Blindside (band)
| Blindside | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Genres | Alternative rock, post-hardcore, Christian rock, Christian metal |
| Years active | 1994–Present |
| Labels | DRT Entertainment, Tooth and Nail, Solid State Records, Elektra Records, INO Records |
| Associated acts | Lindforest |
| Website |
www |
| Members |
Christian Lindskog Simon Grenehed Tomas Näslund Marcus Dahlström |
Blindside is a rock band from Tumba, Sweden.[1] They formed in the Christian metal scene in Stockholm in 1994 as Underfree and released the EP Empty Box with Day-Glo Records before changing their name in 1996 and releasing the Blindside album in 1997. Another album, A Thought Crushed My Mind, came out in 2000. The group received greater attention in 2001 when they toured with P.O.D., resulting in a contract with Elektra. In 2002 they released the album Silence and in 2003 they toured in support of Hoobastank. A 2004 headlining tour suffered equipment theft but then Blindside released About a Burning Fire. Losing support from their label, the next year Blindside released The Great Depression independently, and they put out the DVD Ten Years Running Blind.[2]
Blindside independently released another EP in 2007 – The Black Rose – but then they ceased most band activity until 2011 when they released With Shivering Hearts We Wait.
History
A Thought Crushed My Mind
1997 Blindside debuted in Sweden with their self-titled debut, a collection of old and new songs that were based on singer Christian Lindskog's life at the time. Later in 1997 Blindside re-released the Empty Box EP on Day-Glo Records as a follow up to their self-titled debut. In 1997, Tooth & Nail Records got a hold of the EP and signed Blindside to their label. The US debut was released later that year by Tooth & Nail and featured songs both from the Swedish full-length debut and from the EP. In 2000, A Thought Crushed My Mind was released. A Thought Crushed My Mind was more harsh and hardcore than the band's debut, and vocalist/chief lyricist Christian Lindskog also voiced his pain of missing his wife, Elina, while touring. Due to lackluster sales of the two albums, it would be Blindside's final album with Solid State. Fellow group P.O.D. began actively endorsing Blindside and signed them to Elektra Records under the imprint 3 Points.
Silence
In 2002 Blindside released Silence. It generated hits such as "Sleepwalking", "Pitiful," and "Caught a Glimpse." They appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and performed their hit song "Pitiful". In 2003, they toured with Hoobastank to support the album. Also in 2003, the band appeared in the skateboarding film Grind, performing the song "Pitiful" at a skate competition. In 2003, the Warner Music Group was sold to private investors, leading Elektra to drop Blindside. The Blindside Union and P.O.D. Warriors, the two bands' street teams, stepped in to help in promotion. Blindside sold out five of the shows they headlined in 2004. However, the headlining tour was marred by several incidents. First, their tour bus crashed and was in disrepair, forcing the band to rent a van. Secondly, their last show in Bartlesville, OK had to be canceled. After dining in a restaurant in Dallas, TX, they found everything in their rental van stolen, including passports and money.
About a Burning Fire
In 2004, About a Burning Fire was released. It generated a minor hit in "All of Us." The album showed the band toying with their diversity, as they threw in techno elements in "Where The Sun Never Dies" and yodeling Swedish vocals in the ethereal "Shekina". "Shekina" is a Jewish and Christian name for the outer presence of God's glory, and this song title expresses Blindside's spiritual side in their music. "Shekina" was used on WWE DVD, Cheating Death, Stealing Life - The Eddie Guerrero Story. The track "Hooray, It's L.A." features the guitar and back up vocals of Billy Corgan, recorded during his recession from The Smashing Pumpkins. Following in 2005, Blindside re-released their two Solid State LPs with bonus tracks and new cover art. A DVD titled Ten Years Running Blind was released on June 21, 2005.
The Great Depression
The Great Depression, was released August 2, 2005. The Great Depression showcased Blindside experimenting with multiple new genres. Many jazzy elements were incorporated, such as "My Alibi" and "City Lights." Guest vocalists were incorporated, namely Ilkka from Benea Reach and Selfmindead, as well as J. Jamte. Ilkka sang alongside Christian Lindskog in "Come To Rest", while J. Jamte contributed to "You Must Be Bleeding Under Your Eyelids."
The Black Rose EP
Blindside released a new EP, The Black Rose EP, on June 27, 2007[3] and toured the United States in support of it in late 2007. This album included five new songs and three live songs, and is only available for purchase in Sweden, Blindside concerts, and online.
Hiatus
Blindside has been performing a new song called "Remember December" from their upcoming album.[4] Christian and Simon have also been performing in a side project named Lindforest (The English translation of Christian's Swedish lastname "Lindskog").[5] Blindside took some time off throughout 2008 but also has written new songs and is expected to release a new album.[6][7]
On May 1, 2009, it was announced that Blindside will be performing at a free showcase that will be held in Las Vegas at the Thomas and Mack Center on August 29, 2009, along with Flyleaf, Brian Welch and P.O.D., among others.[8]
On July 29, 2009, Blindside announced that they were going to be making a new album, to be produced by Howard Benson.[9]
On November 21, 2010 Blindside tweeted: "Hung out with our friends from Papa Roach this week in Stockholm and played them the new record. Cant wait for all you guys to hear it!" Papa Roach claimed the album would be released in March 2011.[10]
With Shivering Hearts We Wait
On February 7, 2011 Blindside posted an image on their Facebook and Twitter accounts with a possible Album Title and a date "028/002/011".[9]
A short video with a clip of a new song was added to their official website on February 28, 2011. The underground release date for With Shivering Hearts We Wait was May 6, 2011. The worldwide release date was June 7, 2011.[9]
On 03/11/11 9:05 CET Blindside released their new single "Monster on the Radio," on Swedish airwaves.
