On their debut album, ‘Good Excuses’, up-and-comers Blindwish blend melodic post-hardcore with pop-punk to create a diverse and interesting collection. Songs such as ‘After Midnight’ (co-written with John Feldmann), ‘Single Word’ and ‘Infected’ are bold with soaring choruses to match. Overall, they offer a fresh take on early-2000s post-hardcore.
Having only formed 18 months ago, Blindwish show plenty of potential, and although its members come from various US cities, the quintet call Dallas, Texas their home.
Home to the 52 foot ‘Big Tex’ statue, Dallas is the third largest city in the state of Texas and has a rich music history. Dixie Chicks, Demi Lovato, Norah Jones, Meat Loaf, Jessica Simpson, Crown the Empire, and Drowning Pool are just some the names hailing from the home of the Cowboys (American Football) and the Stars (Ice Hockey).
To find out what Blindwish have learnt about their adopted hometown, we spoke to vocalist Zackary David.
The City:
Zack: We’re based out of Dallas, Texas, but we’re from all over. Kendrick [Nicholson – bass] is from Dallas, Garrett [Grothe – drums] is from Houston, Dakota [Dufloth – guitar] is from Umatilla, Oregon, Billy [Barber – guitar] is from Huntington Beach, California, and I’m (Zack) from Freehold, New Jersey.
Its People and Culture:
Zack: Dallas has an amazing barbecue, amazing nightlife and music venues, and they LOVE American football.
The Music It Inspires:
Zack: The city seems to produce music in waves. In the late 00’s/early 10’s, metalcore was king in this city. Now they’ve split: half moved onto metal and hardcore and the other half are indie bands.
The Local Music Scene:
Zack: Believe it or not, Dallas’ two biggest genres are hip-hop/R ‘n’ B and folk rock. There’s hip-hop/R ‘n’ B shows every day, and big folk fests are selling out all our popular venues.
Its Most Famous Musical Sons and Daughters:
Zack: Crown The Empire, Memphis May Fire, Polyphia, and Post Malone. I would say everyone our age knows all of those acts, we love all of them.
Its Unsung Heroes:
Zack: Polyphia. They played every local show along with all of our member’s old local bands. They watched them grow into the band they are today and they stayed completely humble the entire route.
The Bands To Watch Out For:
Zack: Mount Tyrant, check them out!
The Venues We Visited:
Zack: The Door in Dallas, The Plano Centre, and Eisenbergs skate park. Eisenbergs was the local spot that every Dallas band, and even most touring bands played at. The Door and Plano Centre were huge venues back then. Seeing acts like Underoath, Paramore, and countless festivals at these venues only made us want this more and more back in those days.
If I Wrote A Song About My Hometown:
Zack: It would be loving because Dallas didn’t have to accept us as quickly as they did, and we’re very grateful that they did.
‘Good Excuses’ by Blindwish is out now on Rise Records.
