The punk rock band was formed in 2000 by three brothers Tobin (Vocals, Guitars), Justin (Drums, Vocals), and Kyle Bawinkel (Bass, Vocals) from Chicago, IL. They soon added a bagpipe, mandolin and second guitar player named Josh Robieson and shifted towards American-style Celtic punk, similar to Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. After playing small gigs and recording a demo, the band recorded their first album in 2002 titled Rumble of 56. In 2003 they released Waves of War followed by Knuckles Up and Jungle of the Midwest Sea in 2007. Despite their Christian influences and adherence to a positive message, their popularity in the punk scene has continued to increase. Since their inception, the band has been known for their high energy concerts and have been frequent performers at large music festivals including the Warped Tour in 2010.

In April 2010, the band’s album Black Thorn reached #17 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart and #160 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart.

The band’s 6th album Toil was well received in 2012 by critics and fans but failed to chart. Their latest album Odd Boat was released March 2017.

What began as a joke, the band’s name Flatfoot 56 was a nickname given to the youngest brother and band member due to his flatfooted basketball style and his jersey number being 56.

Their songs have been featured as WWE theme songs for Johnny Curtis and Sheamus, in the video game Watch Dogs as well as in multiple episodes of The Sons of Anarchy series.

The band’s current members are:
Tobin Bawinkel (lead vocals, lead guitar)
Kyle Bawinkel (bass, vocals)
Conrad Allsworth (drums)
Eric McMahon (bagpipes, guitar)
Brandon Good (mandolin, guitar, vocals)