On 4/1/11 Blindside released a promotional website containing songs from the new album. A new song was released each week leading to the album's release.
On 04/03/12 it was reported that Blindside had signed a new contract with BMG European Distribution Company.
Albums
| Title | Year | Label | Billboard 200 | Producer | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blindside | 1997 | Day-Glo Records/Solid State | 123 (US) | Lasse Marten | |
| Empty Box EP | 1997 | Day-Glo Records | |||
| A Thought Crushed My Mind | 2000 | Solid State Records | 108 (US) | Andre Jacobsson | |
| "Limited Vinyl" 7inch | 2001 | Structure Records | |||
| Silence | 2002 | Elektra Records | 83 (US) | Howard Benson | |
| About a Burning Fire | 2004 | 39 (US) | |||
| Blindside (re-release) | 2005 | DRT Entertainment | 122 (US) | ||
| A Thought Crushed My Mind (re-release) | |||||
| The Great Depression | 89 (US) |
Lasse Marten | |||
| The Black Rose EP | 2007 | WASA Recordings | Blindside | ||
| With Shivering Hearts We Wait | 2011 | INO Records | 70 (US) | Mike Plotnikoff/Igor Khoroshev; Howard Benson (exec. producer) |
Singles
| Chart Positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | US Mainstream Rock | US Modern Rock |
| 2002 | "Pitiful" | 18 | 36 |
| 2003 | "Sleepwalking" | 31 | — |
| 2004 | "All of Us" | — | — |
| 2005 | "Fell in Love With the Game" | — | — |
| 2011 | "Our Love Saves Us" | — | — |
Videography
| Title | Album |
|---|---|
| "King of the Closet" | A Thought Crushed My Mind |
| "Pitiful" | Silence |
| "Sleepwalking" | |
| "All of Us" | About a Burning Fire |
| "About a Burning Fire" | |
| "Fell in Love With the Game" | The Great Depression |
| "When I Remember" | |
| "The Way You Dance" | The Black Rose EP |
| "Our Love Saves Us" | With Shivering Hearts We Wait |
Blindside in the Media
- "Swallow" (from About a Burning Fire) appears on the "Need for Speed Underground" video game and in the Unreleased beta of Need For Speed: Carbon.
- Blindside performed "Pitiful" on the Conan O'Brien Show on September 11, 2002
- Billy Corgan featured in "Hooray, It's L.A." on About a Burning Fire
- Christian is featured in the song "Anything Right" on P.O.D.'s album Satellite
- Blindside is featured as the Swedish table tennis team in the music video "Boom" by P.O.D..
- "Pitiful" video featured in P.O.D.'s Tastemaker (a show on the channel Fuse TV)
- Blindside has played at Cornerstone Festival multiple times
- "Channel One News" song requests
- "Pitiful" appears as background music for the MTV special Ultimate Videogame Countdown
- Blindside have appeared on several Fuse TV shows such as "Oven Fresh" and "IMX".
- Blindside appears playing "Pitiful" live in the 2003 movie Grind
- Performed in Linkin Park's self promoted Projekt Revolution Tour 2003
- "Pitiful" appears in the video game NHL 2003 NHL series soundtracks
- Appearances on TVU Live
- Purple Door Festival
- Blindside's songs appear in various Solid State Records compilation CDs
- "Fell in Love With the Game" (from The Great Depression) is featured in the Taste of Chaos compilation CD
- "Shekina" (from About a Burning Fire) is used on WWE DVD Cheating Death, Stealing Life - The Eddie Guerrero Story.
- Blindside were guests at a WWE wrestling match.
- Blindside performed at AGMF (Australian Gospel Music Festival) in April 2007
- Blindside's Christian Lindskog appears on the song "Chapter VI: Tears" from the Swedish band The Spring This Autumn's debut self-titled release. Also of particular note, Marcus Dahlström produced and mixed the record.
- Christian made a cameo on the song "Why Are You Afraid of The Dark" from the album On The Run by the band Children 18:3.
- Blindside's Christian Lindskog appears on the song "Speak" from Facedown Record's Everything in Slow Motion
Further reading
- The Set (New Zealand): Blindside interview (April 2007)
- Farias, Andree (12 September 2005). "The Hardcore Blues". Retrieved 2007-05-11.
References
- ↑ CMJ New Music Report. College Music Journal. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
- ↑ Cummings, Tony (3 August 2011). "Tony Cummings reports on the welcome comeback of post-hardcore heroes BLINDSIDE". Cross Rhythms. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ↑ Blindside. Rockfreaks.net. Retrieved on 2013-08-25.
- ↑ Archived August 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Lindforest - Dead God. YouTube (2008-08-10). Retrieved on 2013-08-25.
- ↑ Myspace Archived February 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.. Blogs.myspace.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-25.
- ↑ YouTube. YouTube. Retrieved on 2013-08-25.
- ↑ Exit (Home) Archived July 18, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.. Exitconcerts.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-25.
- 1 2 3 Blindside (Sweden) | Facebook. Blindsideonline.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-25.
- ↑ Blindside (blindsidesweden) on Twitter. Twitter.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-25.