| Jonny 5 | |
|---|---|
Jonny 5 performs at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC on November 4, 2008, as Barack Obama's victory in the presidential election is announced. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Laurie |
| Also known as | Jonny 5 |
| Born | October 6, 1977 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Genres | Alternative hip hop, alternative rock, indie rock |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, drums, keyboard |
| Years active | 2000 - present |
| Labels | Universal Republic |
| Associated acts | Flobots |
| Website | www.flobots.com |
James Laurie (born in Denver,Colorado on October 6, 1977[1]) better known by his stage name Jonny 5, is the singer and founder of the American musical group, Flobots. He is the only member who has been with the band since its inception in 2000. His rap influences include Andre 3000, Black Thought, Common, MF Doom, Aceyalone, Boots, Pep Love, Breezely Brewin, Mystik, Big Gipp, Jay Z, Cee-Lo, Del the Funky Homosapien, Lateef, Lyrics Born, Gift of Gab, The Grouch, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, and Young MC.
He was a para at East High School in Denver, Colorado, tasked with the management of the school's tutoring center; he left East High School when the Flobots became signed. While still working at East High School, Jamie was involved in many clubs and activities including PeaceJam and a hip-hop club. He also graduated from East High.
Jonny 5 formed the Flobots in 2000 while teaming up with producer Farhad Ebrahimi a.k.a. Yahktoe. Together they released the independently released album Onomatopoeia in 2001, and the title track ended up in a compilation by the MIT Songwriting Club (Yahktoe's alma mater). The title track featured guitar player David Gralow, cello player Terrence Favors, and bass player Jaymz Haynes.
After the release of Jonny 5 and Yak's Onomatopoeia album, the Jonny 5 went on an extended hiatus. It was 2005 that Jonny 5 decided to form a new band with another lead MC, Brer Rabbit. Instead, he (along with Brer Rabbit) decided to keep the Flobots name, adding five new members Mackenzie Gault on viola, Jesse Walker on bass, Andy Guerrero (from funk band Bop Skizzum) on guitar, Joe Ferrone (also from Bop Skizzum) on trumpet, and Kenny Ortiz on drums. In October 2005, the revamped Flobots released their second album, Flobots Present...Platypus, which went on to sell over 3000 copies over the next two years.
Flobots signed to Universal Republic, who re-issued their second album, Fight with Tools, which was originally released in October 2007. The album sold very well, due to the success of its lead single "Handlebars", which became a popular hit on Modern Rock radio in the spring of 2008. In the week of June 7, 2008, the album jumped on the Billboard 200 chart 168 places and peaked at #15, proving to be the band's most successful album to date.
The 2010 Flobots album, Survival Story, produced by Mario Caldato (of Beastie Boys fame), was released on March 16, 2010.[2][3][4][5]
Following the lukewarm reception to Survival Story, the Flobots were let go by Universal. They have continued to tour and work on a new album, slated to be released in 2012
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