Backpack – 6’ 10
If there is such a thing as a folk-rock version of Black 47, then 6’10" is probably as close as you will get. Their stories are spit out like vitriol, but there is often a softness or sadness beneath the surface. Take Backpack, for instance, from the group’s December 2014 long-player, The Humble Beginnings Of A Roving Soul. There is loss here, but no indication of how the loss occurred and perhaps that is not the important part of the story anyway, but the band is rocking and the music is up-beat for the most part.
6’10" is more of a collective with one common element, which would be Tobin Bawinkle of Flatfoot 56, a Celtic punk band for which Tobin is the front man. With 6’10", Tobin returns to roots music Americana and Folk, but you can still hear that Celtic flavor in the rhythms and melodies.
You can find more information on 6’10" by visiting their facebook page. Their web site is currently just a place holder for this video, but you may want to check back to that later. You can purchase The Humble Beginnings Of A Roving Soul from the band’s bandcamp.com site. Check out this in your face folk-rock band now!