blind Pig. Even at this greater distance from the band’s home base, though, Flatfoot regularly brings out fans who’ve been coming to see it since the beginning. As Aaron Bale puts it, “ I think we’ve gotten past people just coming to watch us because they’re our friends — now people come because of the music.”

The band has one more show at the Kaya Coffee and Tea Co. in Mt. Pleasant June 25 before members go on a summer hiatus while the bandmates go their separate ways for a couple of months (one to Europe, another to be married).
The band will be back in the fall, and Aaron Bales is hopeful. “Next year is going to be great for Flatfoot. I think we’re going to catch on with a lot of people.”
If the band’s development so far is any indication, he just might be right.