Flint, Mi –
Flint Local 432’s April 11, anniversary show was an evening of rock, angst, love, and community sure to be enshrined into the venue’s mythos.
At 55 degrees, spring was in bloom, the crowd was starting to file in, and Bryce Mata was on sound check. Touch the Clouds kicked the night off with punchy guitars, an energetic stage presence, and set the tone for what was ahead.
Suburban Deliquents followed, bringing their blend of pop punk and punk rock, mixing in songs both old and new. By the time Big Donut hit the stage, the floor in front had broken into dance and the rest of the crowd couldn’t help but move in rhythm.
The 84 Tigers understood the assignment and carried us deeper into the evening, delivering a set that felt like a natural progression towards Greet Death. As a fan of The Swellers back in the day, finally seeing Jono on the drums in Flint felt right.
There seemed to be a shared understanding amongst the room that the night was turning into something special. At the same time, it felt familiar. This is what the Local has done for decades; an evening curated over 40 years.
Between the 84 Tigers and Greet Death, Factory Two Chair Michael Wright shared a few words.
He thanked the bands for coming out and gave credit to Bryce Mata and Maiya Legardye for all the work they put into making the night possible. He honored Joel Rash as founder of the Local and shared a brief history of the different buildings the Local has called home. Wright shared his own 35-year history with the Local and lead the crowd in singing Happy Birthday to Joel Rash to celebrate his most recent orbit around the sun.
Greet Death closed the show out with a performance that solidified the night in the Flint Local 432 Tomes of Lore. Their distorted and melodic angst washed out over the crowd bewitching you into a dreamscape.
Early in their set, a blown fuse cut the sound. Within minutes, Bryce had everything back up and running, all while Greet Death’s Logan Gaval did what I will call “shoegaze crowd work” to keep the crowd entranced.
As Greet Death were performing their final song, I found myself at the back of the venue, taking in the moment. I panned over the crowd and realized I had landed next to Joel Rash. I couldn’t help but lean over and compliment him on the success of the show; we talked briefly about how well it all went. That shared moment, recognizing the magic of the evening, is something I’ll cherish for a long time.
Thank you Joel, Bryce, Maiya, Mike, the bands, the artists, the patrons and everyone else that has contributed to making the Flint Local 432 into what it is today.
