(New York, NY, August 13, 2008) Universal Republic Records’ alternative hip hop collective, Flobots, have put the finishing touches on their second video, “Rise,” from their Top 15 Debut smash album, Fight With Tools, which is already nearing the 200,000 sales milestone thanks to the across-the-board-smash first single and video, “Handlebars.” The inspiring new clip, helmed by director Gavin Bowden (Red Hot Chili Peppers, P.O.D. Rage Against The Machine), zeroes in on the band’s dual reputation as absorbing live performers and tireless and effusive community activists, whose hands-on brand of personal and group-charged activism has positively affected both their local Colorado communities and an increasingly wider net of fan-engaged social and civic organization.

Standing by the statement, Flobots are participating in the Democratic National Convention in their hometown of Denver. Performing at several events, as well as being involved in community organization during the DNC, Flobots made sure their heavy touring schedule routed them home so they could continue to be involved in causes important to them. Two confirmed events - Tent State Music Festival to End the War and Alliance for Real Democracy - will showcase the band’s eclectic live set. Says bassist Jesse Walker, “We're on tour right up until the week of the Convention, but we've got that week blocked out for some shows in the city. Not everything is set in stone just yet, but we're hoping to have a strong presence during the Convention. It'll be an interesting time for Denver, that's for sure.”

In the new clip for “Rise,” Flobots are seen performing the clarion call, laying down their combustible mix of funk-infused edgy hip hop and insightful wordplay to cheering fans, with scenes interspersed of the band’s lesser known but equally powerful mission of working with numerous community and civic groups to effect the kind of social change trumpeted in their songs and interviews. “We’ve been tremendously inspired by the young people at our shows ever since we began,” says MC/songwriter Jonny 5. “We created our own non profit organization, Flobots.org as an outlet to help fans channel their desire for change in their own communities. The scenes in the video of us at meetings and gatherings, all working together, demonstrate the opportunities that can be created when bands like us use the platform we’ve been given to help effect civic engagement and social change in so many different ways.”

A number of Denver community organizations are represented in the new video, (as well as many other activist organizations across the U.S.). Inspired participants are featured working and talking with various Flobots members who have made community organizing part of their weekly routine. Some of the organization ‘snapshots’ captured in the video include Denver Youth Slam Team, Veterans Of Hope Project, Metro Organization For People, Americans Friends Service Committee, Art From Ashes, Student Peace Alliance, and countless others.

Flobots.org, which fans can log onto via the Flobots website, Flobots.com, also features a list of associated groups and programs working in tandem with the six-member band to activate real change in their own communities.

“It’s all about bringing fans together to motivate their neighborhoods locally,” says MC/songwriter Brer Rabbit. “The video shows how the music inspires the communication, and the one-on-one work between fans and ourselves heightens the interconnectedness and filters back out to the people who are most hungry for change.” Flobots even help set specific goals for seeding mutual accountability. One of their current missions in the politically charged atmosphere of 2008 is to register 10,000 voters before the November Presidential election.

With their acclaimed major label debut, Fight With Tools, riding the success of their first single, “Handlebars,” to the upper regions of alternative radio and hip hop charts, the group quickly established both their hit-making credentials and activist reputations as hip-hop-centric change-agents. USA Today praised the band as ‘reviving the genre with explosive joy and purpose on snarling anthems packed with funk/rock rhythms, slamming hip hop and stinging social commentary.’

Music fans seconded the notion, with the celebrated debut single scoring as one of the fastest rising new songs of 2008, soaring to #1 audience on the Alternative chart, and holding down the top spot on Los Angeles’ influential radio station KROQ for nearly three months running. The band’s first music video, a provocative animation-sparked interpretation of “Handlebars,” also become one of the most requested rap/rock clips in memory, leaping to #1 on FUSE’s Rock Countdown, and making a huge impact on MTV’s TRL. Directed by groundbreaking video production/animation collective Dirty UK, the eye-popping style complemented the band’s own trademark knack for pushing the envelope when it comes to style and substance.

The Flobots have become a digital phenomenon, as well, in just a few months of release. “Handlebars” soared to #10 on the iTunes hip hop chart, with the digital version of the band’s CD climbing to #2 on the iTunes hip hop countdown, totaling more than 50,000 digi-singles to date. The Flobots website, Flobots.com is also one of the more popular online destinations of any hip hop newcomer this year.

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