Article Contributed by Yep Roc Records
Published on 2026-09-06
Fifty years in and still flying the Super Rock flag, The Fleshtones return with “Float Your Showboat” b/w “Hear Today,” a brand-new double-sided single celebrating the band’s golden anniversary, out now on Yep Roc Records.
The songs are available across all digital platforms and as a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl single, with only 500 copies available worldwide. Listen or order HERE.
The two new songs find The Fleshtones—Peter Zaremba, Keith Streng, Bill Milhizer and Ken Fox—doing what they’ve done since 1976: delivering their unmistakable fusion of garage punk, soul, big beat and irrepressible showmanship with no signs of slowing down.
The single arrives during a milestone year for the New York rock ’n’ roll institution, which celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special sold-out show at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom in August. This fall, The Fleshtones take the celebration overseas with an extensive run of dates throughout Sweden, Norway and Italy in October and November.
Of “Float Your Showboat,” Peter Zaremba offers, “Keith Streng sent me a track he recorded in Stockholm. He said it could use words, but he already had a snappy chorus about ‘floating your showboat, baby.’ His music just so happened that it fit a lyrical idea that was knocking around in my head. A little trip to the body shop, and voila, kinda a classic Fleshtones-style big-beat rocker.
“It’s about ‘wet blankets’ in situations where people should be enjoying life. Basically, a positive message behind the snarky tone. Have some fun. And Goa was great.”
“‘Hear Today’ is a song that’s been in my head for almost 40 years, so maybe that’s why it sounds kinda ’80s,” Zaremba adds. “Oh, I shouldn’t say that. When The Cutting Edge finished its run on MTV, its producer, our friend Carlos Grasso, told me he was gonna produce a new show called Let’s Dance. He didn’t ask me to, but I thought up music for a theme song for the show, but I never got past the title for lyrics.
“Over the years, the title of my imaginary theme song morphed into ‘Hear Today,’ but I still didn’t have lyrics. When Keith pitched the idea of a 50th anniversary release for The Fleshtones, I took our own cue that it’s getting late and buckled down and wrote the song.”
Since forming in Queens in 1976, The Fleshtones have remained one of rock ’n’ roll’s most enduring and beloved live acts, earning a reputation for sweat-soaked performances, infectious grooves and a devotion to the raw spirit of rock music that has inspired generations of fans and musicians. Over five decades, the band has released a celebrated catalog of albums while becoming fixtures in New York’s downtown music culture and international garage-rock scenes.
They have also been the subject of books, including Joe Bonomo’s Sweat, and the 2009 film Pardon Us for Living but the Graveyard’s Full. The band played with Ian McKellen on Andy Warhol’s MTV program Andy Warhol’s Fifteen Minutes and was the last band to perform publicly at the World Trade Center’s Windows on the World.
THE FLESHTONES TOUR DATES
October 2 – Sundbyberg, Sweden – Encore (with Stupidity)
October 3 – Sundbyberg, Sweden – Encore
October 4 – Nynäshamn, Sweden – TBD
October 5 – Oslo, Norway – TBD
October 6 – Fredrikstad, Norway – TÆPS
October 7 – Gothenburg, Sweden – KoM Musik & Bar
October 8 – Malmö, Sweden – Medley
October 9 – Linköping, Sweden – Skylten
October 10 – Västervik, Sweden – Far & Son Pub
October 26 – Verona, Italy – Colorificio Kroen
October 27 – Savona, Italy – Raindogs House
October 28 – Pisa, Italy – Caracol
October 29 – Rome, Italy – Monk
October 30 – Ravenna, Italy – Bronson Club
October 31 – Pordenone, Italy – Capitol
November 1 – Milan, Italy – Arci Bellezza
