Mama, They Made It: Flipturn

The inside scoop on one of Jacksonville’s favorite bands

Words by Carmen Macri Photos byAmanda Laferriere

Before delving into this, I must confess that my unwavering love for Flipturn, who happens to be one of my all-time favorite bands, may introduce some bias. However, if we can set aside personal preferences and have faith in my impeccable taste, let’s proceed.

I’ve always had a feeling that I was experiencing a musical era my future kids would envy — just like our parents brag about witnessing the prime of Lynyrd Skynyrd or The Rolling Stones. So when I stumbled across a small local band back in 2018, I had a gut feeling they were destined for greatness. And sure enough, they’re already “Halfway” there. (Yes, that song pun was intentional.)

The band’s journey began back in high school when a group of teenagers turned after-school jam sessions into something much bigger. Frontman Dillon Basse, bassist Madeline Jarman and lead guitarist Tristan Duncan started out playing in a garage, but once they began writing and releasing songs like “Chicago” and “August” (which is still topping the charts), their popularity exploded. As their sound evolved, so did the band, welcoming guitarist/synth player Mitch Fountain and drummer Devon VonBalson. What started as a hidden gem in Fernandina and Jacksonville quickly became a must-see act that took the nation by storm. 

And I don’t say that lightly. The band is now headlining their own music festival, Playground, along with major festivals like Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Shaky Knees, Hangout and Austin City Limits — to name a few. They even landed a spot as the musical guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” earlier this year, all leading up to the release of their sophomore album, “Burnout Days,” which includes breakout songs like “Rodeo Clown” and obviously, “Burnout Days.” 

Thanks to my relentless (and admittedly shameless) fangirling, “Folio” managed to land a quick interview with the band ahead of The Burnout Days Tour to get the inside scoop on band life and the inspiration behind the album loved by so many. 

“There wasn’t necessarily a particular moment that shaped the direction [of the album], but rather a collection of experiences from the last few years of touring,” Basse explained. “Themes on the album like burnout, addiction, codependency, existentialism and identity issues all came from experiences we’ve had whilst learning to cope with the side effects of touring and being away from friends and family so often.”

Flipturn has a way of crafting music that feels deeply relatable—nostalgic, cinematic and packed with emotion. Each song tells its own story, pulling you in like the soundtrack to a moment you didn’t realize you were living. That kind of authenticity is likely why they’ve skyrocketed to stardom. And with that kind of reach, it’s no surprise they found themselves performing on national television — because playing in front of millions of people? That’s no small feat.

“It was such an amazing experience. I’m a huge fan of the show, so I was trying to manage my expectations going into it, but the day truly lived up to all I hoped for it to be. We got to take a little tour of the space, get hair and makeup touch-ups done, and got to meet Jimmy too,” Jarman shared. “Everyone was so kind and took great care of us. We were so excited to play, and we’re so glad that everything went swimmingly. Afterward, we were on cloud nine and couldn’t wait to tell our loved ones how everything went. We received so much love from Jacksonville and Fernandina too, so it was great to know that we had people cheering for us on the opposite coast of the country.”

Every band has to start somewhere, of course, we were just lucky enough to have them start so close to home. But that doesn’t stop the “oh shit!” moments from happening when you see your hidden gem of a band take off and rise up the ranks. Naturally, we wanted to see if the band had any similar “oh shit!” moments. 

“I feel like it’s just a constant feeling, but the most recent time I’ve been hit with it was the text confirming that Roadrunner in Boston sold out,” VonBalson expressed. “Still feels unreal to me.”

Jarman chimed in with her feelings on the matter as well. 

“It’s still extremely surreal that we’re living our dream, but after working our tails off for almost 10 years, it’s finally starting to feel like our dues are paying off,” Jarman shared. “Every year, we love to make a list of both attainable and dream goals we’d like to achieve, so for us, that’s a great way to kind of visualize what we’ve done over the course of a year since touring life can feel like a crazy whirlwind at times. We’re incredibly thankful to everyone for sticking with us over the years and helping us grow.”

