Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
For the $8 price tag, there's no reason not to have Attack of the Killer in your CD collection. If there's any justice in this world, the people who aren't buying it now will be really pissed off that they can't get it and brag to all their friends once some record label snatches up Blanche Davidian and this diamond in the rough disappears forever. ~ Harrison Krell - SLAM magazine (Phoenix, AZ monthly)
They are one the best damn rock bands in Arizona and you've never heard of them.
Attack of the Killer, Blanche Davidian's debut release, is full of guitar-driven, snotty rock'n'roll, the sweaty stuff that encourages the lifting of middle fingers. Jamie Monistat, BD's lead singer and primary songwriter, knows his way around original glam-punk, tearing up songs like "A Genetalia Ballot" with equal parts Sex Pistols "fuck you" and Oingo Boingo zaniness. Blowing the roof off places like the Mason Jar or Jugheads and being the most requested band at AZPUNK.com are routine for the band. ~ Kevin Wierzbicki - In Your Ear (Tucson, AZ monthly)
In from Phoenix and ready to give this town a wild ride is a band you want to see just for the name alone "Blanche Davidian". A vivid mix of "New York Dolls" style glam rock with the power of "Motorhead" and throw in a dash of post punk sound. The sound is unique, but their stage show is a hoot. Campy showmanship is not dead. No matter what the venue, these fellows play it over the top and in your face. But it's not all fun and games. Blanche D's songs are executed with meticulous precision and razor sharp arrangements. The band actually worked in the studio for nearly two years fine tuning and experimenting with their show, before they played in front of a live audience. Check them out in this intimate setting now because they are on tour and on their way to South By Southwest Music Fest. With all their strut, swagger, and punch they are bound for glory. ~ Michael Divine - What's Up (El Paso, TX weekly)
...and their stage get-ups -- exaggerated eyeliner, androgynous necklaces and shellacked hair -- suggest they’re MTV-ready, whenever the big labels come calling. ~ New Times Staff - Phoenix New Times (Phoenix, AZ weekly)
Song title of the year: Blanche Davidian's "Marilynesque Chambers." Motörhead as done by the Beach Boys -- by guys dressed as thrift-store drag queens. ~ Christopher O'Conner - Phoenix New Times (Phoenix, AZ weekly)
Their puns kill me. Every title has some sorta play on words, but when they get down to the rock, they get down to business. BD’s driving beats, noodling, persistent tambourine and heavily reverbed vocals crank out some catchy anthems, classic rock, and twisted walls of sound. At times I hear HUSKER DU, JANE’S ADDICTION, and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. Good. ~ Hal MacLean - Maximum Rocknroll (national punk monthly based in San Francisco, CA)
Swagger is practically a lost art in rock ’n’ roll, but Blanche Davidian have it in spades with their campy showmanship, and they have the musical chops to back it up. Singer Jamie Monistat VII howls wildly and unintelligibly over guitarist Mike Hawk's tasty riffing (and exquisite solos), and the band rocks with abandon on humorously titled tunes to match the group's (and the lead singer's) name. Like a sucker punch to the gut, their garage-cum-glam music leaves you breathless. A- ~ Thomas Bond - East Valley Tribune's weekly insert: Get Out (Mesa, AZ)
11 tracks of driving rock. Lots of lead guitar, and a melodic shouter. A lot of the lead work reminds me of "Machine Gun Etiquette" era DAMNED. Looks like a self released effort, and it's all the better for it. ~ Ramsey Kannan - American Music Press (national punk/hardcore monthly based in Martinez, CA)
Discography
• Attack of the Killer
(Exquisite Swine, 2002)
• AZPUNK Vol. 2
(compilation feat. “Marilynesque Chambers”, AZPUNK.com, 2003)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Many bands create themselves from a vision that fits a particular genre, class, or scene. The pressure to be unique is lifted and the risks are low, although immediate acceptance among peers is inevitable (and that may be important to some). And then there are bands like Phoenix, Arizona's Blanche Davidian.
Originally established in early 2001, Blanche Davidian practically locked themselves in the studio on a nightly basis for almost a year and a half before their live debut. They also isolated themselves away from the status quo while focusing on songwriting, musicianship, and a genuine concept. The band’s basic elements were irrelevant to what was happening at the latest hot spots in town. Rather, they indiscriminatingly pampered themselves with their true musical admirations; broad influences ranging from 70’s glam/shock rock (Bowie, Alice Cooper), old English punk/post punk new wave (Damned, PiL), primitive goth (Bauhaus, Alien Sex Fiend), psychedelic modern rock (Flaming Lips, Tripping Daisy) and pervo-punk (Turbonegro, Dwarves). Since their infancy, Blanche Davidian has gained a reputation as one of the best live acts in the Southwest. The amount of local publicity the band has accumulated is unmatched with positive press in every newspaper, fanzine, and tabloid based out of Phoenix, AZ (and many national publications including Maximum Rocknroll, American Music Press, and Skratch). The notoriety earned the group an opportunity to perform at the 2004 SXSW Musical Festival in Austin, TX. Blanche Davidian also appeared at the 2004 Phoenix New Times Music Showcase (nominated for Best Hard Rock) and has shared the same stage with such nationals as Melt Banana, Supagroup, The Bellrays, Jeff Dahl, & TSOL.
Between their debut album, Attack of the Killer, and their live shows, fans have scurried to describe Blanche Davidian's music. “Acid Punk”, “Turbo-charged Death-rock”, “…punk rock that keeps the disco ball spinning”, “...if Motorhead were on a John Hughes soundtrack”, “fried glam”. Some of those descriptions are more debatable than others. However, it sure does suggest that people are trying hard to give this band a unique identity.
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