Finding the music – An interview with Indie Rock band Flipturn

As the sun began its descent, the often busy Potrero Hill Neighborhood began to transition. What was left of the day’s sunlight was more than enough to slice through the city streets, reflecting off storefront windows and car windshields, eventually resting on one of San Francisco’s most celebrated venues, the Bottom of the Hill.

Eager concertgoers lined the sidewalk. San Francisco’s Golden hours are deceiving; saturated hues of California sunset can trick you into forgetting that this city is known best for its blanketing fog and a propensity to make you regret forgetting that jacket.

However, stars shine brightest when the sun sets and on this chilly San Francisco night, the Bottom of the Hill played host to one of Indie Rock’s most radiant talents: Flipturn.

Flipturn is a five piece band hailing from Fernandina Beach, Florida. Devon VonBalson lays it all out with drumming that feels almost cathartic just to watch. Tristan Duncan’s guitar riffs bring that signature electricity to their songs. Mitch Fountain’s talent on keys is matched only by the versatility he brings to the band. Madeline Jarman’s rhythmic bass serves as the canvas upon which all the other band members paint. Dillon Basse’s voice is the bands not-so-secret weapon; it is a transcendent force that might just flip the entire indie rock scene on its head.

Together, the band has amassed a devout and loyal fan base which has proven to reach far beyond the Sunshine State. Opening for WILDERADO in their second ever stop in San Francisco, I had the wonderful opportunity of interviewing these rockstars. From reflecting on the lessons of a two month coast to coast tour, explaining the resonance of their music with a broadening youth, to unpacking the understated influence of California in their music, here are a handful of takeaways from the emerging Flipturn.

I. “Breaking Away From Expectations and Formulations”

Last October, on the thirteenth stop of their “Warmth in the Rain Tour,” Flipturn gave an enduring first impression to the city of San Francisco. It was the band’s first nation-wide tour and their first time in California. Alongside two close friends, I was in the audience amazed at the display of talent, chemistry, and joy the band discharged.

As is the case for many bands and artists the world over, California exists as much as an idea as a place. It beckons to dreamers across the art and entertainment scene. In two of Flipturn’s most popular tracks, Vanilla and Chicago, both released in the 2017 EP Heavy Colors, California is incorporated into the very fabric of the song.

In Vanilla, Dillion sings: “Well I’m in California / They sell color TVs / No but they don’t want you / They’re what they really see / Well it’s far from normal / Normal is just black and white / And something it may hide away / But California I’m okay”

In Chicago, the city by the Bay is shouted out: “I’m going to Chicago / Somewhere I don’t really know / See the sunrise on the East Coast / See it set in San Francisco”

I asked Flipturn why, as a band just starting out that had never even set foot in California, did they allude to the Golden State.

“California is, especially when you’re on the East Coast, this thing that is so glorified and shiny.” Dillon continued, “[Alluding to California] was kind of this feeling of trying to break away from the expectations and formulations… just going somewhere. It was us just wanting to get out of our small town and see things. That mindset was prior to us actually going anywhere.”

While Flipturn may not be trailblazing in its idealization of California, they follow a long lineage of musicians from across the world who draw inspiration from the country’s 31st state. Tristan, the band’s lead guitarist, spoke of the unique energy the crowds in both their Nor Cal and So Cal stops gave when the band performed their California-inspired tracks.

“What stood out to me that showed me we were in California was the reaction to the music we hadn’t played on the West Coast” Tristan explains. “The crowds were so energetic and it felt like we were in our home state of Florida with the crowd reacting the same exact way throughout various parts of the songs. The crowd made us feel like we were home, which is nice when you’re however many thousands of miles away”.

While I can only bear witness to Flipturn’s San Francisco stop, it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that the bands California stops recalled the energy and enthusiasm usually reserved for a home crowd. On that most memorable of October night’s, it felt as if not even the Brick and Mortar’s industrial walls could contain the intimate synergy between the crowd and band.

It was explosive and at times destructive, as Devon, the band’s drummer, can attest. “I remember that night because the energy in the room was so high. I had just gotten a replacement symbol and I was just beating the shit out of it so hard that it broke!”

Wednesday’s show at the Bottom of the Hill was no different. The presence of Flipturn’s core fanbase was noticeably smaller, unsurprising as they were the opener. Despite a higher proportion of millennials and above, Flipturn had the crowd reciting its chorus and punchlines. By the third chorus of Chicago, the entire venue showed their San Francisco and California pride, joining in unison to help Dillon punctuate an already electric rendition.

II. “It’s a Marathon, not a Sprint”

In the sports world, the phrase “You’re only as good as your last game” is thrown around a lot. For some, it’s wielded and compartmentalized as criticism. For others, it’s understood as a reason to treat every game with the utmost seriousness. If Flipturn were a sports team, they’d definitely fall into the latter category.

As we waded deeper into our interview, I was slowly impressed with the appropriateness of this phrase to embody the lessons the band has taken from their two months on tour and their subsequent shows.

Having asked Flipturn to recall the lessons and takeaways from their tour and encouraging each member to elaborate on how those experiences shaped both Flipturn and themselves individually, the band showed a side of their craft that us, as consumers and fans, rarely get to see.

Madeline, the band’s bassist, reflected on the sheer length of a cross country tour. “Getting the endurance of touring that long and that far. It’s different, going from two week spurts to a two month tour.” She continued “You learn to prioritize the small things like drinking water. Personally I feel better physically, mentally at this point in the tour than I would on the last one”.

