Blinded Black

Hard work, determination, persistency and a little love from the media are some of the key ingredients that comprise the success of St. Louis-based Blinded Black. And with its SideCho Records debut, Under The Sunrise, the empty fuel tanks, days spent on guitar overdubs and hours spent maintaining a vital online presence have all come to fruition in a succinct recorded package.

Vocalist Jeff Nizick co-founded the melodic rock band two years ago with Jake and Nick Rohlmann, recruiting members from his immediate vicinity. Young (most of the band were still in their teens), driven and ready for a fresh challenge, Nizick said the band was founded with one main goal: to write and perform engaging music. "We just tried to make music we liked to listen to ourselves," Nizick recalls. "We'd just rock out and play whatever we wanted."

Blinded Black recorded and self-released its debut album, but the band knew hitting the road would be its key to success, and sure enough, a Midwest jaunt proved fruitful, thanks in part to a little technology.

"We ended up getting these crowds just because we pushed it on MySpace a lot," says Rohlmann. "We ended up getting 100 people, we'd play another show in a couple months, and the crowd would be even bigger."

Soon, Blinded Black realized that it couldn't sustain its growth on its own merits. That's when the band soon went hunting for labels. "Without the backing of a label, it's hard to get your name out there," he says. "The doors open up so much more when you're signed."

Before the band inked any record deal, Alternative Press gave Blinded Black some much-needed and well-deserved ink. After submitting its music to the magazine, an interview took place, which eventually ran on the magazine's "A.P. A&R" pages, a section of the publication dedicated to spotlighting unsigned, up-and-coming acts.

Impressed with SideCho's roster, Blinded Black approached the label. After a few meetings, the deal was signed. "We ended up showcasing for a few other labels and no one treated us as well as SideCho did," says Nizick. "It made us want to sign up with such a hard-working label."

With a contract in hand, Blinded Black headed back to work with producer Mark McClusky (Hit The Lights, Norma Jean), with whom it already recorded five tracks before the signing. The process was an educational — if not exhausting — experience. "It was 12 hour days," says Rohlmann. "We'd get in at 12 noon and literally go until midnight."

The resulting album found Blinded Black tackling subjects from all corners. "Of course we've got our songs about the girlfriends and whatnot, but we try to add some weird turns and make it more curious," says Nizick.

Such curiosity easily swells around "Set In Stone," of which Nizick says is about "the heartbreak of relationships and being able to get away from a bad relationship and move on." "Behind The Scenes" finds the band singing about an obsessed fan of an actress who ends up stalking her, and "A Perfect Murder" makes references to deep anger. "The title says everything," Nizick says, "but I swear we're not like that!"

With the release of Under The Sunrise, the members of Blinded Black are looking forward to taking their show on the road throughout the nation (though the support from its St. Louis homebase could fuel the act on its own). In addition to the heavy amounts of local press coverage, Blinded Black has been interviewed and played on major alternative rock station KPNT "The Point" 105.7 FM and the band also played the Vans Warped Tour 2006 in St. Louis.

As for the band's future, Nizick isn't making too many predictions but also isn't about to place any restrictions on what Blinded Black can offer. "There's really no limit, we're not going to set a bar for ourselves," says Nizick. "That would be giving in too quickly. We're just going to push it and not stop anytime soon."