Blindside (band)

Blindside

Blindside is a post-hardcore band from Stockholm, Sweden. They formed in 1994 as Underfree and kept that name for two years before releasing their debut EP in 1996.

History

Blindside/A Thought Crushed My Mind

In 1996 Blindside, released the Empty Box EP on Day-Glo Records. In 1997, Solid State Records got a hold of the EP and signed Blindside to their label. 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. The disc was released later that year in the U.S. by Tooth & Nail. 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 sang "Pitiful". In 2003, they toured with Hoobastank to support the album. 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/The Great Depression

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 During his recession from the band he normally sings and guitars for: 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, and a new album, 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 [1] and toured the United States in support of it in late 2007. This album included five new songs and three live songs, and was (and is) only available online, in Sweden and at Blindside's concerts.

Current Events

Blindside has been performing a new song called "Remember December" from their upcoming album. [2] Christian and Simon have also been performing in a side project named Lindforest (The English translation of Christians Swedish lastname "Lindskog"). [3] Blindside took some time off throughout 2008 but also has written new songs and is expected to release a new album. [4] [5]

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. [6]

On July 28, 2009, Blindside started an all-new press onslaught to announce their new album coming out in early 2010. Also in their myspace blog the band discusses what has been going on with the band over the last 5 years.

Discography

Albums

Title	Year	Label	Billboards	Producer	Reviews
Empty Box EP	1996	Day-Glo Records		Lasse Marten
Blindside	1997	Day-Glo / Solid State		Lasse Marten
A Thought Crushed My Mind	2000	Solid State		Andre Jacobsson	[7] [8]
7" inch vinyl	2001
Silence	2002	Elektra	#83 (US)	Howard Benson	[9]
About a Burning Fire	2004	Elektra	#39 (US)	Howard Benson	[10]
Blindside (re-release)	2005	DRT
A Thought Crushed My Mind (re-release)	2005	DRT
The Great Depression	2005	DRT	#89 (US) #8 (Top Independent Albums)	Lasse Marten	[11] [12]
The Black Rose EP	2007	WASA Recordings (Independent)		Blindside
TBA	2010	TBA		Howard Benson	[13]

Singles

Year	Title	Chart Positions
		US Mainstream Rock	US Modern Rock
2002	"Pitiful"	#18	#36
2003	"Sleepwalking"	#31
2004	"All of Us"
2005	"Fell in Love with the Game"

Videography

Title	Album
King of the Closet	A Thought Crushed My Mind
Pitiful	Silence
Sleepwalking	Silence
All of Us	About a Burning Fire
About a Burning Fire	About a Burning Fire
Fell in Love with the Game	The Great Depression
When I Remember	The Great Depression

Media appearances

• "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. [14]
• Blindside performed "Pitiful" on the Conan O'Brien Show on September 11, 2002 [15] [16] [17]
• 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..[18]
• "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 [19]
• "Pitiful" appears in the video game NHL 2003 [20]
• 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

Further reading

• The Set (New Zealand): Blindside interview (April 2007)
• Farias, Andree (12 September 2005). "The Hardcore Blues". Retrieved 2007-05-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

External links

• Official Blindside website