Flatliners come home to a packed house at the Kathedral!
Written by Jay Nadler
Photos byJay Nadler except for the promotional photos
Date: May 6, 2008
The Flatliners’ grueling tour schedule didn’t seem to show as they flailed around the small Kathedral stage at their highly anticipated Toronto homecoming show. The main course of the night was a high energy ska-punk style that the band has dubbed “Skunk Rawk.” The crowd slammed the stage in waves, a swelling mosh machine that churned to current singles “Respirator,” a reggae styled pop tart of a punk song with excellent vocal harmonies and “Eulogy,” the Rancid-esque hit currently gracing local airwaves, as well as past favorites like “July! August! Reno!”

Straight out of the Greater Toronto Area, the Flatliners consist of four members: Chris Cresswell (vocals & guitar), Scott Brigham (guitar), Paul Ramirez (drums) and Jon Darbey (bass). Unlike their portrayals of lazy rock kids in the video for Respirator, the boys were ready and willing to talk before a long night of reunions with family and friends. But it’s just five days of “mom’s” home cooking before these guys head off on their first ever European tour where they will see the likes of Germany, England, France, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, and more.

“We’re real excited,” says Brigham.

Touring is nothing new to these 20 year-old two-tone brain hemorrhaging punkers. Whether it’s traipsing coast to coast down south with The Loved Ones on the ‘Build and Burn Tour’ or with NOFX and No Use For A Name, or SXSW 2008, these guys have been performing non-stop well before the September release of The Great Awake.

Touring can often be tiring but Ramirez explains one of his motivations as not having to get a regular job. Having recorded their first album at 16 years old, money is definitely not an issue with these guys.

“Our flights are paid for by our American Label, Fat Wreck Chords,” explains front man Chris Cresswell, “and while we’re over there we’re playing a lot of festivals to kind of offset the fact that we’ll probably lose a lot of money on the other shows we’re playing. That way we can ensure that we’ll be more or less ok. Some guys want to be swallowed whole by the masses. You can kind of tell they’re doing it because they wanna make it! Others, they just want to be able to survive. It’s tough, I understand but we’re just not that kind of band. We write songs for ourselves and we’re young! We’ve still got our whole lives ahead of us…and more shows too!”

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