When a pair of quick-witted emcees joins forces with a battle-hardened, groove-fusing rhythm section, a classically trained violist and trumpet player, the result is a sound that explores and expands the frontiers of live hip-hop. Progressive in both style and message, the band's ability to drop from symphonic rock-infused crescendos into stripped-down string-laden breakbeats has earned Flobots a reputation for both originality and authenticity.
After originally forming as a side project in 2005, Flobots brought together Emcee’s Jonny 5 and Brer Rabbit with violist Mackenzie Roberts, guitarist Andy Guerrero, bassist Jesse Walker, trumpet player Joe Ferrone, and drummer Kenny Ortiz. By the end of the year, it was clear that the band's refreshingly positive message and nontraditional instrumentation gave it both a universal appeal and a marketable buzz factor. Whether sharing the stage with jam bands, indie rock acts, or hip-hop groups, Flobots won the crowds and quickly reached a tippping point to became one of Denver's most influential bands.
The band's first EP, Platypus, was recorded quickly in response to the clamor of eager fans. Platypus' CD sales in the first week put Flobots at #1 on Twist & Shout's bestseller list. In just a year and half, Platypus has sold over 3000 copies in Colorado and the surrounding region. The strength of this small record and a relentless performing schedule has enabled the band to open for acts like The Coup, Lyrics Born, Immortal Technique, and 2mex. Even Multi-platinum recording artist The Fray took notice, inviting the band to open the last night of their North American Tour at Red Rocks amphitheatre.
Now, just two and a half years from the birth of their first song, the band regularly sells out Denver venues and is developing sizeable followings in California, Nebraska, Utah, and Wyoming.
The upward trajectory continues as the band prepares to release its first full-length record, Fight With Tools (October 2007). Representing a year's worth of writing and recording, the record is a fire-breathing rallying cry for all free-thinking individuals fed-up with the violence and apathy that have thus far defined the new millenium.
In February and March 2009 Flobots are going to join Rise Against, Anti-Flag, and Propaghandi for their United Kingdom tour.
Armed with musicianship, intelligence, and a passionate loyalty to the power of creation, Flobots are looking to engage a new musical culture, one mind at a time.
Acclaimed Universal Republic alternative/hip hop collective Flobots released their sophomore album Survival Story on March 16th. The first single from their new offering is a call-to-unarm, “White Flag Warrior,” featuring a guest appearance by Tim McIIrath, founder of influential Chicago band Rise Against. Survival Story is the follow-up to their 2008 game-changing, 300,000-plus selling Universal Republic debut album, ‘Fight With Tools’. The new album was helmed by noted producer Mario Caldato Jr. (Beastie Boys, Beck, Jack Johnson, Moby), and finds the group at yet another turning point of inspiring transformation.
Flobots garnered across-the-board critical, cultural and commercial acclaim in 2008 with their grassroots-waged kickoff single, the rousing Top 5, platinum-plus smash “Handlebars.” The song became the mind-bending clarion call of both the rap and rock worlds, with the spirited anthem soaring to #1 on the alternative radio chart as the format’s most requested song of the year. “Handlebars” became a digital, video, and MySpace phenomenon, (along with ‘Fight With Tools’ follow-up hit “Rise”) soaring to #10 on the iTunes hip hop chart, with the digital version of the band’s CD climbing to #2 on the iTunes hip hop countdown.
The six-member band was also recognized as innovative agents of massive cultural change during their mainstream rise, with media outlets such as USA Today praising their “stinging social commentary,” and the Boston Herald calling them “rap’s most singular breakthrough act in years.” Flobots became a symbol of a new generation shifting priorities at the decade’s close, thanks to the hands-on and highly charged social-activism embedded in their music and their vigorous community networking. Their uplifting calls to action mirrored the communal reawakening taking place throughout the entire country. The band’s galvanizing live presence rocked late night TV (The Tonight Show
, Conan O’Brien, and others,) and saw them ‘own’ the stage at the Democratic National Convention in their hometown of Denver, as well as on election night. The group also logged several sold-out tours across the U.S. and inspired audiences throughout the world with their incredible live show.
Survival Story finds the band invigorated by the range of life-experiences that flowed through the Flobots’ global collective the past two years (their extremely effective non-profit organization, flobots.org, has mobilized fans to become change-agents in their own communities throughout the world). But, the sophomore album also arrives in 2010 as a vision of hope for a world pondering its limits: Flobots’ unique birds-eye view of a world changed and rearranged – both inside and out.
The new effort features songs such as the counter-intuitive “White Flag Warrior,” the signature “Whips And Chains,” and the funk-infested “Infatuation,” among others. “We understand change can be complicated,” says co-founder Jonny 5. “We’re six different people ourselves trying to make a difference. We’ve always been about valuing everyone’s voice, whether in or outside of the band. We believe Survival Story is a true record of our growth as we all process this great new world that’s emerging.”
Created in Blasting Room studios in Ft. Collins CO, Survival Story was produced by Mario Caldato Jr. (Beastie Boys).
In the summer of 2011, Andy Guerro left Flobots in order to concentrate in his older band, Bop Skizzum.
