‍

Join us as we chat with Flipturn, a Florida-based Indie Band that is rising rapidly through its cool sound composed of soft rock, indie, and slightly punk influences. Bandmates Dillon Basse (frontman), Madeline Jarman (bassist), Tristan Duncan (lead guitarist), Mitch Fountain (guitarist/synth), and Devon VonBalson (drummer) are only getting started!

‍

Let's Begin!  

What kind of music inspired your latest album? 

Devon:  The five of us all have different inspirations and music that we draw inspiration from. I know for me personally, when we were writing Shadowglow, I was listening to a lot of Lewis Del Mar’s album "August", Mutemath’s "Odd Soul", and Mock Orange’s "Put the Kid on the Sleepy Horse". I loved how hard those albums hit, and wanted to make a record that has those “knock your teeth out” moments.

What does a typical day look like while on tour?

Madeline:  Typically for me, I love to start my day by hitting a local coffee shop. My go-to order is an iced oat milk latte and a croissant! It’s a great way to get a feel for the city and to people watch. From there, I’ll usually grab a bite to eat for lunch before soundcheck!

What has been the most memorable moment(s) of your tour so far?

Dillon:  Easily the snowstorm we experienced together in Boulder! The show itself was electric and then after our set we walked around downtown Boulder while it was snowing. We built a snowman in front of our bus and eventually ended up hurling snowballs at each other as if we were 10 years old again. Being from Florida we never see snow haha so we took full advantage of it. 

How do you maintain your energy while traveling and performing on tour?

Mitch: This was our first tour on a bus so that was super helpful with sleep. When we traveled in the van we tried to keep energy up by splitting up driving times and trying to conserve everything on tour days. It was always about using all of our energy for the showtime and then preserving energy while off stage. 

‍

What's the weirdest item a fan has ever thrown onto stage/given you during a performance?

Mitch:  One time I signed a prosthetic leg which was wild. Pretty sure it was at Bonnaroo.

‍

Can you talk to us a little about your merch? You guys play with color theory so well with those cool designs and color choices!

Madeline: Thank you! We wanted to lean into the themes of our record Shadowglow for the color and design choices. We love having pieces with shots from our music videos, lyrics, and elements of imagery that our songs mention.

‍

If you could create a signature tour tea, coffee, or snack, what would it be called, and what would it contain?

Madeline:   I think it would be a post-show drink concoction called Super Juice. It would contain throat-coat tea, Gatorade for electrolytes, and chocolate milk for protein. In an ideal world this combination would taste delicious, but in reality it would definitely be awful LOL.

‍

Can you share any behind-the-scenes stories or funny anecdotes from your time on the road?

Mitch:  We accumulated around 20 rubber chickens on this tour (due to our rubber chicken Jalapeño, which is another story). We accumulated around 20 rubber chickens on this tour (due to our rubber chicken Jalapeño which is another story lol). We would take these chickens and hide them everywhere on the bus. Every night, you would hear chickens squeaking when people got into their bunks because people would place them under mattresses before bed, haha

What are some of your favorite cities or countries that you've visited during your tour?

Dillon:  On this run, we hit a lot of cities we’d never played before, and the biggest surprise, I’d say, was Omaha, Nebraska. We had an off day after our show, so we got to explore the city, and it was one of my favorite days of the tour. There were so many cool shops and restaurants; the people were super kind. A few other cities we hit that I never had a bad time in were Chicago, New York, and Boston. 

How do you stay connected with your fans while you're away on tour?

Tristan:  I actually feel like it’s easier to keep up with fans while on tour than not! We’ve gotten to see many of the same faces over the years and it’s cool to see people so supportive. Now, keeping up with family while away on tour is a whole different story haha.

If your tour had a theme song, what would it be and why?

Mitch:  Every “roadie Friday” (the last show of that specific week, which changes week by week), we would BLAST “Banana Boat” by Harry Belafonte. That became the tour’s theme song.

Are there any pre-show rituals or routines that you follow before taking the stage?

Devon: We have this ritual that started at a show in Gainesville, FL a few years ago. The weather was awful, and it was storming so bad, but I wanted to hype us up before our set by thinking of iconic performances that happened in the rain. The first thing that came to mind was Prince’s “Purple Rain”, so we huddled up and prayed to Prince. I swear the second we took the stage, the clouds started to part, it stopped raining, and the weather was clear for the rest of the show. So now we have our “Prince Prayer” before literally every set. 

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians about life on tour?

Madeline:  I would say to always keep your head up, even through the rough days. Touring is grueling and a lot of hard work, but it’s the best experience ever! Get as much sleep as you can and remember to stay hydrated!

What’s your favorite piece of merch you've ever owned?

Dillon:  My Shakey Graves corduroy hat. We were fortunate enough to tour with Shakey last year and on the last show we did a merch swap. I am a big hat person and this is still one of my most worn hats. 

Any personal favorite band/artist you would like to collaborate with?

Tristan: Someone I’ve always considered to be a cool person to collab with would be Unknown Mortal Orchestra! I love Rubin’s approach to music and think it’d mesh with ours really well

Did you ever have that moment of “fuck I get to go on tour” and “This is really happening”?

Tristan:  It’s honestly every time we get to go on the road. That feeling likes to kick in at the most random of times. I felt it this past tour pretty heavily after getting into my bunk for the first night of tour. 

Anything you are most looking forward to this year?

Madeline: I’m definitely looking forward to playing shows in Europe for the first time! We’re set to play there in November, and I absolutely cannot wait.

What was the first festival you performed at? What festival would you like to perform at?

Madeline: The first festival we played was Okeechobee Music Festival in our home state of Florida. It was definitely a pinch me moment to play on a main stage! A festival I would love to perform at is Fuji Rock in Japan. Just to play in Japan in general would be amazing, but playing a music festival there would be incredible!

‍