Artist Review
Words:Rattlesnake Johnny
Oct. 2005

It was over a year ago at the Lava Lounge that I got smacked in the face with Ride the Blinds.. or as I first thought of them, Ride the Fucking Blinds.. sorry youngsters and mothers, you don't like my reviews but it is how I feel and not of your concern...

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, I planned on writing this review ages ago, after they had made the trek down to LA a few times to play more shows, and the best yet in my book was at the House of Blues, and not just because they rocked the wine glasses off the upstairs loungebar, and not because the moment they announced that they had CD's up front, it turned into a myspace-style feeding frenzie.. but because I still knew without a doubt, yet was reminded of it once again, at how much these guys seriously kick ass. I can't escape comparing them to the classics, they are timeless in a rock that will someday become classic rock to our kids, a band that we'll see in the fame halls one day, a band that we'll pay $80 a seat for our 50 year old asses to sit and hear like old times.

Cherish these days of smoky hollywood dives where you can still brush shoulders and bump uglies with these guys. I've never before seen a crowd turn the way that they had at the Lava Lounge, i think the 3rd time I saw them play there, when a lineup of 4 decent local bands all dawning their mass of friendsters- yet suddenly they all transformed to Ride the Blinds fans and were screaming and throwing their damn panties on stage begging for One More Song. And to think that these guys must be geniuses to toss out Shine On as the encore, omfg.. to put it lightly.

It was sitting in the Anacrime Hilton at 4am, waiting for 6 to roll around so I can slap my suit back back on and hit the office, mayde 12 cans of bud deep, one of em passed out like a beatnick with his head safely under the table- touche' that's how I felt. But it was this night that I felt like a rockstar //not groupie// but roadie who doesn't carry shit. Like a moment in Almost Famous, I'da followed them around on the bus across the damn country to hear more, blogging along the way like an intern, missing all the deadlines and almost losing the coverspot to get their review out.


Well shit guys, here it is over a year later, the review that itches at the back of my mind every time I slap that CD back in the car. Once I tried listening to work, I had to stop, I was actually rocken out and getting work done? wtf.. back to the deck, where whether it be a night of preparing to party, fighting off the nasty 405 traffic whilst beating the bloody hell out of my steering wheel, or simply in one of those grey drab nights and in need of a pickmeup, this music is relentless and doesn't give way for any emotion other than L-I-V-E-N. I can't be mad or sad for two seconds, even though you'd think so with some blues and only one last match to go around, but nothing left to light.

If a three page review can't convince you to pick up this album and note down their next gig in your little black book, then scroll back up and download one of their songs, you might just be convinced. My beatprosebastard of a way of a review can't even do this band justice. Trust me.

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