Handlebars
Flobots Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No handlebars
No handlebars
I can ride my bike with no handlebars
No handlebars
No handlebars
Look at me, look at me
Hands in the air like it's good to be alive
And I'm a famous rapper
Even when the paths are all crookedy
I can show you how to do-si-do
I can show you how to scratch a record
I can take apart the remote control
And I can almost put it back together
I can tie a knot in a cherry stem
I can tell you about Leif Ericson
I know all the words to "De Colores"
And "I'm proud to be an American"
Me and my friend saw a platypus
Me and my friend made a comic book
And guess how long it took
I can do anything that I want 'cause, look
I can keep rhythm with no metronome
No metronome
No metronome
And I can see your face on the telephone
On the telephone
On the telephone
Look at me
Look at me
Just called to say that it's good to be alive
In such a small world
I'm all curled up with a book to read
I can make money, open up a thrift store
I can make a living off a magazine
I can design an engine
Sixty-four miles to a gallon of gasoline
I can make new antibiotics
I can make computers survive aquatic conditions
I know how to run a business
And I can make you wanna buy a product
Movers, shakers and producers
Me and my friends understand the future
I see the strings that control the systems
I can do anything with no assistance
'Cause I can lead a nation with a microphone
With a microphone
With a microphone
And I can split the atoms of a molecule
Of a molecule
Of a molecule
Look at me
Look at me
Driving and I won't stop
And it feels so good to be
Alive and on top
My reach is global
My tower secure
My cause is noble
My power is pure
I can hand out a million vaccinations
Or let 'em all die in exasperation
Have 'em all healed of their lacerations
Have 'em all killed by assassination
I can make anybody go to prison
Just because I don't like 'em
And I can do anything with no permission
I have it all under my command
Because I can guide a missile by satellite
By satellite
By satellite
And I can hit a target through a telescope
Through a telescope
Through a telescope
And I can end the planet in a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
I can ride my bike with no handlebars
No handlebars
No handlebars
I can ride my bike with no handlebars
No handlebars
No handlebars
The lyrics of "Handlebars" by Flobots suggest that the singer has grandiose beliefs and limitless potential. He is able to ride his bike without handlebars, a feat that most people are unable to do, and this simple act gives him a sense of invincibility. He then goes on to list other things he is capable of doing, from simple tasks like tying a knot in a cherry stem to more complex tasks like splitting the atoms of a molecule. He claims that he can do all these things without assistance, and can even guide a missile by satellite. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, again highlighting the singer's ability to ride his bike with no handlebars.
At its core, the song is a commentary on power and the ways in which it can be used. The singer starts off by doing simple things that impress people, like riding his bike without handlebars or tying a knot in a cherry stem. But as the song progresses, he becomes more and more confident in his abilities, until he is able to do things like guide missiles by satellite or end the planet in a holocaust. The song seems to be warning listeners about the dangers of unchecked power and how easily it can corrupt even the most well-intentioned person.
Overall, "Handlebars" is a complex and thought-provoking song that raises important questions about power, responsibility, and the limits of human potential.
Line by Line Meaning
I can ride my bike with no handlebars
I have the freedom and independence to do anything I want, even without the help of others.
Look at me, look at me
Hands in the air like it's good to be alive
And I'm a famous rapper
Even when the paths are all crookedy
I can show you how to do-si-do
I can show you how to scratch a record
I can take apart the remote control
And I can almost put it back together
I can tie a knot in a cherry stem
I can tell you about Leif Ericson
I know all the words to "De Colores"
And "I'm proud to be an American"
Me and my friend saw a platypus
Me and my friend made a comic book
And guess how long it took
I can do anything that I want 'cause, look
I am capable of so many different things, and I am proud of all of my accomplishments. I love to show off and share what I know with others.
I can keep rhythm with no metronome
No metronome
No metronome
And I can see your face on the telephone
On the telephone
On the telephone
I have a natural sense of rhythm and timing, and I can recognize your face even when you are not physically in front of me.
Just called to say that it's good to be alive
In such a small world
I'm all curled up with a book to read
I can make money, open up a thrift store
I can make a living off a magazine
I can design an engine
Sixty-four miles to a gallon of gasoline
I can make new antibiotics
I can make computers survive aquatic conditions
I know how to run a business
And I can make you wanna buy a product
Movers, shakers and producers
Me and my friends understand the future
I see the strings that control the systems
I can do anything with no assistance
'Cause I can lead a nation with a microphone
With a microphone
With a microphone
And I can split the atoms of a molecule
Of a molecule
Of a molecule
I am capable of so much more than just riding a bike with no handlebars. I have a wide range of skills and knowledge, and I am confident in my ability to achieve anything I set my mind to. I am a leader and innovator, and I can manipulate power and technology for the greater good, or for my own gain.
Driving and I won't stop
And it feels so good to be
Alive and on top
My reach is global
My tower secure
My cause is noble
My power is pure
I can hand out a million vaccinations
Or let 'em all die in exasperation
Have 'em all healed of their lacerations
Have 'em all killed by assassination
I can make anybody go to prison
Just because I don't like 'em
And I can do anything with no permission
I have it all under my command
Because I can guide a missile by satellite
By satellite
By satellite
And I can hit a target through a telescope
Through a telescope
Through a telescope
And I can end the planet in a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
In a holocaust
I have immense power and influence over the world, and I am not afraid to use it to achieve my goals. Whether it's for the greater good or not, I have the ability to control the lives and fates of others. I have the resources and knowledge to make a huge impact on the world, both positive and negative, and my reach is limitless. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and I must use my abilities carefully and consider the consequences of my actions.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andrew Guerrero, Jamie Laurie, Jesse Walker, Kenneth Ortiz, Mackenzie Roberts, Stephen Brackett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind