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.
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BLINDSIDE TICKETS
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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 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 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.
Christian and Simon have also been performing in a side project named Lindforest (The English translation of Christians Swedish lastname "Lindskog").
Blindside took some time off throughout 2008 but also has written new songs and is expected to release a new album.
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.
On
July 29,
2009, Blindside announced that they were going to be making a new album, to be produced by
Howard Benson. They hope to release the album in early 2010.
Discography
Albums
| Title
| Year
| Label
| Billboards
| Producer
| Reviews
|
| Empty Box EP
| 1996
| Day-Glo Records
|
| Lasse Marten
|
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| Blindside
| 1997
| Day-Glo / Solid State
|
| Lasse Marten
|
|
| A Thought Crushed My Mind
| 2000
| Solid State
|
| Andre Jacobsson
|
|
| 7" inch vinyl
| 2001
|
|
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|
|
| Silence
| 2002
| Elektra
| #83 (US)
| Howard Benson
|
|
| About a Burning Fire
| 2004
| Elektra
| #39 (US)
| Howard Benson
|
|
| 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
|
|
| The Black Rose EP
| 2007
| WASA Recordings (Independent)
|
| Blindside
|
|
| TBA
| 2010
|
|
| Howard Benson
|
|
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"
|
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Videography
| Title
| Album
|
| "King of the Closet"
| A Thought Crushed My Mind
|
| "Pitiful"
| Silence
|
| "Sleepwalking"
| Silence
|
| "All of Us"
| About a Burning Fire
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| "About a Burning Fire"
| About a Burning Fire
|
| "Fell in Love with the Game"
| The Great Depression
|
| "When I Remember"
| The Great Depression
|
| "The Way You Dance"
| The Black Rose EP
|
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.
- 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
- 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