The Flatliners are a Canadian

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band from

Richmond Hill, Ontario Richmond Hill ( 2021 population: 202,022) is a city in south-central York Region, Ontario, Canada. Part of the Greater Toronto Area, it is the York Region's third most populous municipality and the 27th most populous municipality in Canada. Ric ...

. Since their formation in 2002, the band has been a growing influence in the Toronto punk/ska movement, with consistently well-received albums and live shows.

History

The band self-released its debut album, ''

Destroy to Create The Flatliners are a Canadian punk rock band from Richmond Hill, Ontario. Since their formation in 2002, the band has been a growing influence in the Toronto punk/ska movement, with consistently well-received albums and live shows. History ...

'' in 2005; after signing to Stomp Records, it was reissued on July 19, 2005. It saw the band mix punk rock with

ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

, and was promoted with a Canadian tour. In March and April 2006, the band went on the Frostbite Tour alongside

Death by Stereo Death by Stereo (also referred to as D.B.S.) is an American hardcore punk band formed in Orange County, California circa 1998 by frontman Efrem Schulz. They are well known for their energetic performances and intricate guitar work. Their nam ...

, Bigwig, and

Big D and the Kids Table Big D and the Kids Table is a ska punk band formed in October 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts, when its members converged in college. Their first release was on their own Fork in Hand Records label, but have since teamed with Springman Records a ...

. They appeared at the Ska Weekend festival at the end of April 2006. In October 2006, they went on a Canadian tour with Much the Same, and then embarked on a short US tour alongside Time Again,

Against All Authority Against All Authority (often abbreviated AAA) is an American punk rock band known for their political leanings and, previously, as a ska punk band. Their business practice follows a stringent DIY ethic. History Against All Authority was founded ...

, and the Know How. The Flatliners signed to Fat Wreck Chords in April 2007; they would distribute the band's next release in every country but Canada, where it was handled by Stomp Records. Following this, they appeared at the Wakestock festival, toured the US West Coast with

No Use for a Name No Use for a Name (sometimes abbreviated NUFAN or No Use) was an American punk rock band from Sunnyvale, California, formed in 1986 by Chris Dodge (guitar), Steve Papoutsis (bass) and Rory Koff (drums). The band's sound evolved considerably throu ...

, and performed on the two Canadian dates of the

Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a Concert tour, touring Rock music, rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music ...

. Their second album, '' The Great Awake'', was released on 4 September 2007. In September and October 2007, they went on a Canadian tour, prior to joining up with

the Toasters The Toasters are one of the original American Third wave ska, third wave of ska bands. Founded in New York City in 1981, the band has released nine studio albums, primarily through Moon Ska Records. History Englishman Robert Hingley relocated ...

, Saint Alvia Cartel, and the Peacocks. A music video for "Eulogy" was posted online in November 2007. They ending the year with a US tour with

A Wilhelm Scream A Wilhelm Scream (abbreviated as AWS) is a melodic hardcore band from New Bedford, Massachusetts, formed in 1999. Sonically, their music has been compared to that of Strung Out, Hot Water Music, Propagandhi, and Strike Anywhere. Their nam ...

. In February and March 2008, the band appeared on the Fat Wreck Chords Tour, alongside

NOFX NOFX () was an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Bassist/lead vocalist Fat Mike, rhythm guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin were original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...

and

. Following this, they went on a US West Coast tour supporting the Loved Ones and a Canadian tour with the Rebel Spell. In May 2008, the band performed at the

Groezrock Groezrock was an annual music festival that took place in Meerhout, Belgium. It started as a small rock music, rock and pop music, pop festival with one stage and a few hundred people attending, but evolved into a large punk rock/hardcore punk fe ...

festival in Belgium, which was followed by a Canadian tour with

Strike Anywhere Strike Anywhere is an American punk rock band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1999 after the demise of frontman Thomas Barnett's previous band, Inquisition, they took their name from the Inquisition song "Strike Anywhere". Their music is ch ...

, Hostage Life, This Is a Standoff, and Carpenter. Following this, they appeared at the two Canadian dates of Warped Tour and the Cutting Edge Music Festival. They toured with

Less Than Jake Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida, formed in 1992. The band consists of Chris DeMakes (guitars, vocals), Roger Lima (bass, vocals), Buddy Schaub (trombone), Peter "JR" Wasilewski (saxophone) and Matt Yonker ...

