Bio
Three years ago The Blind Spots bared their hunger and promise—now they’re even hungrier and they’re making good on that promise. The Ithaca, NY-based, all original, female-fronted, five-piece band is driving hard at bigger things and has been busy building an airtight justification for all of the buzz surrounding it, both in its hometown and throughout the region. The band only gets better, with its solid-as-a-rock rhythm section, eclectic library of keyboard sounds, and bold and inventive electric guitar stylings. Electrifying lead vocalist and force of nature Maddy Walsh can hang with the best of them, continuing to reach new heights with her voice at every show and on every recording.
Walsh possesses that easily recognizable raw talent that makes each The Blind Spots show an experience that audience members walk away raving about. There are, unfortunately, only so many female rock vocalists throughout history to reference when drawing vocal comparisons, meaning that Walsh has heard the “Janis” comparison all too many times. “I sound nothing like Janis!” she says. “I love Janis to death, but sonically—vocally—I have very little in common with her. I think people see a female vocalist having that much fun commanding the stage, and that’s what they’re forced to say. It’s a giant compliment, of course, but it’s a shame we don’t have more rockin’ ladies to look to. The tides are shifting, though, which is awesome. Talented women are coming out of the woodwork all over the place… so people better listen up,” she says grinning. More recently Walsh’s voice has been compared to Adele’s, Grace Potter’s, Edie Brickell’s and Bonnie Raitt’s, but given the style of music she’s chosen to sing—not to mention her original lyrics, derived from a background in poetry—none of those references hit the mark. “I just wanna sound like Otis Redding,” she says. “Doesn’t everyone?”
As the members enter their third year together, it’s clear that the band is no longer a baby. The group has matured at an incredible rate. But members admit they haven’t relied solely on natural talent – the recent recognition they’ve garnered comes from hard work. “We’ve put in have a lot of hours together,” says lead guitarist and co-founder Mike Suave. “We’re lucky to have a group of such dedicated people.” It’s the dedication to writing new material and rehearsing, the refusal to slow down, and the shared love of the music they make together that continues to propel The Blind Spots forward and set them apart.
Since the release of their debut album, El Camino Dream [2010], a well-loved tight and inspired ten-song collection that showcases the band’s energy and expansive creativity, The Blind Spots have played a handful of the northeast’s well-renowned clubs and have been invited to play at a number of summer festivals, a highlight of which was a Friday night slot at the band’s “hometown” festival, GrassRoots [www.grassrootsfest.org], where they packed the Cabaret Hall so tightly that some of their proud family members couldn’t squeeze in. In a musical-minded town, virtually teeming with talented artists, The Blind Spots have really had to earn their notoriety in Ithaca. “It’s a great place to come from if you’re a serious musician,” says Walsh. “It’s a good training ground.” Ithaca serves now as a supportive springboard, allowing The Blind Spots to catapult into new areas, and they plan to continue expanding their radius. Since their performance at GrassRoots they’ve enjoyed gracious reception on some larger stages, including the Homer Center for the Arts, and at colleges, including the University of Vermont and SUNY Brockport.
The band recently released three songs for free download on their website, which they recorded at Electric Wilburland Studios in Newfield, NY with Grammy Award winning producer Will Russell, who mastered El Camino Dream. Those three songs will appear on the next LP, which is in the works. So what are The Blind Spots doing right now? What any dedicated young band would do after a busy summer of shows: hole up in the garage for the winter to furiously write songs. (Even before El Camino Dream was fully mastered, The Blind Spots had entered a stage of fiery prolificacy and had already written more than enough songs to complete a second LP, but the best thing to do, as far as they’re concerned, is to keep pushing.) They’re also prepping to be busier than they’ve ever been next season. The long-term goals are unabashedly big.
Keep an eye on The Blind Spots, as they are well on their way to winning the hearts of new devotees.
Maddy Walsh – vox
Maddy was birthed into a zooish family of Irish judges, deans and teachers, all artsy, hearty-drinking nut-jobs on the weekends. She's heavy into avocados and perusing the aisles at Salvo. She also digs night swimming, mail, wagging dog tails, red wine, and the idea of Morocco. She gut-laughs at the sight of farm animals in front yards, and when she was young, instead of sleeping with a stuffed animal, she cuddled a busted chair leg she named Danny DeVito. She whistled before she spoke, and she does a fabulous impression of Billie Holiday singing “I Wish I Were an Oscar Meyer Weiner.”
Mike Suave – axe
Suave has this theory that once we humans get our shit together—meaning we use only renewable energy and we wipe out religion, bombing, and disease—the aliens will finally invite us to join the Intergalactic Community; the party will be spectacular. He is a heavy tipper, though not a fan of breakfasts (especially in large groups) or condiments, and he harbors an insatiable appetite for red sauce. When Jerry Garcia died, he and some other longhairs founded The South Catherine Street Jug Band, known for their patriotic school bus and dance-worthy jams like “Nice Set of Jugs.” If you try to talk to him about dog psychology or what his songs mean, he’ll cross his eyes at you until you walk away.
Captain Doobie Zuben – keys
Capt. Doobie Zuben is a Guinness-drinking, downhill-skiing, expert campsite building and nickname giving disc-jockey and ship captain. His decks are named Dr. Jones (Wurlitzer), Sister Mary Catherine (organ), and Pip (synth), and he plays with his eyes closed. He’s pretty handy with a blowtorch, and nine times out of ten he can tell you what’s wrong with your car. He keeps an extensive collection of antique lanterns and medical textbooks, both of which he uses on a regular basis. He’s also in favor of returning to the Homing Pigeon for all forms of communication—your search for him on Twitter will prove fruitless.
Francois Dillinger – bass
Poet, philosopher, family man, professional role model. Quite allergic to poison oak. His mom thinks he is handsome, even though he has been known to sweat profusely—he claims that this is just his advanced immune system removing toxins from his body at an alarming rate. Loves ping-pong, though not all that good at it. Believes life gets no better than howling poor renditions of simple songs at roaring bonfires in autumn while rhythmically abusing any instrument, stringed or percussion (or both: we're looking at you here, banjo), unlucky enough to wander within his reach. Also thinks hot tubs and dancing to Zydeco music can heal the world—no offense, Wild Stallions.
Jeff Turback – drums
His bachelor status has earned him the nickname of “Hef,” as in “Hefner.” In Woody Allen-ese, he’s the balding, virile type – as opposed to distinguished grey. He was a high school classmate of Jon Bon Jovi, who he claims provided no musical inspiration whatsoever. In real life, he’s an online retailer who sells everything from replicas of Obama’s Oval Office Chair to frozen pizza from Brooklyn. As a drummer he is a powerful and ferocious player, leaving a modest pile of sawdust from his sticks at every gig.
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