Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
This band has no press
Discography
Prettier Than Ugly 2003- "Diamond in the Mine" and "While Walking"
Blair Combest 2006
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Blair Combest wants to tell you something.
Dont worry, its not in the abstract, self-aware, singer-songwriter way. Just walk up and say hello and youll know which way I mean. Youll practically be able to see the gears spinning at hyper-speed as he propels from one subject to the next. Not many people can easily transition from the migration of monarch butterflies to the wonders of the renal system, and thats just in the first five minutes. The conversational topics may seem dizzyingly disparate, but if you listen closely, youll pick up the connections between them the curious, the mundane, the incredible, the hysterical. Aligned at the core of this musician, they fit together to form a unique perspective on life, love, and other hazards of humanity.
Listening to Blairs songs also provides clues to his background. Having moved from Mississippi to Memphis as an infant, Blair happily bears the brands of rock and rolls birthplace. At an early age, Blairs family introduced him to the musical elements and influences from their own backgrounds. Sitting in the way-back of Mrs. Combests Chevy wagon, Blair was exposed to everything from Dylan and the Flying Burrito Brothers to John Prine, the Rolling Stones and Johnny Cash.
Blairs been writing songs ever since laying his ten-year-old hands on a Gibson Epiphone. His influences, however, dont end with his musical heroes. A Dickensian spate of childhood illnesses led Blair to a passion for prose, and the presence of literary heroes like Poe and Nabokov is felt throughout his work. The maturity and intelligence of his music put Blair in circles beyond his years, and at the ripe old age of 15, he was playing songwriter showcases and opening for local bands. After spending a few post-high-school years gathering inspiration in the kitchens of Memphis, Blair united with indie-pop outfit Snowglobe and producer Kevin Cubbins to create his debut album. Released in 2003, Prettier Than Ugly combined Blairs own inherent sensibilities of country, rock and folk with Snowglobes precise pop musicianship. The album was met with tremendous enthusiasm, batting .992 with reviewers (the only negative response was from a punk magazine, and that was a mailing error).
Blair spent the last two years promoting Prettier Than Ugly regionally, playing shows in Memphis along with Nashville, Knoxville, Atlanta, Oxford, and Athens. With a few well-chosen covers flanking his own body of work, Blairs live performances demonstrate both his prolific talent and his appreciation for the artists, both infamous and obscure, who came before him. Blair has also been putting the final touches on his next release. The upcoming self-titled album features a dizzying array of Memphis finest musicians, including Mark Stuart and Kevin Cubbins (Pawtuckets), Brad Postlewaite (Snowglobe), Andy Ratliffe and Eric Lewis (Tennessee Boltsmokers). Look for the eagerly anticipated album, and for the plenty eager Combest himself, all over the U.S. in 2006.
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© 2006 Blair Combest/Skinny River Productions
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