Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile: Flint

Before I head off to The Rockstar Bar for Garden of Bedlam & Skeyes of Seven's return to the stage, here's our last feature post of the month, that being our latest Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! As always, this monthly feature looks at a metal/hard rock band from out of town that featured a past/present Sault Ste. Marie resident in any of their lineups! This month's chosen band is fitting given it's ex-Saultite member's recent local prominence, so read on below for this month's profile, and if anything's missing or incorrect, please let me know! (Updated on November 27th, 2014)
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Flint (Edmonton, Alberta)

Lineup: (Saultites in RED; ex-members in italics)

Benjamin Sept (vocals)
Connor O'Brien (guitar)
Matt McKeen (guitar)
Karlan Morrison (bass)
Jesse Silkie (drums)

Huy Do (guitar)
Frank Pirker (bass)
Jamie Vincent (bass)

Official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/flintedmonton
Official Facebook group: http://facebook.com/groups/60260754223
Official MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/flintedmonton

Official BandCamp page: http://flint.bandcamp.com
Official YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/flinttelevision

Official Twitter page: http://www.twitter.com/flintedmonton

Local Info: The only Saultite to have played with Flint is ex-bassist Jamie Vincent, who's recently been very prominent in the local scene! Originally known locally from guitar work in bands like Fuller, Jamie moved back to Sault Ste. Marie last July, and he's since resurfaced locally as a drummer with the sludge metal band AlgomA, frontman of the grunge duo Bad Back, collaborator in the local/Peterborough hardcore project Kidshit, and as a local concert promoter (specializing in all ages concerts.) Before returning home, Jamie had lived & worked in Edmonton since around 2008, during which time he played bass with Flint!

Band Bio: Evolving from the prior 2007-2009 ambient/experimental band The Newborn Ghosts, Flint are a hardcore punk/noise rock quintet that officially launched in October 2009, debuting live the following month. After completing their full lineup with singer Ben Sept's addition in mid-2010, Flint became a steady sight in the Alberta music scene, including the release of at least four EPs, tour dates throughout the western provinces, and numerous headlining and opening dates in Alberta, including opening slots for bands like Brain Fever, This City Defects, and Greys. Jamie Vincent played bass with the band from shortly after their launch through last summer, when he moved back to Sault Ste. Marie, and was replaced by Karlan Morrison. Their current lineup has stayed busy with more notable concerts, the release of their music video for "The News", and an increased online presence, so follow Flint on their online pages to see what's going down with them at present!

Flint's sound is hard to pin down into one genre, but they have a chaotic noisy sound that is sure to be instant moshpit fuel for their concerts! Picture hardcore punk, garage rock, and The Dillinger Escape Plan thrown in a blender, but even that doesn't even cover it all. Their live concerts are full of life, and Benjamin Sept's vocals are very aggressive and passioned from what I've seen, adding to their unique feel! Musically, it's hard to compare Flint to a lot of bands we touch on for the SMS, as their style is intentionally noisy and chaotic, but Connor & Matt's assaulting guitar work is a perfect fit, and both Jamie and Karlan were up to the task on bass! Jesse Silkie really shines on drums too, and while this style of music isn't my overall favourite, I appreciate it's originality and avoidance of traditional structures! I think Flint have a good thing going, and hopefully the best is yet to come!

For online media, most of Flint's pages linked above have viewable media, including three EPs on their BandCamp page, 12 videos/song postings on their YouTube channel, and a single track on MySpace, so check the above links to get your Flint fix! There's not much for decent quality live videos with Jamie on bass, but here's the first half of a 20 minute set that Flint's current lineup played last fall, featuring 4 original songs!


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I hope you guys liked this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! Next month in this series, we'll look at another out of town band with a recent local musician, that being Lead The Dead, the former London, Ontario death/thrash metal band featuring current Giwakwa guitarist Chris Page! Watch out for that on or around May 26th, and stay tuned TOMORROW for two posts: One full of recent news updates, and our Garden of Bedlam concert review! Thanks everyone!