The Revelstoke
Current
If you think rock is dead
you’re missing the Blind Spot
July 27, 2009 By David F. Rooney
Marty and Wanetta Stroo, Kaylee
Knecht, Leslie Wilkins and Heidi Bender are Blind
Spot.
Anyone who thinks
rock is dead is missing the Blind Spot. This band of
five talented local musicians has just published a new
CD, Past Lives, — recorded at Revelstoke’s
Snowstorm Studios and manufactured in the Big Eddy (how
local is that!) — and will be performing live at the
Glacier Challenge Softball tournament this weekend.
This seven-song CD
features Kaylee Knecht on lead vocals, Marty Stroo on
lead guitar, Wanetta Streo on rhythm guitar, Leslie
Wilkins on drums and Heidi Bender on bass guitar. The
lyrics for all of the songs were written by Wanetta
Stroo while the music for three of the songs — I
Beg, Emerald Eyes and Thoughts of You —
was composed by Bender and the music for the rest —
Drink of Mine, Heavy Sigh, Unfaithful and
Private Prison — was written by Marty Stroo.
This is semi-heavy
rock that I found reminiscent of the 1990s band, Grant
Lee Buffalo, and in a few places oddly enough, King
Crimson. The lyrics are intelligent and Knecht’s voice
is deep with craving, particularly in I Beg.
Toss in a dash of Wolfmother and a sprinkling of Foo
Fighters and you’ve got Blind Spot. Well, there’s a lot
more to it than
that, of
course.
“We spent the first
year in the basement honing our sound before we took it
to the stage,” Wanetta says.
That was four years
ago and since then they have been building a following. LIsten
to this CD, particularly (for me at least) songs like
Drink of Mine and Thoughts of You, and
you’ll see why. The lyrics are smart, the vocals are
throaty, with just the right touch of rawness, and the
beat is steady and driving.
If you’ve never heard
Blind Spot before you might be forgiven for thinking
they are an all-chick band. They do have a token male,
lead guitarist Marty Stroo, who is also the most
experienced musician of the bunch having played on the
road for several years. The rest of the band members
are, judging by the sound of this CD, very competent and
well-rehearsed musicians.
Jumping from playing
the local bar scene to a larger venue like the Glacier
Challenge Tournament, which is almost as much about
music and beer as it is softball, is a big step for
Blind Spot. And is is one I am sure they’ll savour. And
judging by the quality of the music on Past Lives,
their performance will be one people at the post-game
concert at Centennial Park will really enjoy, too. |
