Blessid Union of Souls

Without hype, without gimmicks, sometimes even without a record label, Blessid Union Of Souls has quietly established itself over the last fifteen years as one of the premier bands. After adding two new members to the group in 2002, Bryan Billhimer on guitar and Shaun Schaefer on drums, the creative core of the band had new life and exciting new ideas as proven on their 2005 recording, PERCEPTION. In 2008, the band’s much anticipated sixth CD, CLOSE TO THE EDGE, was released on Torque Records/Sony/Victory/Red worldwide Sept. 16th. The band’s single “Could’ve Been With You” charted #37 AC100 and #98 HOT100. This album includes some songs from PERCEPTION (previously released independently), including “I Still Believe In Love”, “Could’ve Been With You”, and “Wild Side of Me”, along with four new songs including “Close to the Edge” (previously named “Back From the Dead”), which was featured as an exclusive on Rehearsals.com in 2007.

With simple, catchy pop melodies to lyrically clever, the band tries to reach a multitude of emotions in people. From their haunting 1995 #1 breakthrough hit "I Believe" to the rousing 1999 smash "Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)," Blessid Union specialized in emotional, accessible tunes that speak directly to an audience and proudly have developed one of the most dedicated, intense followings around.

The success of their #1 hit "I Believe" and top twenty hits “Let Me Be The One” and “Oh, Virginia” would prove the band was more than a one-single wonder. HOME was certified Platinum and the release of their second CD titled, BLESSID UNION OF SOULS, found more success with two more top-twenty hits in “I Wanna Be There” and “Light In Your Eyes”.For their third CD, Blessid Union of Souls wanted to capture more of the high energy of the group's live shows, so they released WALKING OFF THE BUZZ, a diverse and accomplished album. While fans of Blessid Union's early sound found plenty to enjoy; the big hit was "Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)," an exuberant celebration of real-life love. Also included on ‘Buzz’ was crowd favorite, ‘That’s The Girl I’ve Been Telling You About’, the undeniable smash hit power ballad ‘Standing at the Edge of the Earth’, and the dark but intriguing ‘South Hampton Avenue’, along with an array of emotionally driven songs. Then there was their fourth CD titled, THE SINGLES, proved to be much more than an collection of their hits. Along with all their signature tunes, THE SINGLES includes the irresistible new songs "Storybook Life" and "...And Then She Hit Me," as well as a live rendition of "Hey, Leonardo", and a tremendous fan favorite, the punk/reggae version of "I Believe". Also featured is "Brother, My Brother," from the soundtrack of the hit feature film, "Pokemon: The First Movie". "Storybook Life," the CD’s upbeat first single featured rapper/singer 3XL (from Three Time Loser) who also served as Blessid’s producer and co-writer.

In 2007, the band released an acoustic album, “BLESSID UNION ALMOST ACOUSTIC” on I-Tunes, with a powerfully produced acoustic collection of some of the band’s most popular hits, along with a preciously unreleased song, “Peace and Love” and a beautiful cover of Bread’s “Everything I Own.” The album also featured cuts of Eliot Sloan, the band’s lead singer and principal songwriter, sharing his experiences of the stories behind the songs.

At a time when so many artists seem to blossom and fade overnight, Blessid Union of Souls stands as a welcome exception, a band that's in it for the long haul. Down to earth music from down to earth people, Blessid Union of Souls is sure to spread their positive music in a way no other band can.

Keep up to date on the web:
www.blessidunionofsoulsonline.com
www.myspace.com/blessidunionofsouls

INDUSTRY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Blessid Union of Souls Debut Album, “HOME“, certified GOLD!!
Including their #1 single “I Believe”

SXSW - Main Showcase - Austin,TX - March 19, 2005

European Military Tour - performed for US troops stationed in Germany - May 2005

Park City Television (Utah) awarded EMMY(Cultural Subject) for Blessid Union of Souls documentary “I Still Believe” - October 7, 2006

Documentary, “I Still Believe”, showcased and Blessid Union of Souls performed at 2007 Sundance Film Festival

NATIONAL TELEVISION PERFORMANCES

Donny & Marie
Regis & Kathie Lee (5 appearances)
Happy Hour (USA Network) with Dweezil & Ahmet Zappa
CNN Entertainment News
The Jenny Jones Show
Top Of The Pops (U.K.)
Entertainment Tonight
CBS This Morning
Weekend Today
Late Night with Conan O’Brien
Stephanie Miller Show - airdate: Friday, Sept. 15, 1995
Blessid Union was the premier act of the very first airing!
All My Children - airdate: October 16, 1995. Appeared with Susan Lucci.
Lifetime Television

FEATURES

ASCAP Awards
Blessid Union of Souls was honored at the ASCAP Awards Dinner in Los Angeles for “I Believe”. The single was the fourth m