Reel Big Fish Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California. The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold-certified album '' Turn the Radio Off''. So ...

, and the Real Deal in September 2008, and supported NOFX on their Canadian tour in October 2008. They ended the year with an appearance at

The Fest The Fest is an annual music festival in Gainesville, Florida, United States, which takes place on the weekend of the Florida–Georgia football game (around Halloween). Originally organized by Tony Weinbender, formerly of No Idea Records, it pr ...

in Florida. In March 2009, the band appeared at the Harvest of Hope Fest, and then played Groezrock in Belgium soon after. Following this, they went on a tour of Europe with NOFX; Snuff appeared on three of the shows. In May 2009, they went on a Canadian tour with Hostage Life, leading up to an appearance at the

S.C.E.N.E. Music Festival S.C.E.N.E. Music Festival (sometimes shortened to SCENE Fest) was a music festival founded by Chris "Cashmere" Wojtowicz, singer/songwriter of Revenge Of The Egg People/Rumble Devils, held in downtown St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The event was h ...

. They then appeared on Warped Tour again; coinciding with this, they released a split with the Snips. Between July and September 2009, the band toured across Europe, which included an appearance at the

Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fest ...

. Shortly after this, they played a few shows with

Strung Out Strung Out is an American melodic hardcore band from Simi Valley, California, formed in 1991. Their sound also includes elements of heavy metal. They have released nine studio albums on Fat Wreck Chords as well as one live album, two B-sides ...

and Pour Habit, leading up to a performance at

in October 2009. Around this time, they released the ''Cynics'' 7-inch vinyl record. They ended the year supporting the

Dropkick Murphys Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The current lineup consists of co-lead vocalist and bassist Ken Casey, drummer Matt Kelly, co-lead vocalist Al Barr (on hiatus from the band since 202 ...

on their headlining tour of the US. On February 9, 2010, ''Cavalcade'' was announced for release in two months' time; its artwork and track listing were posted online. In March 2010, they went on an Australian tour with

No Fun at All No Fun at All (often abbreviated to just NFAA) is a Swedish punk rock band. History The band formed in the summer of 1991 in Skinnskatteberg. The group initially consisted of Mikael Danielsson (guitar), Jimmie Olsson (Singing, vocals, Drum kit ...

and then went on a North American tour with

Broadway Calls Broadway Calls is an American punk rock band from Rainier, Oregon. The band has released four records and toured the United States and Canada extensively and often. More recently the band has completed tours in Europe. Broadway Calls have toure ...

and

Cobra Skulls Cobra Skulls are an American punk rock band originally from Reno, Nevada, United States, but later based in the San Francisco Bay Area. They have released three studio albums, five EPs, and three 7" splits. History Cobra Skulls were formed in Re ...

through to the following month. Preceded by "Carry the Banner", ''

Cavalcade A cavalcade is a procession or parade on horseback, or a mass distance ride by a company of riders. Sometimes the focus of a cavalcade is participation rather than display and the participants do not wear costumes or ride in formation. ...

'' was released in April 2010. It received rave reviews from numerous critics. Shortly afterwards, the band performed at Rockfest in Belgium. In August 2010, the band went on an East Coast and Midwest tour with

the Mighty Mighty Bosstones The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (informally referred to as The Bosstones and often stylized as The Mighty Mighty BossToneS) were an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. From the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky ...

and

Teenage Bottlerocket Teenage Bottlerocket is an American rock band formed in Laramie, Wyoming in 2000. The rock band was formed by twin brothers Ray and Brandon Carlisle, following the dissolution of their previous band, Homeless Wonders. The band's music is he ...

. The band toured almost non-stop from 2006 to 2019, starting out as the opening band for artists such as

Joan Jett Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin; September 22, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actress. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music#J, Godmother of Punk", she is regarded as a Pop icon, rock icon and ...

, NOFX and

. They have also appeared in numerous festival lineups, including the

, the

, and

Riot Fest Riot Fest is an annual three-day punk rock music festival held at Douglass Park in Chicago, Illinois. It is known for booking reunions, guest performances, and full album performances. Riot Fest is one of the largest independently-owned music fe ...

