{"id":1798,"date":"2012-12-14T01:57:31","date_gmt":"2012-12-14T09:57:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/billchapin.net\/allthecitylights\/?p=1798"},"modified":"2018-01-22T21:56:58","modified_gmt":"2018-01-23T05:56:58","slug":"photos-flatfoot-cd-release-woodruffs-ypsilanti-mich-12-08-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/billchapin.net\/allthecitylights\/2012\/12\/photos-flatfoot-cd-release-woodruffs-ypsilanti-mich-12-08-12\/","title":{"rendered":"PHOTOS: Flatfoot CD release, Woodruff’s, Ypsilanti, Mich., 12.08.12"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Michigan<\/a>
Michigan alt-country band Flatfoot playing at Woodruff's in Ypsilanti, 12.08.12<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sad circumstances brought me back to Michigan last week. My grandfather passed away at the age of 91. If there was a silver lining to the whole affair, it was that he lead a long, active life, and I could be there to celebrate it with my family. But if there was a secondary, backup silver lining, it was that the timing allowed me to catch my friends in Flatfoot<\/a> celebrating the release of the group’s fifth album of country-rock, Blue Water<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

I go way back with Flatfoot. I first interviewed founding member Aaron Bales back in perhaps 2003 for the paper where I worked. At the time, I was just geeked that I was finally able to write about an alt-country band, since we didn’t get many coming through town. The group’s lineup has changed somewhat since then, including the fact that a couple of close acquaintances joined the band, something I didn’t discover until I showed up at a gig in a city 90 miles from where I knew them and was surprised to see them on stage. You know what they say … about the world and its relative size.<\/p>\n

At any rate, the band has been doing this for a while, and the songwriting just gets better and better. At Saturday’s show at Woodruff’s<\/a> in Ypsilanti (pronounced ip-suh-LAN-tee, all you Bay Area readers), the group played the new album <\/em>from start to finish. Even though I’d never heard any of the songs, by the second chorus, I was often singing along. Not that they were overly simple, just well-crafted and memorable. Bales splits singing duties with bassist Thomas McCartan, and each has his own distinctive voice: Bales’ is as smooth and dramatic as McCartan’s is rough and authentic. For an encore, they played “The Weight,” and it felt predestined.<\/p>\n

After they finished up, I enjoyed the grungy pop-rock of The Boys Themselves<\/a>, featuring 3\/5 of veteran Michigan indie rock band Starling Electric<\/a>. As McCartan explained it to me, the members were sitting around listening to Weezer’s blue album one day and said, “Hey, let’s just do this.” Might as well\u001f\u2014Weezer isn’t anymore.<\/p>\n

Here’s photographic evidence of the evening:<\/p>\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n \r\n

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\n \n\"The\n<\/a> \r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \n \n
The Boys Themselves<\/h5>\n

Woodruff's, Ypsilanti, Mich., 12.08.12 <\/p>\n<\/span> \n\r\n

\n \n\"The\n<\/a> \r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \n \n
The Boys Themselves<\/h5>\n

Woodruff's, Ypsilanti, Mich., 12.08.12 <\/p>\n<\/span> \n\r\n

\n \n\"Flatfoot\"\n<\/a> \r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \n \n
Flatfoot<\/h5>\n

Woodruff's, Ypsilanti, Mich., 12.08.12 <\/p>\n<\/span> \n\r\n

\n \n\"Flatfoot\"\n<\/a> \r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \n \n
Flatfoot<\/h5>\n

Woodruff's, Ypsilanti, Mich., 12.08.12 <\/p>\n<\/span> \n\r\n

\n \n\"Flatfoot\"\n<\/a> \r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \n \n
Flatfoot<\/h5>\n

Woodruff's, Ypsilanti, Mich., 12.08.12 <\/p>\n<\/span> \n\r\n

\n \n\"Flatfoot\"\n<\/a> \r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \n \n
Flatfoot<\/h5>\n

Woodruff's, Ypsilanti, Mich., 12.08.12 <\/p>\n<\/span> \n\r\n

\n \n\"Flatfoot\"\n<\/a> \r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \n \n
Flatfoot<\/h5>\n

Woodruff's, Ypsilanti, Mich., 12.08.12 <\/p>\n<\/span> \n\r\n

\n \n\"Flatfoot\"\n<\/a> \r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \n \n
Flatfoot<\/h5>\n

Woodruff's, Ypsilanti, Mich., 12.08.12 <\/p>\n<\/span> \n\r\n

\n \n\"Flatfoot\"\n<\/a> \r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \n \n
Flatfoot<\/h5>\n

Woodruff's, Ypsilanti, Mich., 12.08.12 <\/p>\n<\/span> \n\r\n

\n \n\"Flatfoot\"\n<\/a> \r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n \n \n
Flatfoot<\/h5>\n

Woodruff's, Ypsilanti, Mich., 12.08.12 <\/p>\n<\/span> \n\r\n <\/div> \r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n