fiddlehead
Odd Jobs: Fiddlehead’s Patrick Flynn Goes From the Stage to the Classroom
Patrick Flynn could teach people a thing or two about being in a band. After his initial run with 2000s Boston hardcore mainstays Have Heart, Flynn picked up the microphone again in 2014, this time for one of the best bands on the planet, Fiddlehead. But Flynn could also teach people a thing or two about history. For that matter, he actually does teach plenty of teenagers about it as a high school history teacher. It works out for the vocalist, as his Fiddlehead bandmates are content to primarily tour weekends and school breaks, and his colleagues and students are fairly understanding about his summer job not exactly being like everyone else’s. SPIN spoke with the frontman about how he balances life between the stage and the classroom, the similarities and differences between lyrics and le...
In Orange County, Programme Skate & Sound Provides an Authentic Punk Rock DIY Venue
Every so often — a few nights a week when things are going smoothly — Chris Gronowski and his staff clear out the entire center of Programme Skate & Sound’s main room. T-shirt stands are moved to the back. Skateboarding accessories are pushed to the side. Cases of vinyl LPs, CDs and cassette tapes are tucked away into corners. In a matter of minutes, the space fills with crowds swirling like the eye of a hurricane, nearly 100 twisted bodies of both fans and artists flying through the air. Hardcore dancing and mosh pits ensue, all with the understanding that no damage is to be done to the venue or its merchandise — a mutually beneficial policy strictly enforced by the very teenagers and young adults who pack into Programme on a regular basis. After the Fullerton skate shop and record st...
The 50 Best Rock Bands Right Now
First, let’s take care of the obvious. Despite the still-persistent narrative that such music is “dead,” there are way more than 50 excellent rock bands out there. And there’s no exact science to scooping the cream of the crop. Our list includes arena-packing veterans but also semi-obscure indie acts who’ve barely escaped their basements. There are no hard rules here. Our methodology was simple: ask our writers and staff which rock bands feel worthy of recognition right now. But we did aim for a wide scope — throughout, you’ll find flavors of psych, post-punk, hardcore, metal, even country. If it feels like rock, it’s on the table. Consider SPIN‘s 2021 roundup — just like last year’s — a thermometer, taking the temperature of modern rock in all its various mutations. Altın Gün Ho...
Like Post-Hardcore Wine, Fiddlehead Is Getting Better With Age
Pat Flynn knows the nightmare of being in a full-time band. He’s lived on the road and in studios. He’s depended on album sales to pay his bills. And he’s watched as the need for commercial viability and stable income helped to tear apart his 2000s hardcore band Have Heart after they’d finally risen out of the Massachusetts punk scene. But that’s only part of why the Fiddlehead vocalist maintains his day job as a history teacher. In addition to providing a financial backbone for him, it’s the perfect excuse for only touring on weekends and school vacations. Of course, it also helps that he can connect with both his students and his younger fans because he still very much remembers being the problematic teenager who founded Have Heart nearly 20 years ago. “I [was] a very troubled teenager w...