Devon chimed in “The tour definitely showed us it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

I was surprised to hear Dillon’s transparency that touring and performing across cities was first and foremost, a job. He asserts: “You learn to treat it more like a job. It doesn’t feel like a job cause you’re still playing music and it’s what we love. But the tour forces you to learn how to treat it more professionally.” He continued. “Sometimes there’s that feeling of ‘oh it’s just another show’ but to be professional you have to say ‘no, every show deserves our best’. The fans that come to our shows and listen to our music are expecting to see the same thing you’d give your hometown crowd or give that first night.”

As the band joined in unison to share to me what they learned, lessons both big and small, Mitch, who plays keys for the band, dropped a gem. “We’re never done learning”.

That night, Flipturn and its five musicians weren’t the only ones learning. The band’s willingness to share the trials and tribulations of life on tour was humbling. I told the band this, comparing their professionalism to my interactions with smaller and aspiring musicians, who at times show their naiveness when sharing their aspirations of a life spent making music. The band smiled and nodded along as if acknowledging that adopting a more serious relationship with their music was but one secret to their success.

The band is made of rockstars in every sense of the word, but they are because they treat their tours and shows with respect; they approach their shows with a mindset shared by all great performers and showmen. That starts with treating every show as important and taking care of themselves to ensure every audience gets their best.

Devon said it best: “Your body is a part of your instrument”.

III. “As If We Wrote It Yesterday”

In a May 2021 interview with Sunstroke Magazine, Dillon remarked about the band’s excitement about performing for college towns: “The cool thing about a college town is that most people that live here, aren’t from here. So, if we played a show here during the year that means people will see us, and then go home and spread the word”.

As a college student myself, I was excited to flip Dillon’s answer on its head and ask the band why they thought their music resonated so deeply with the young twenty-somethings that compose college student bodies.

The answer? While surprisingly straightforward it revealed a glimpse into the band’s songwriting, past, and present; “Our late teens and early twenties was when we started writing music. The songs that people hear today are the songs that we were writing at that age.” Explained Dillon.

Madeline elaborated on Dillon’s answer, stating “Our first live show was the summer before we started college. When those songs find people at the same age we were, they’re likely going through the same experiences as we were.”

Quick to remind me that Flipturn is a band that exists too in the present and will continue to write in the future, Dillon reminded me that their audience will likely change in a way that represents Flipturn’s growth. “As we grow older we continue to write from what point of life we are at. The music out now will resonate with the same age group we are. It sometimes just depends on how long it takes for that music to get to that person. For someone who might not have heard our music before, they can listen to it and it’s as if we wrote it yesterday”.

I had to pause for a minute after that answer. For bands who draw upon lived experience for material, it should come as no surprise that, as the band members grow older and their lives change, so will their music, and so will their fanbase – but as listeners we sometimes forget this and clamor for music of a bygone era.

Dillon and the band displayed a mature understanding that, in Dillon’s own words, “It sometimes just depends on how long it takes for that music to get to that person.” What was unsaid is sometimes that music can and will stay with that person for a very long time, despite a band’s changing sound, lyrics, or experimentation.

As the interview slowly wrapped up and the band shared their final thoughts and excitement on the plethora of festivals and shows lined up, I tabled this idea, filing it away, not expecting to encounter it again.

IV. “Do You Remember…?”

As Flipturn and I exchanged hugs and mutual appreciation, a stranger approached and started what I first thought might be very common for the band: the ‘I’m a big fan!’ routine. The stranger, a middle-aged man sporting a flannel, glasses, and grasping a beverage in his right hand, introduced himself to Flipturn as Devin.

Candidly, I was caught off guard by Devin explaining that he was a huge fan. Until that moment, the only experiences I had of interacting with Flipturn fans were of individuals my age and younger. Devin slowly calmed himself down, thanks in large part to the patience and attention Flipturn paid him.

Fighting back tears, Devin shared that he was introduced to Flipturn when Spotify recommended him the song August: “I know this is not the intention of the lyrics of the song, but August made me think of my dog Jackson, who unfortunately passed away last August.”

The band offered their condolences as I stood there, my heart heavy with the mere thought of what Devin had felt when he first heard that song. Devin continued: “It hit me because the song talks about how in ‘August you were mine’ and in August, Jackson was mine. The song asks ‘Do you remember?’ and I totally remember the taste, the sound, the noises he made.”

Devin continued, courageously, bearing his emotions on his sleeve. It was clear he’d been holding onto these thoughts and feelings for a long time. Each member of the band took the time to share a hug with Devin and to the surprise of us both, dedicated their live rendition of August during the show to “our new friend Devin and his pal Jackson.”

It was a moment that I’ll always remember. I reached over to Devin, who I was standing a few feet behind and put a hand on his shoulder. “Enjoy this moment man. You deserve it.” He smiled and thanked me, we exchanged nods of appreciation as he turned back to face the stage.

Sharing that moment with Flipturn and Devin helped me to appreciate the universality of Flipturn’s music; its layered themes and complicated lyrics. As I think about their music from beyond the youthful lens of a twenty-something, I find myself appreciating a band that I didn’t think I could possibly respect any more than I already did.

After the show had ended and I thanked everyone one last time, I left the Bottom of the Hill pondering Dillon’s remark that it sometimes is just a matter of time until we find the music, or the music finds us. In the two weeks since our interview, I’ve thought a lot about that remark.

It’s beautiful, isn’t it? That music can find us and we can find the music. If it hasn’t yet already, I hope Flipturn’s music finds you soon.

Article By Joe Sison

Photo By Amanda Laferriere