Red Blanket

There’s not much information available on this Winnipeg riff-rock quartet, whose album comes in a cardboard CD case covered with army olive drab featuring red-stencilled lettering. The inside liner is red velour and the disc, painted matte black, contains seven red-hot shots to the dome with titles such as The Machine Rages On, Inspector Id, The Noose, A Southern Manitoba Murder of Crows and Said the Shotgun to the Head. The tunes themselves are something to behold, as the foursome of drummer Dustin Karsin, guitarists Dan Stewart and John Vogan and bassist Zoom Wright race through a repertoire of tasty dual guitar tracks and ridiculously devious metre and time changes without taking a breath. A lot of riff-rock acts without singers become mediocre after just a few minutes but the Red Blanket boys are decent editors. They know when each tune has used up its bag of tricks and so keep this disc moving briskly. Add some top-notch production values to the mix and these four guys are definitely onto something big. ?John Kendle, Uptown Magazine - Uptown Magazine December 2004

Winnipeg's own Red Blanket are a four-piece instrumental band who are sure to start turning heads soon, if they haven't already. Their new release, A Southern Manitoba Murder of Crows, should help.
Red Blanket play something like thrashy math-metal with a few different elements thrown in, along with some surprises. Comparisons with fellow locals Electro Quarterstaff are can be made, but Red Blanket tend to diverge somewhat from the straight-ahead headbanger metal that EQ do so well.
Instrumental music can falter through repetition, but the musicianship on this record keeps the listener hanging - the instruments sing as well as any vocalist ever could. The eleven lengthy tracks, with titles like "Explanation Renders the Exotic Mundane", and "The Mutants of 2031 AD", fit together well like an extended jam session, yet without becoming tedious.
A great listen for anyone wanting to check out something from Winnipeg's innovative music scene.

-Derek Leschasin
- The Uniter

RED BLANKET DIYS THEMSELVES INTO THE SPOTLIGHT
by Jo Snyder

Red Blanket played their first show in May 2004 and shortly after released a homemade EP feature the quartet’s unique brand of instrumental guitar rock.

“We just put out a seven song home-recorded E.P. Some of the songs of that E.P. are on the new record,” says drummer Dustin Karsin. “That was just self-titled, we put it out ourselves, made it ourselves. We made a couple hundred that were all hand-made. The CDs were all hand drawn by this girl we know and she made all the cases; army-green material on the outside and then red-velvet on the inside. She stitched them all by hand.”

Since the release of the fist EP the band has remained very self-sufficient, not uncommon these days in the land of MySpace, and unending competition for attention from labels and fans.

“That’s kind of our tactic, that’s what we like to do. That’s how we got our main grant for those tours. We did a lot of guerrilla marketing. That’s kind of our attitude, do a bunch of stuff yourself on the level you would like it to be done,” says Karsin. “It turned out really well in Toronto because one of the girls who was on the jury for our grant was hand billed by our guitarist Danny and she showed up to the show. It shows people you’re honest about what you’re doing.”

Though in school and working Red Blanket has managed to hit the road more than once in its short tenure.

“We’ve gone on maybe four tours, West a couple of times and East for Canadian Music Week last year,” says Karsin. The group also scored a set during Juno fest this past year, when they played at the Collective Cabaret on Osborne.

Red Blanket plays a rare genre of music in a city well known for its indie-pop darlings and political punk rock. Their special blend of metal-pop riffs keep audiences interested to say the least.

“I think the fact we don’t have a singer is confusing for people, but it’s our secret weapon. I think it’s awesome. We just relate through music.”

Not having a singer, a person in front to connect with the audience, can be alienating. But Karsin feels this isn’t a barrier to success for the band.

“I think we could totally be accessible to a wider audience,” he says. “Three years ago if you would’ve told me Alexisonfire was going to win a Juno I would have said you were crazy. Things change quick, and people evolve with their musical tastes. We’re diverse enough that we can get different people on different parts. Some people like the metal riffs and others like the pop chords.”

Red Blanket has released their debut full-length, A Southern Manitoban Murder of Crows on C12 records, a small label founded by former Studio 11 owner Brendan Friesen. The label, only a couple of years old, mainly puts out radio rock records, but this also doesn’t phase the band.

“It’s kind of funny those are the kinds of bands that are on that label, but we got lumped in with those people, which is funny, because we’re #$%@ed up,” says Karsin.

The new record came out this past October, though the band has put off their CD release party. The official CD release is Saturday Dec. 2 at the Collective with Ham and Hot Live Guys.

Up next the band will try again for Canadian Music Week, North by North East and go on some more Canadian tours and maybe even crack the states. And just maybe you’ll see them on a Jazz Festival circuit, as organizers attempt to get younger fans in the jazz scene. Who knows?

The Red Blanket CD release party is Dec. 2 at the Collective Cabaret with the Hot Live Guys and Ham. Check them out on www.myspace.com/redblanket - The Uniter