Turn it Down: Punks vs Pokes returns to The Avenue Café

Punks goes country, country goes punk

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Friday, Dec. 6 @ The Avenue Café, 2021 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. 21+, FREE, 8 p.m.

The annual Punks vs Pokes concert, now in its 14th year, has consistently stuck to its roots. Each year, local punk bands play country covers while country bands belt out punk covers. The unique idea keeps each year’s setlist fresh, though event founder Aaron Bales said he’s content with sticking to the basics.

“I don’t know if we’ve evolved much,” said Bales, who performs each year with his band, Flatfoot. “The music is good, especially strong in the past few years. I suppose without the Cartridge Family on the bill the odds of getting hit by a corncob are much lower.” 

This year, on the punks’ side, are The Plurals, Foxgrave and Otho Roi. Over on the twangy side, along with Flatfoot, are Old Empire and Paul Dubya & The Oak River Bridge Boys Band. The atypical lineup may be diverse, but Bales said the two genres blend nicely. 

“Chocolate and peanut butter, punk and country — both classic combinations,” he said. “If you take some of the best bands from each genre, alternate them in the bill, everyone always has fun.”

As for Flatfoot, the band has released five full-length LPs since its genesis nearly 20 years ago. The current lineup comprises Bales (vocals, guitar), Tom Green (guitar, pedal steel, vocals), Thomas McCartan (vocals, bass) and drummer John Mizga (of Eight Ball Grifter). With a growing discography, Bales said it’s hard to choose a favorite disc.

“I’m proud of them all, and each come from such a different place in life and as a band,” he said. “The circumstances for recording were all unique and we were fortunate to work with awesome folks to record them. I probably listen to ‘Wild Was Our Mercy’ the most, likely because it has the fewest songs I actually wrote and sang. I have an easier time enjoying listening when it is the other guys signing.”

Similar to the architects of alt-country, such as the Flying Burrito Brothers’ Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons, Flatfoot has always featured numerous songwriters both on record and onstage. 2009’s “Wild Was Our Mercy” was the album McCartan shined on.   

“That one had Tom McCartan coming back to Michigan after five years in New York City with a ton of songs,” Bales recalled. “He sang one on each of the first three records, but by ‘Mercy’ he had really found his voice and became a songwriting force. That was also the one album where Justin Zeppa was in the band. He came in and shook things up, kind of like Gram Parsons did with the Byrds on ‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo.’ Justin really revved us up — that ‘Mercy’ period was peak punk for us.”

Over the years, 13 “official members” of Flatfoot  have rotated in and out. Bales said the churn has surely inspired its dynamic, albeit sometimes unpredictable, batch of country-fueled rock ‘n roll tunes.

“We’ve never really had much direction as a band,” he said. “Sometimes we fit the songs to the musicians we are, sometimes we stretch out to be the musicians the songs require. Lansing is a very transitional area, but whenever people move we’ve had awesome people join up.”

With 2012’s “Blue Water” being its last album, Bales said, perhaps, 2020 could see a new release. 

“We have an album’s worth of new songs that I can’t wait to lock down and record,” he said. “We’re still figuring them out as a band, but there will be a sixth Flatfoot record.” 

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