This started out with all the intent of being a review for System Syn’s latest two offerings “Once Upon a Second Act” & the just released accompanying remix album “If It Doesn’t Break You”
Both brilliant offerings from an act that has put out one great release after another but, I decided I didn’t just want to talk about the albums of System Syn, but about the man behind System Syn, Clint Carney and his ever-growing influence not just on dark music and our little corner of the world, but also art and film that’s often over shadowed by the shenanigans of other artists and his down to earth persona.
I first discovered System Syn in late 2004/early 2005 through classic online electro-industrial-EBM show Real Synthetic Audio followed by a tour supporting Imperative Reaction at local legendary Denver Nightclub Rock Island.
This was the first glimpse I had of the energy and creativity of Clint. Since then, I have become a fan on many levels, and through many channels.
As a long-standing DJ and writer in the Goth/Industrial/Alternative Communities I have followed the career of System Syn and Clint with relative curiosity over the years, each release better than the last. Which is saying worlds, with 15 releases as System Syn to date.
I always look forward to new System Syn releases yet dread it at the same time, as there is always more than one track worth spinning, that you know will make people move.
I know this doesn’t sound like a problem, but when an artist has this many albums full of great club worthy tracks that are also massive earworms. One can easily get bogged down and lost in the fray but, I always find something.
Once Upon a Second Act and If It Never Breaks You are no different in that respect. Both are solid albums filled with sonic goodies. Hell, the covers of Pulp’s “Common People” and The Strokes “Someday” are worth the money alone. And looking at the cover art (also done by Clint) brings me to the other side of Clint and System Syn.
As with a lot of artists in the dark and indie music community Clint is a multi-talented artist (more on that later) as well as filling in as a hired gun on multiple tours for acts like Imperative Reaction, and God Module. Adding the to the chemistry and artistry of each band’s live performance.
I have seen Clint live as often in other bands if not more than I have with his own projects. During the Triptych Tour, in Denver he not only played all 3 sets, but when the power at the venue went out, instead of just giving up or waiting, what did he do? That’s right he pulled out an acoustic guitar and continued to put on a pretty fantastic show.
This may not sound like much, yet it was the first time I have seen an artist at this level just take the road block and run with it.
Besides the above-mentioned artists and System Syn, if you go to Clint’s Wiki or Discogs you will see a number of side projects (Fake, Parallel Project) but also how far reaching his influence is working with people all across the board.
One might think it is enough to be a known and respected musician, not Clint.
As I spoke about earlier, Clint is also a prolific artist in multiple other disciplines. His album covers give an idea but nothing prepares you for the sheer volume of his work (very similar to Steven Archer of StoneBurner and Egolikeness in this regard), check out his involvement with Hyena Gallery and his transition into film and music video.
Since that time, he has worked with directors as notable as Wes Craven and David Fincher. And in 2017 making his Executive Producer, Writing and Acting debut in Dry Blood. Currently Clint is in various stages of production on other projects in film.
Talking with Clint, one would barely have an idea of how much he has going on or how wide his influence really is. He is both humble and polite, as well as being more down to earth than most I have had the chance to meet and speak with.
I for one am looking forward to many more years of releases from Clint and his various projects.