- Bl'ast
Infobox musical artist 2
Name = BL'AST!
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Santa Cruz, California
Instruments =Guitar ,Vocals , Bass, Drums
Genre =Hardcore punk
Years_active =1981 –1990
Label =SST Records ,Wishingwell Records
URL = http://www.itsinmyblood.com
Past_members =Clifford Dinsmore Steve Stevenson Dave Cooper Bill Torgerson Mike Neider "BL'AST!" was a California
hardcore punk band formed in1983 . The original line up consisted ofClifford Dinsmore on vocals,Mike Neider andSteve Stevenson on guitars,Dave Cooper on bass, andBill Torgerson on drums.To make their logo visually "more dynamic," they added an apostrophe to fill in the gap between the letters L and A and tacked an exclamation point on to the end. This doesn't affect the actual pronunciation of the word.
Their sound, a unique mix of bands like Black Flag, SSD and
Black Sabbath , is quite hard to categorize, lying somewhere in the void between hardcore andhard rock and in some ways,Bl'ast were for-runners toStoner rock , having direct ties to bands likeFu Manchu . -"BL'AST! was never a typical sounding punk band and even back in the day we were really technical and metal influenced." [cite news | publisher=Zero Magazine | title=Locals Only: Gargantula Wakes | url=http://www.zeromag.com/articles/article_view.php?id=250&pi=1 | accessdate=2007-05-29] – Although released by seminal punk labelSST Records , BL'AST is also referenced inBrian Walsby 's book on metal, Manchild 2 [cite news | publisher=Decibel Magazine | title=Manchild 2 - Book Review | Manchild 2 | url=http://www.decibelmagazine.com/reviews/apr2007/manchild2.aspx | accessdate=2007-05-29] .Stevenson left the group at some point between the release of
The Power of Expression and the recording of "It's In My Blood ". He was briefly replaced byWilliam DuVall , former guitarist of Atlanta, Georgia'sNeon Christ . DuVall contributed a small bit of song writing to the second album (credited as "Dr. Twang") but left the band before the recording sessions took place. Blast continued with Neider as the sole guitarist from that point on. Stevenson remained friends with his former bandmates and even went on the road with them, serving as aroadie , and DuVall is the now the current vocalist forAlice In Chains .Cooper left in
1989 and was replaced by a string of newcomers. Over the course of the next few years, Blast recorded a series of demos which showcased a new sound for the band as they began to dabble infunk .Dinsmore left the group sometime in the early 90's and co-founded the band Spaceboy. The rest continued on without him, with Neider taking over vocal duties. They eventually changed their name to
Blackout (releasing two 7" EPs under that name) and then again toLab (who also put out a 7" EP, as well as a hard-to-find 4-song CD you could only get along with aSanta Cruz Skateboards order), continuing into the late 90's.Bl'ast! briefly reunited in
2001 , playing a handful of shows on the West Coast. They were also planning to record again, but unfortunately the band fell apart before this materialized. Dinsmore is now the lead vocalist of the band Gargantula. Neider has a new band in the works,GUSTO featuring formerKyuss /Queens Of The Stone Age /Che'/Sort of Quartet/Across the River memberAlfredo Hernandez and former Che'/Unida bassistDave Dinsmore who also had played in Bla'st! for many years.Rumored to be laying down vocals on some tracks isJohn Garcia of KYUSS/UNIDA/Hermano infamy.California
Stoner rock band Fu Manchu pay homage to Bl'ast! via the titles of a song "Laserbl'ast!" fromThe Action is Go and recordsSomething Beyond EP and Start the Machine which are both named after Bl'ast! songs.Albums
*
The Power Of Expression - (Green World Records/Triple X/Wishingwell Records/SST Records ) 1986
*It's In My Blood - (SST Records ) 1987
*Take The Manic Ride - (SST Records ) 1989plus an EP –
School's Out , a cover of theAlice Cooper classic, backed with 'Your Eyes' and a cover of 'The Slave' byThe Germs .Notes and references
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