An interview with violinist, Mackenzie Roberts, of the hit band Flobots, who are dedicated to inspiring the apathetic masses and changing the world; Flobots are no ordinary band.....

Wrote By: Tessa Perkins (Vancouver Correspondent - Canada)

With a goal of inspiring the apathetic masses and changing the world, Flobots are no ordinary music group. The band formed in 2005, and after performing on their own and working on separate projects; they realized that it made sense for them to form a group in which they could achieve much more. All the members hail from Denver, Colorado, are university graduates, and love their country, but they don't always agree with decisions made by their government. Their main goal with their music is to "win the war against apathy" and excite and educate those that currently don't care about politics and global issues.

Mackenzie doesn't write the lyrics for their songs, but says that their inspiration comes from a desire to "motivate people and inspire them in a positive way that is not like preaching." The first single off their album, Fight With Tools, is "Handlebars," and it is definitely inspirational. When asked why the band chose that song as their single, Roberts says: "It sort of chose itself in a way. It is really catchy and it has always got a huge reaction at our shows. Everyone can relate to the fact that the creativity we have as humans can be used for good or for evil, and along with the catchy music, "Handlebars" was the obvious choice for our first single." Their next single will be "Rise." They have just finished filming its music video and are working on getting lots of radio play to promote their next song.

During the time they were opening for other bands, they most enjoyed opening for The Fray due to the size of the audience and Public Enemy who come from a similar political place and were very gracious to them. Now that they are on the road, they don't have much time for anything except working on their music and developing their non-profit organization, Flobots.org. Currently their organization has a music program in the Denver Children's Home for traumatized youth, is campaigning for a department of peace in the government, and is encouraging voter registration. Fans can become members of their Street Team and train to register voters or help with various community projects in their area.

The Street Team was created when the band realized that "people were really inspired" by their shows to make a difference but "they didn't know what to do." Now they can take the music a step further and get involved in Flobots.org to change the world. Flobots have always had a desire to be involved in their community and inspire others to do the same, but it wasn't until they came together as a group that they felt strong and capable of making that change happen. Many people confuse the political message of Flobots, but any criticism they have of their country is said in an attempt to make it better place, a place where everyone feels at home. They can see what their country can become and what needs to be done to get there, and they want others to see the same thing.  Being somewhat controversial with their lyrics and not very mainstream with their sound, Flobots are a bit surprised at the amount of success and popularity that they have gained lately. "We always believed that our music could reach people in a positive way, and we are really enjoying the opportunity to share it with so many people." With all this success, Flobots are very busy focusing on the present: strengthening their Street Team to a national level, touring, and promoting their album. As for the future, they are always bouncing around ideas for new material, but won't record anything for about a year. Whatever the future brings for Flobots, I'm sure they will always be fighting to push musical boundaries while making people listen up and take action to change their world for the better.

(The other members of Flobots are Emcees Johnny 5 and Brer Rabbit, guitarist Andy Guerrero, bassist Jesse Walker, and drummer Kenny Ortiz)

READ TESSA PERKIN'S REVIEW OF THE FLOBOTS ALBUM

Flobots Music Video 'Handlebars'