The Blind Eyes, Week Of May 10-16

There's a whole load of stuff happening this week. Dig it:

• Tuesday- Seth Porter DJ spin at the Royale, 10 PM- close.
• Thursday- The Blind Eyes at the KDHX Midwest Mayhem Music Festival (Aquarium Stage, first floor, 7:30 PM).
  
• Saturday- The Blind Eyes w/ Helium Tapes and Magic City at Off Broadway, doors at 8, show at 9, we play second in the lineup (advance tickets available online at Ticketweb).

See you there!

The Blind Eyes & Helium Tapes Saturday, May 16

The Blind Eyes Nominated For "Best Pop Band"- 2009 RFT Music Awards!

The Blind Eyes are honored to be nominated in the category of "Best Pop Band" in this year's Riverfront Times Music Awards!

Click on this link and vote now! And even though it wasn't actually nominated, you can still vote "Modernity" as "best self-released album" by simply writing it in!

We will be playing the Showcase on Sunday, June 7th at Cicero's from 8-8:40 PM. See you there!

The Blind Eyes at 2009 Midwest Mayhem Festival, LOT Music Festival

It's official- The Blind Eyes will be playing this year's KDHX Midwest Mayhem Music Festival at the City Museum! Official release here. More details plus show poster coming soon! And don't forget, we're also playing the 2009 LOT Music Festival in August with an amazing lineup. Both shows are not to be missed!

French Kicks/Blind Eyes April 21st

Just a quick update to remind you that the French Kicks/Blind Eyes show at Firebird is just about a week away! See you there.

Vintage Vinyl Window Display

The Blind Eyes Vintage Vinyl window display is up and will be there for the next month, maybe more! Go check it out, and while you're at it, head inside and buy a copy of Modernity and a t-shirt! Thanks again to Nate and Jason for helping make it happen. The picture shown at left is an insanely crappy cell-phone shot, but there will be better ones posted here soon.

Jason And Nate Fan Club

We at Blind Eyes HQ have got to take a second to acknowledge the awesome work of two of our close friends, Jason Potter and Nathan Prater who totally went above and beyond in putting together some awesome new stuff for us in a pinch. These will both be available for viewing soon in the front window of Vintage Vinyl (the yellow Modernity posters will be up soon in other spots around town), but here's a sneak peek. If you're in need of graphic design and/or print work, we seriously cannot recommend these two duedz enough.

Just Announced: The Blind Eyes w/ French Kicks April 21

The Blind Eyes will be playing with New York's French Kicks on Tuesday, April 21st at Firebird. Yeah, it's a Tuesday night, but you should come out and rock nonetheless. More details + show poster as we get them!

French Kicks w/ the Blind Eyes and One Lone Car
Tuesday, April 21st - 18+
The Firebird- 2706 Olive StreetSt. Louis, MO 63103

R.I.P. Jamie Foehner

We'd like to express our collective condolences to the family and friends of Jamie Foehner, who passed away yesterday at 38. Jamie was the booking agent/trivia host/door guy at Lemmons in St. Louis for years, and he was always great to us whenever we played there. On top of that he was just an all around nice guy and the local music scene definitely lost a great friend and advocate. There is a little obituary to him up at A to Z, go check it out.

Modernity Available Now At Vintage Vinyl

The Blind Eyes debut album, Modernity, is now available at Vintage Vinyl in University City! Want to hear it first? It's available for hearing at the listening station as well. Go check it out!

And keep in mind, until we get the online-ordering thing figured out, you can simply send us an email at theblindeyes at gmail dot com to order CDs, T-shirts (like the one pictured on the striking gentleman to the left), pins, or whatever else- and we will respond right away. Guaranteed!

Edwardsville, Illinois This Friday 3/20

The Blind Eyes are returning to Edwardsville, Illinois this weekend for a rock party at Broken Record. A party to which you should not, under any circumstances, be tardy. Don't even consider it. Need more info? The attached flyer will give you everything you need.

Everything, that is, except the address: 301 A N. Main St., Edwardsville, Illinois 62025

Post-Rockist Album/Show Review

The Post-Rockist has published a great review of Modernity and the album release show. Click here for the full review including sample MP3s and video, or read below!

***
At first, whenever anyone talked about the Blind Eyes, myself included, it seemed inevitable that someone would group the St. Louisans alongside the neatly-tailored English pop of the Jam and Elvis Costello, or occasionally next to the slightly more rambunctious Thin Lizzy of Ireland. But for all the mod aspirations implied by the title of their debut album, Modernity, there’s not a hint of dandyism or faux-Union Jack banner waving insincerity. Instead, we get an even dozen of crisp, catchy-as-all-hell pop songs that may nod their cap at the legends of the past, but keep moving forward in a brisk strut.

I was at the album release party for Modernity this past Friday at the Firebird, and it was great to see such a wide turnout for a local band of their size. It was a mixed crowd of bar scene regulars, reporters, and casual music fans who made the commute to downtown for the evening. A few people mentioned to me that it was exactly what this city needs more of: a full bar on a Friday night filled with curious listeners and fantastic bands. (Note to self: bring more cash in hand next time the ACBs from Kansas City are in town.) But I think the turnout really speaks to the Blind Eyes’ crossover potential: they’re familiar without being reductive, fun without being sappy, edgy without being difficult.

