Review Fix Exclusive: Tobin Bawinkel Talks 6’10 and More

January 3, 2015 Patrick Hickey Jr. Music 0

Review Fix chats with Tobin Bawinkel, the lead singer of the Chicago-based folk band, 6’10, who discusses the band’s roots, hopes, goals and their recently released album, “The Humble Beginnings Of A Roving Soul.”

An awesome combination of classic folk and warm, yet gritty Americana, this band will capture anyone’s ears that grew up with bands the likes of the Dropkick Murphy’s but loves the poetry of Simon and Garfunkel.

Listen to the band’s single, “Cannonball,” below:

Review Fix: Where did you get the name for the band?

Tobin Bawinkel: The band’s name comes from my height. I am 6 feet 10 inches tall.

Review Fix: How was the band founded?

Bawinkel: 6’10 was formed when both I and the mandolin player from flatfoot 56 (my other band) started playing flatfoot acoustic shows. We thought it would be fun to do a project that was more stripped down and folky. The band started in the spring of 2012.

Review Fix: What song on this album do you think is most indicative of your sound?

Bawinkel: The song “Hurricane” has a strong feel that is a good example of what we are. This being said we try to mix it up from song to song.

Review Fix: What song do you think has the best story behind it?

Bawinkel: The song “The Travelers” has a great twist to the end and a strong thematic vibe that really captures your imagination and paints a picture. I always ask myself if a song takes me somewhere when i listen to it? If it does, this is a good indication of a good story telling song.

Review Fix: Folk has had a huge revival over the past few years. What makes you different from all of these new bands?

Bawinkel: I think that i have had such a long run playing music and learning music that was folk, that the idea of it being huge is kind of funny. My family has always played this music and I have always been around it. It’s a style that teaches history and paints pictures. We don’t play because its popular. We play because in a world with so much noise, people need something of substance that while simple still makes you stop and think. Folk artists do this with lyrics and stories.

Review Fix: Why is folk music so important?

Bawinkel: It has always been used to unify and challenge the norms of society. It documents our history and defines us as a culture. It gets to the root of who we are as people and forces people to listen to words and not just the beat. It is timeless.

Review Fix: How do you want this album to be remembered?

Bawinkel: I want this record to be something that is a staple for people who need something to encourage them as they face life. I want it to be something that can be used as a source for hope. I want it to be a record that they share with their kids and that inspires them to pick up a guitar and start writing.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Bawinkel: We hope to do some touring and we have a tour planned to Europe for Next September and October.

Photo by Lena Marie Photography

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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