Flipturn has long outgrown their “small-town band” label, stepping fully into their role as bonafide rockstars. But that doesn’t mean they’ve left their roots behind. They still show plenty of love for our beautiful city—so much so that they filmed their “Burnout Days” music video in a living room, surrounded by close friends, yours truly … and also Trevor Lawrence.

Let’s get personal with Flipturn: 

Carmen: Do you have a personal favorite song from the album? What makes it stand out to you? (For the record, I’m torn between “Rodeo Clown” and “If It Is.”)

Devon VonBalson: “Tides” is definitely my favorite track. I don’t think we have any other song like it. It always takes me back to the cabin in Asheville, North Carolina where we wrote it. Can’t help but get Tristan’s riff stuck in my head every time I listen. Also, it has my favorite drum tones we’ve ever captured. Huge shoutout to tape machines!

Carmen: Your music often has this nostalgic, cinematic feel. If Flipturn were scoring a movie, what kind of film would it be, and who would direct it?

Tristan Duncan: I would personally love our music in a Paul Thomas Anderson or Wes Anderson movie.

Carmen: Your live shows are high-energy, almost cathartic. What’s the weirdest or most unexpected thing that’s ever happened during a performance?

Mitch Fountain: My favorite — and also weirdest thing — that happens during performances is when people throw rubber chickens on stage at us. I have literally 45 rubber chickens in a box at home because people throw them on stage. It’s my favorite thing ever. Ha ha!

Carmen: If you had to describe your personality using only one song (not your own), what would it be and why?

Madeline Jarman: I think I would say “Shuffle” by Bombay Bicycle Club. It’s kinda skippy, upbeat and a little different. They’re also my favorite band, so I think anything by them feels like a piece of my personality.

Carmen: Your lyrics capture a lot of emotion: What’s a line from one of your songs that took the longest to perfect?

Dillon Basse: The line that actually took the longest to perfect was from the song “Swim Between Trees” — “My love’s a dragonfly who paints her eyes in every color.” When writing, I like to put in inside jokes in a lot of songs that can be understood by many, but only a few will know why I put it in. My partner Zoe has a dragonfly tattoo on her thigh and her family has this strange obsession for dragonflies, so I really wanted to find a way to throw that word into a song. There were a few songs I tried to force the word into, but it just wasn’t working … I almost didn’t use it until the first day of recording the record when I started writing the lyrics for “Swim.” It finally felt like it fit perfectly with the theme of a song and with the flow of the lyrics.

Carmen: Florida has shaped your identity as a band. What’s the most “Florida” thing about Flipturn — good or bad?

Madeline Jarman: I think the most “Florida” thing about us is that we all love Pub Subs. Truly nothing better. We don’t get to have them too often on tour, but if there’s ever a Publix in the area, you can definitely bet we’re getting that for lunch. A tour delicacy.

Carmen: You’ve played some huge festivals and intimate shows — what’s one venue or stage still on your bucket list?

Devon VonBalson: I’d really love to play The Caverns in Tennessee. It’s a dream venue.

Carmen: What has been the craziest experience you have had while on tour?

Dillon Basse: There really are too many to recall, so I’m not sure if this will be the craziest one of all, but the most insane thing we ever attempted to do as a band was play our Audiotree session in Chicago the morning after playing a show in Minneapolis. We didn’t leave the venue until 1 a.m., and it’s about a seven-hour drive to Chicago. We had to be there by 10 a.m. for the session. So we basically drove through the night, stopped at a hotel to sleep for literally 45 minutes, loaded our gear into the studio and played live on the air with pretty much zero hours of sleep…

Carmen: If Flipturn were a cocktail (or mocktail), what would be in it, and what would it be called?

Tristan Duncan: Honestly, I think the band would all agree on something more refreshing with a lil’ bit of funky. Maybe there’s a fun riff on a bee’s knees or something!

Carmen: What’s a song or album that completely changed the way you think about music?

Mitch Fountain: There are so many albums that do this every year to me. When I was a kid, it was “Where The Light Is–Live in LA” by John Mayer. This year it has been “In Waves” by Jamie XX.

Carmen: If you were banned from a different U.S. state for an extremely specific and ridiculous reason, what would the state be, and what did you do to get kicked out?

Tristan Duncan: Texas. For all the reasons you’d assume someone would be banned from Texas.