Glint (band)

Glint is an American electronic rock band composed of chief songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jase Blankfort (guitar, piano, synthesizers, programming), Mateus Tebaldi (drums, percussion, and samples), Alon Leventon (synthesizers, programming), and Dave Johnsen (bass). The original-founding members, Blankfort and Tebaldi, met by chance in New York City in early 2003, and later moved to Boston, MA to play as a duo with a rotating fleet of musicians in various basement venues, and fraternity houses from 2003-2006. The duo joined forces in early 2008 with Leventon and Johnsen after wrapping production on their first major studio effort, Sound in Silence.

History

Jase Blankfort was born and raised in the outskirts of New York City; he began as a theatre actor in his early teens and appeared in select on and off Broadway productions throughout New York City (including works by Pam Gems^[1], Anton Chekhov^[2], Ricky Ian Gordon, Tina Landau^[3], and Janusz Glowaki). After a departure from the stage and screen^[4], Blankfort dropped out of high school, relocated to Los Angeles and began writing music. Various acoustic performances in Los Angeles, New York, and Boston, showed a promising future for Blankfort and sparked the interest of an enthusiastic Boston University student, Adam Jordan, who was eager to assist Blankfort in sharing his music with the world. Together Blankfort and Jordan founded Rely Records, an independent record label to serve as a platform for Blankfort’s budding songwriting career. During a short visit home that ultimately resulted in a permanent move back east, Blankfort met percussive innovator Mateus Tebaldi, a native of Brazil who had recently arrived in the United States from Milan, Italy. Together they formed Glint: a little bright spot in a world of darkness, and signed with Rely Records in 2006.^[5]

Tebaldi and Blankfort’s unique melodic and harmonic sound gained press and notoriety as a new band emerging in the New York City underground music scene.

Glint caught the attention of producer/engineer Nic Hard (The Bravery, Aberdeen City, The Kin) on the night Glint was crowned winners of the 2007 Independent Music World Series^[6], chosen by Billboard Magazine, he went on to produce Sound in Silence in 2007. Sonically orientated as a quartet yet created as a duo, Tebaldi and Blankfort needed to fill in the blank spaces in order to do the record justice live and find the remaining missing members. A long extensive search to find like-minded forward thinking individuals resulted in the critically acclaimed lineup of Tebaldi, Blankfort, Leventon, and Johnsen.

Recent Highlights

Matt Pinfield is a fan of the band and had them on his show, "Matt Pinfield in the Mornings" on 101.9 WRXP for an unplugged performance and interview on November 17, 2008.^[7] Glint has an upcoming live performance on Fearless Music which will be airing on FOX TV in 2009.

Style

Glint has slowly built a dedicated fan base in the underground and independent music scene. Their music has been described as emulative of early David Bowie and Eno-esque atmosphere, while their recent release has digressed and branched out in its own unique direction.

"In the musical solar system of Glint's open and glimmering sound, vocals pull elements from Muse and a little bit of Bowie here and there" states The Deli Magazine, in a review of Sound in Silence.^[8]

In a pre-show interview before iTunes presents: Glint at Apple Soho on Friday, October 17, 2008, Noahm, well known NYC blogger/photographer deamed the band “the missing link between Mogwai and Portishead[…]”. ^[9]

Billboard Magazine hailed their live show as “air tight” and “irresistible.” ^[10]

Mode To Joy

Jordan Lehning, son of noted producer Kyle Lehning produced the band's first studio effort, Mode To Joy, recorded in an abandoned 1800’s firehouse throughout 2005. “I almost look at 'Mode To Joy' as a memory…a lot of the songs on the first album I wrote when I was really young, in my early teens. Mode To Joy [serves as] a photo album of the past, once we were given the resources to basically…do anything sonically, we just naturally and organically progressed…” said Jase Blankfort. Contemporary artist Paul Kostabi created the album art.

Sound in Silence

The band's first major studio effort, Sound in Silence, was recorded on over 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) of rural land at the King Estate Vineyard in Eugene, Oregon on November 1-17, 2007 at Blackberry Hill Studios^[11] with producer/engineer Nic Hard. Contemporary renowned artist Mark Kostabi created the album art. Following the release of Sound in Silence, Kostabi invited Glint to play unplugged on two episodes for his NYC television show, Title This. ^[12]^[13]

2009

With albums primarily known for their signature blend of lush melodies and climactic drumming,and often refers to space, Glint is currently in the studio working on an upcoming record that shows off new, heretofore unknown creative angles of the group. Expect to hear sounds in second quarter 2009 with electronics that indulge a deeper investment into polished samples and textures that have ebb and flowed throughout Sound in Silence. This will be the first recording of the group as the four piece, taking place in various studios throughout New York, Brooklyn, and upstate New York.

Discography

Albums

2006: Mode To Joy
2008: Sound in Silence
2009: T.B.A.

External links

References

[1] Jase Blankfort in "Stanley" on Broadway

[2] Jase Blankfort in The New York Times for Glowaki's Chekhov inspired play "The Fourth Sister"

[3] Jase Blankfort in The New York Times for Gordon/Landau play "Dream True"

[4] Jase Blankfort's profile on IMDB

[5] Rely Records Official Site

[6] Glint wins 2007 IMWS

[7] Matt Pinfield Interviews Glint

[8] Glint Review in Deli Magazine

[9] Glint Interview with Noahm

[10] Glint in Billboard Magazine

[11] Blackberry Hill Studios

[12] Glint performs "All is Well" on Title This

[13] Glint performs "Boy of The Stars" on Title This

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