On record, I was struck by how much the Blind Eyes sound like the early Strokes; the main difference being that, unlike Julian Casablancas, lead singer/guitarist Seth Porter actually has a decent set of pipes on him. On the playful and punchy album opener “January,” he sings as nonchalantly as a Vegas crooner who’s found his sweet spot: “The end of the world may be coming soon, but it’s hard to care on a sunny afternoon when you’ve got tailpipes spewin’, doom and gloomin’, you hear a rap-tap-tat-tat-a-tat on your door!” Porter’s songs are melodic and full of character details, like short stories that come to life with the cynical big city noir of “High Life” or the coy interior monologue of “Pages.”

But if Porter gleams on the polish, Kevin Schneider’s turns on the microphone are scruffier and more urgent. On “Find the Time,” one of the album’s highlights, Schneider inhabits the spirit of kindred bassist/vocalist Phil Lynott, too reckless and brash to let the good times slip through his fingers. The constant back-and-forth between the spiky-smooth contrast of Schneider and Porter keeps things interesting throughout. (Although, to be even-handed, I should point out that Schneider’s punkish “Forget About Everything” does seem to drag on for one jazzy interlude and chorus refrain too long.)

Between the prominent bass leads, bright rhythm guitar glint, and Matt Picker’s effortlessly bouncy drumming, it’s hard to believe the Blind Eyes are only a trio. There are so many smart hooks and clever quips that the packaging almost seems too modest. If they returned on their sophomore album with a keyboard, a second guitar, and a brass section I wouldn’t even bat an eye.

Thank You

Thank you a thousand times over to the huge crowd that came out Friday night for our CD release show at Firebird! It was awesome to see so many people there, and we really, really appreciate the support. Thanks also to the Firebird crew and of course the Frontier Brothers, the ACBs and the Livers for playing amazing sets. Big thanks also to the local music media, especially the RFT and KDHX, for really getting behind us on this. We hope you all dig the album!

Click here to see a gallery of pictures from the show, compliments of Douglas Garfield!

The Blind Eyes RFT Feature/Cover Story

An immense debt of gratitude is owed to Annie Zaleski, Jennifer Silverberg and Tom Carlson of the Riverfront Times for making this happen. We're beyond honored to be among the ranks of those to have graced the cover of St. Louis' premier alt-weekly.

Read the story here!

T-Shirts And Albums And Pins, Oh My!

Holy crap, we're going to have some awesome stuff for sale on Friday in addition to the album. Check out these re-designed pins and brand new t-shirts, made by the one and only Nate Prater at House of Eight Legs Screenprinting! Can't make the show? Email us and we'll get one to you!

While we're on the subject of House of Eight Legs, huge thanks to Nate and Scott for printing up these amazing banners for the CD release show! If you see one hanging around town, please leave it up till after the show is over!

KDHX "Artist Of The Week"

This just in- the Blind Eyes are going to be featured as the "Artist of the Week" on KDHX 88.1 for the next two weeks, beginning Monday, March 2nd! They will be spinning tunes from Modernity along with an exclusive interview with Seth and Matt. Thanks immensely to Annie Z and the good people at KDHX for making it happen! Air times will be posted as soon as they're available.

UPDATE- Here are the airtimes for the spotlight:
Mon - 1p, 7p
Tues - 12a, 3p
Wed - 1a, 10p
Thurs - 2a, 9p
Fri - 3:30a, 11a
Sat - 2a, 10p
Sun - 9a, 9p

March 6th Poster

This brand spankin' new poster for the album release show comes to us compliments of the Livers!

Modernity Album Cover Preview

Don't forget, the release party for the Blind Eyes debut full-length album, Modernity, is just a couple of weeks away! Here's a sneak peek at the cover art, done by the one and only Kirsten O'Loughlin (of the fearsome Arch Rival Rollergirls) . The album will be for sale for the first time at the show, shortly thereafter online and in stores. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a full-length feature on the Blind Eyes in the Riverfront Times that will be running the week of the show!

Blind Eyes In Columbia, MO Tonight!

The Blind Eyes return to Columbia, MO tonight, Wednesday February 11th. It's our first time at Mojos, and it's with the Monte Carlos and the Black Nancy! Come out- It's not like there's anything else to do on a Wednesday night!

Blind Eyes "Modernity" Album Release Friday, March 6th!

The Blind Eyes' debut album "Modernity" will be released on March 6th, 2009, and celebrated with a release party at The Firebird (formerly the Bluebird)! Also playing are St. Louis' own The Livers, along with Kansas City's ACBs and The Frontier Brothers from Austin, Texas! It's guaranteed to be a party to beat all parties. More details will be available as they develop. Save the date!

The Blind Eyes CD Release Party w/ The Livers, The ACBs and The Frontier Brothers
- $8/$11 Doors: 8:30pm Show: 9:00pm 18+

The Firebird- 2706 Olive StreetSt. Louis, MO 63103