The Artist: Flint – "Follow the Embers (EP)"

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A Brisbane-based band taking rock for a ride on a roller coaster. Our sounds speaks for itself. And that’s definitely true. Wide awake war der erste Song den ich hörte und ich war positiv überrascht, der Track macht neugierig, neugierig was Flint noch zu bieten haben und da kommt die eben veröffentlichte EP gerade recht. Und man muss sagen, ja, da gibt’s einiges was hörenswert ist. Die gesamte EP geht ab wie eine Achterbahn, da geht es rauf und runter im Sekundentakt, Tempowechsel und Stimmungswechsel, nahezu alles wird einem geboten. Edgy Rock a la Wide awake trifft auf Songs wie Colours. So we have to say Achtung: once you listen to, you will love it. Mehr zu Flint und ihrer Debüt-EP gibt’s im nachfolgenden Interview.

The Interview

Flint is…?

Tony Rosenberg (songwriter, vocalist),
Peter Jenner (songwriter, guitarist),
John Doyle (bass player) and the other members have changed or are still coming
on board.

We have recently just taken on a new drummer and we are experimenting with a keyboard player. For now, three solid members. Flint. began as a desire to create a sound that is not obvious, but which traverses several realms of rock. We like to experiment with odd tunings, unexpected chord progressions, and peculiar percussion.

Most of our songs try to incorporate stark dynamics, jumping from one time signature to another, rising and falling unexpectedly. And we have been criticised for this. The idea is for the lyrical musings, via the dynamics, to take listeners on a roller coaster ride of moods, feelings and ideas.

At one moment, a listener may hear something remotely familiar; however, before they can digest the sound, it is transformed into something unforeseen, or was it?

While just another English word, the origin behind our choice of the name Flint is kinda funny. I was looking for a name that was not obvious (the whole project was aimed at trying the unanticipated) and thought “lint” would be an unexpected name. When I suggested it to Peter (guitarist), he said (literally his words): There is no way I am calling my band f***ing lint, f***ing belly button fluff…. So from f***ing lint, we went to f-lint and then the name Flint was a natural progression.

Who inspired you to make music in general?

In general, the three solid members have always been involved in music throughout our lives, whether that was in cover bands, other originals bands or just song writing. Tony started singing early in cover bands, John is a blues man from way back, and Peter had a later start when he was living in the sticks (countryside).

We all have very different influences. John is a blues man, Peter prefers more standard rock, while Tony ventures into the unknown bands and sounds. This blend of influences has been great for creating music.

…and especially to the song Wide awake?

The lyrics to Wide Awake were written in 2010, when Tony was living in Brazil. They sat dormant until Flint emerged. Peter created the guitar riff that drives the song, working together with John to get the write balance with the guitar. We wanted to song to have some emptiness to it (very clear in the bridge) to create a feeling of uncertainty. The lone, high-pitched guitar notes that resonate through the verse and then intensify through the bridge incite a feeling of urgency, almost like an ambulance. The song takes the listener on a journey of light and dark, being awake or asleep or even dying and coming back to life. Ethereal in places, and energetic in others, this song is a clear example of the dynamics Flint likes to insert in the musical jigsaw.

What is your creative process like?

I think the word jigsaw is key in our creative process. Our sound is the sum of all the parts, but fitting them together can be a challenge. Generally, lyrics are first and Peter and Tony work together to find a draft riff for most parts (verse, chorus, bridge, intro and outro).

However, the parts are not in any organised order. Then, John is brought in to help arrange our chaotic mess. This is when we really get into the dynamics and, or course, transitions, which is essentially the glue that holds it all together. When the drums come in, we often have to change things. Because we usually have several different parts in one song, this means we need to rehearse relentlessly to train our muscle memory to not forget anything when playing live.

Follow the Embers (EP) sounds great, very varied, could you please tell us something about the tracks.

First of all, thanks; glad you liked it.

Colours was the first song Peter and Tony wrote together. The lyric was relatively new. The idea was to use colours as references to things in our lives.

The chorus criticises the rich-poor divide we see in most societies, but the verses aim to connect ideas using one of the things most people know, colours. The song is not in standard tuning, one of the technics we enjoy using.

Give Me Serenity was the hardest to make work. Peter and Tony gave up on this song so many times, but we knew something was there. The lyrics in the chorus were changed three or four times, and we dropped several verses. We eventually went for a short sharp break in the chorus to add to the dynamics as the verses are quite constant, like a train chugging down the tracks. The sneaky guitar licks add to that unexpected feel we love so much.

Painted Skin is our heaviest song to date. Originally called Tattoo, it gained a Celtic feel when the guitar and drums came together in the intro. The lyrics underwent many changes right up to the day of recording. Again, many verses were dropped and the chorus changed significantly. The bridge, in which guitar and bass go in different directions on the fret boards, was an idea that came out of jamming in
rehearsal.

Shadows was meant to be a song about unrequited love, but turned into a song about stalkers. I guess it is how you interpret it. We wanted to get that Soundgarden feel in the chorus, although we probably needed three or four more guitars for that. The sparkly guitar in the verses was aimed at creating a stark contrast to the heavy chorus. The bass had a lot of freedom in this song and John did a series of different riffs and solos. It was really hard to choose as they were all so interesting. The solo was essentially written and refined in the studio.

What is the most useful talent you have?

Maybe two things. The first is a talent for keeping the lyrics open for interpretation. By doing this, it allows listeners to participate in the creation of the feeling, rather than the music dictating everything. We feel this is a positive aspect of our music.
Another skill we have been adamant on keeping is the open-mindedness of all those in the creation process. Nothing is off the table.

This means we try every suggestion even if personally we may not love it. This not only allows the music to develop freely, but for everyone to be invested in every song. We have been very particular about keeping this open-minded approach as it allows influences to shine through.

Without it, our music would be restrained to one specific genre; that’s not what we are trying to do. Rock is the basis for what we do, but other influences are welcomed.

If you could change anything in the past, what would it be?

We have no regrets, and many things are out of our control. However, had we the possibility, more time in the studio would have been great. We did fine songs in one month, essentially six sessions. It would have been nice to spend longer in the studio, experimenting more. That is a luxury we did not have, but if we could change it, time is the key.

How do you feel the Internet (especially Social Media platforms) has impacted the music business?

Years ago, it was all about playing live and getting an interview, much like this one. Now, to obtain any form of recognition, you must post online all the time. We are not heavy posters, posting maybe three times a week. Many would criticise that saying you have to post everyday or many times a day. We do not want to over-post.

When music videos were the latest thing, the visual aesthetics of pop and rock music became a primordial and essential part of it. This has been exacerbated by social media. One must change with the times, but there is a feeling that, sometimes, the visual aspect of modern music has taken the front of stage, pushing the actual music to the background.

Not always, but more often than not. Marketing is the name of the game now, so much so that some labels work more in this field than in the music industry. We are doing our best to keep up with the changes in social media, but it can be overwhelming.

Also, social media has opened up the world to a wider variety of genres. Now, we have access to more than what is played on mainstream radio. If you want to discover a niche sound in any part of the world, it is just a few clicks away. This has broadened the scope of music, which is, in our opinion, a great thing. This not only gives us all more freedom, but also generates more creativity.

What’s next for you?

We are currently writing new music, working with a keyboard player. This has been an interesting change to the way we write music. Our plans are to keep producing music. We are aiming at releasing a second EP, probably with only three songs, just to speed up the process a bit more. Once the Covid situation is better under control, we plan to play as many live gigs as possible. We are really keen to play some festivals. Who knows, maybe even in Europe or the UK… dynamic times call for dynamic measures… and dynamic music.

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