BLIND MELON Profile Ep81pt3 KASR VIDEO

This is an artist EPK profile of Blind Melon which is an alternative rock band, whose most notable work dates from 1992 to 1995, and ceased with the death of lead vocalist Shannon Hoon. The band reformed with the new lead vocalist Travis Warren in 2006.

Blind Melon assembled in California, with members hailing from Indiana, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania. The band signed to Capitol Records in 1991 and recorded an unreleased demo. The band gained buzz from vocalist Hoon's association with Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose, and Hoon's back-up vocals on several Guns N' Roses tracks on 1991's Use Your Illusion albums, most notably "Don't Cry." The band's self-titled debut album, produced by Rick Parashar (Pearl Jam), contained 13 songs spanning a wide sonic palate. The aggressive dual-lead guitars and shouted vocals of "Soak The Sin" and "Tones of Home" evoked heavy metal and classic rock; "Time's" spacious bridge and ambient, winding outro shared commonalities with Grateful Dead-style improvisational music; while heavily acoustic songs "Change" and "No Rain" hinted at pop and folk influences. The album sold poorly until the No Rain single became a smash success, along with a popular video which featured the "Bee Girl" (played by Heather DeLoach). Thematically, the video suggested a social outcast eventually finding a supportive community through trial and error. Subsequently, Blind Melon went platinum four times. After opening for Neil Young, Lenny Kravitz, Soundgarden and The Rolling Stones, Blind Melon's own tour was cut short due to Hoon's escalating drug abuse. In 1994, the band began recording their second album, Soup, in New Orleans with producer Andy Wallace. The album was released in 1995, and predominantly featured shorter songs with a more conventional "alternative rock" approach. The lyrics to "St. Andrew's Fall" referenced a suicide jump, while "New Life" discussed the forthcoming birth of a child. "Mouthful of Cavities" featured backing vocals from Jena Kraus, who subsequently recorded a solo record with Christopher Thorn and Brad Smith. Despite the more contemporary sound, the album failed to meet sales expectations.

In 1995, Blind Melon also contributed a version of the song "Out On The Tiles" to the Encomium tribute album to Led Zeppelin, as well as a promotional CD with a cover of the School House Rock song "Three is a Magic Number."

Against the advice of Hoon's drug counselor, Blind Melon went on tour in support of Soup. Hoon was found dead of a cocaine overdose on October 21, 1995 in New Orleans. The remaining members released Nico (named for Hoon's daughter, only 13 weeks old when her father died) in 1996, with the profits going to a program that helps musicians with drug and alcohol addiction. Nico contained unreleased songs from the Soup recording sessions, as well as other songs often recorded with only partial instrumentation. The closing track, "Letters from a Porcupine", was recorded as a telephone message left by Hoon on a bandmate's answering machine. Nico included covers of Steppenwolf and John Lennon songs.

After briefly attempting to continue, Blind Melon officially disbanded on March 4, 1999, and the various members went on to other projects.

for more info: http://www.blindmelon.com

ASU Student Radio is celebrating it's 25th year being the Sun Devil's Original Alternative! For more info check out http://www.theblaze1260.com.

"Don't expect a lot from this show." Was the unofficial motto of KASR VIDEO, which made a pleasant surprise when we actually knocked out a great show! The program was a weekly 2 hour public access offshoot of the Arizona State University's original alternative radio station that aired in Phoenix. The music video show featured rarely seen videos and "new" music not in the "main stream." Along with non-conventional interviews it became a decent way to nurse a hangover with the midnight party crowd. These clips are edited as a sort of best of; minus the music videos.

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Music

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