. Their fourth album

Dead Language An extinct language or dead language is a language with no living native speakers. A dormant language is a dead language that still serves as a symbol of ethnic identity to an ethnic group; these languages are often undergoing a process of re ...

was nominated for a 2014 Juno Award in the category of Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year." Their 2017 release '' Inviting Light'' did equally well. In October 2024, after a long association with NOFX and Fat Wreck Chords, the band played on the final day (Sunday) of the 3 day Punk In Drublic Festival in San Pedro. The festival was a celebration and final farewell for NOFX after they toured North America, Europe, Australia and other countries over the prior year before their retirement. The festival line up included over 20 bands including Pennywise, Less Than Jake, Lagwagon, the Decendants, Drop Kick Murphys.

Discography

Studio albums * ''Destroy to Create'' (2005) (Union Label Group) * ''The Great Awake'' (2007) (Fat Wreck Chords) * ''

'' (2010) (Fat Wreck Chords) No. 54 CAN * ''

'' (2013) (Fat Wreck Chords) * ''Inviting Light'' (2017) (Rise Records, Dine Alone Records) * ''New Ruin'' (2022) (Fat Wreck Records, Dine Alone Records) EPs and singles * ''Demo'' (2002) (Drive Studios) * ''Sleep Is For Bitches EP'' (2007) (Union Label Group) * ''Cynics 7" '' (2009) (Fat Wreck Chords) * ''Monumental 7" '' (2010) (Fat Wreck Chords) * ''Count Your Bruises 7" '' (2011) (Fat Wreck Chords) * ''Caskets Full 7"'' (2013) (Fat Wreck Chords) * ''Resuscitation of the Year 7"'' (2015) (Fat Wreck Chords) * ''Nerves EP'' (2016) (Dine Alone Records) * ''Mass Candescence EP'' (2018) (Dine Alone Records) Splits *''Run Like Hell 7" Split w/ The Snips '', Paper & Plastick (2009) *''Under the Influence Volume 16 7" Split w/ Dead To Me '' (2011) *''Southwards/Meanwhile In Hell 7" Split w/ ASTPAI '' (2012) *''Calutron Girls/Dagger 7" split w/ Make Do and Mend'',

Rise Records Rise Records is an American record label currently based in Beaverton, Oregon, mainly focusing on alternative rock, heavy metal, and punk rock music artists. History Rise was founded in 1991 by Craig Ericson in Nevada City, California. He relea ...

(2013) Compilation appearances *''Who Said Ska's Dead?'', Cresswell Records (2003) *''Like Nobodies Business'' (Spill Your Guts), Pezmosis Music Productions (2005) *''We Don't Die We Multiply'' (There's A Problem), 3rd Generation Recordz (2006) *''Like Nobodies Business II'' (...And the World Files For Chapter 11), Pezmosis Music Productions (2006) *''Ska Is Dead 3'' (Open Hearts and Bloody Grins),

Stomp Records Union Label Group is a record label based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was formed through the merger of the smaller labels Stomp Records, 2112 Records, and Tyrant Records. Mayday! Records was later created as a genre imprint. Stomp Records wa ...

(2007) *'' All Aboard: A Tribute to Johnny Cash'' (

Cry! Cry! Cry! "Cry! Cry! Cry!" is the debut single by singer-songwriter Johnny Cash. The song was originally released in 1955 and reached number 14 on the Hot Country Songs, Best Sellers charts. Background In 1954, before the release of the song "Cry! Cry! ...

), Anchorless Records (2008) *'' The Songs of Tony Sly: A Tribute'', Fat Wreck Chords (2013) *''Fat in New York'', Fat Wreck Chords (2013) *'' Division of Spoils'', Fat Wreck Chords (2015) *''Sea Shepherd Benefit vol. 2'', Uncle M Music (2017)

Videography

*"Fred's Got Slacks" (2005) *"Broken Bones" (2006) *"Eulogy" (2007) *"This Respirator" (2008) *"Carry the Banner" (2010) *"Monumental" (2010) *"Count Your Bruises" (2011) *"Arrhythmic Palpitations" ( Dead to Me cover – 2012) *"Birds of England" (2013) *"Tail Feathers" (2014) *"Resuscitation of the Year" (2015) *"Indoors" (2017) *"Performative Hours" (2022) *"Souvenir" (2022) *"Rat King" (2022)

References

External links

* *
Official Myspace pageInterview with ChangeTheRecord.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flatliners Canadian punk rock groups Fat Wreck Chords artists Musical groups from the Regional Municipality of York Richmond Hill, Ontario Musical groups established in 2002 2002 establishments in Ontario Rise Records artists Dine Alone Records artists