The Blank Tapes

I discovered The Blank Tapes doing my least favorite thing for Wiretap: putting together the calendar. It's a time-consuming task that leaves me with carpal tunnel by the end of the day. But after it's all over I usually think, "Man, I hate doing this BUT if I didn't then I wouldn't be up to date on all the local bands in the bay area." So it's good in that way, as you can readily discern from the fact that it brought me The Blank Tapes.

The Blank Tapes

I discovered The Blank Tapes doing my least favorite thing for Wiretap: putting together the calendar. It's a time-consuming task that leaves me with carpal tunnel by the end of the day. But after it's all over I usually think, "Man, I hate doing this BUT if I didn't then I wouldn't be up to date on all the local bands in the bay area." So it's good in that way, as you can readily discern from the fact that it brought me The Blank Tapes.

After I discovered them online, I had to see them live. And when I finally got to see them live, I wasn't disappointed. They played a great set that pushed all the right buttons for me: catchy folk-pop-rock sections that break away into grooves that build and build with layers of keys. What you might call "jamming," but you should qualify as "the good kind." A tasteful jam band, if you will.

All the musicians in the band are super talented, and each gets their own moment to shine – not in that "It's your turn to take over and solo on this jam, man" kind of way. When The Blank Tapes solo, it's tasteful, like I said.

Another thing I love about the band is the vocal harmonies. When you have four singers harmonizing  well together, that always makes for the kind of music I can get addicted to. And that's what I did. I got the album Daydreams that night and ever since it's been a standby in my car. Seriously, I think I've listened to it over a hundred times.

Daydreams has 25 glorious tracks. Matt Adams, the mastermind behind The Blank Tapes, told me that he was criticized by some folks due to the length of his album, but for me it's perfect. Every song is incredible. I never want the album to stop. The recording quality is warm and the sounds are rich. Matt recorded the whole album by himself on an old 8 track cassette tape recorder from the early 90s, that's what makes it sound so warm and cozy.

But it's not just that there is such a large amount of killer music on this one album that gets me, it's the variation of styles too. Matt is a well-rounded song writer. Some songs have that sweet and simple folk/Jugtown vibe, as in the tracks  "This Is What's Inside" and "Long Ago". Then the garage/folk amazingness comes out in the tracks "Love Seems Strange Now" and "Smoke and Mirrors." Other songs remind me of Brian Jonestown Massacre, like "When I See You" and "Part The Clouds." Also there are several catchy-but-dirty rock groove tracks reminiscent of The Kinks, like "Busy Being" and "Sun Rock." Tracks like "Silverado" and "In The Light" take me back to my old hippie days. I start to hear hints of Jerry Garcia.

Don't be turned away by this description, my indie darlings. It's the kind of Jerry that anyone can like. I used to be an old stinky dreadlock hippie that had a "family," and we traveled around in a Westphalia camper van and played the Grateful dead. Bootlegs only, folks. So I was very close to the tones of Jerry's vocals and the grooves of his tripped out, drug induced live shows. And I must admit, there can be that kind of feel in The Blank Tapes…

But it's ALL GOOD!! Everyone that I turn this band onto loves it. I'm just trying to make some connections here OK!!

OK so back to Daydreams. If you haven't heard of the Blank Tapes before I highly recommend you just go out and get this album. It's one of those CDs that you can listen to all times of the day and in all moods, but I especially love listening to it when I take a drive. I always listen to it at least once from beginning to end when I drive down to LA to visit my family. Not my hippie family, my real deal family. I've lost track of my hippie "family" years ago, but I still have a patchwork satchel to store my bubbler in that literally has "My Family" sewn into the patchwork corduroy. Hehehe…

This is totally TMI right now… Man, I really just wanna talk about The Blank Tapes, but the coffee is in my veins and I'm getting all personal!!!

Well, I guess it's also because this album has become personal to me. Nostalgic, almost. And I must say it was one of the top three albums for me in 2008 (even though it was released in 2007. I got my paws on it in 2008). I Sill love it even after the 110th listen and I always am excited to see these guys live.

Also another note to make about The Blank Tapes and Matt Adams is the collective of friends/musicians that he is a part of. It's new as of yet, they don't have a name. But they are a group of very talented folks and they all play in each other's bands and everything I've heard them do together and as solo musicians during my couple weeks hanging out with them was beautiful. Some great folk/folk rock bands that are a part of this collective and you should look out for are Indianna Hale, Sleepy Todd, Magic Leaves, Honey.moon.tree, Dirty Birdy, Ash Reiter, fpodpod, An Unconscious Collective, Vera Gogh, and Kasey Johansing. To name a few.

On one of the nights when I was hanging out with Matt I had the honor of being invited to the Marin Headlands hostel house (the kids who work for the hostel get to live rent-free in an AMAZING old general's house just a 10 min walk to Rodeo Beach! So F-ing gorgeous.) at this house party for Magic Leaves' Josh. I had the great pleasure of getting to hear the solo acts of Indianna Hale, Sleepy Todd, Blank Tapes, and Magic Leaves, with Vera Gogh and her voice like a lost angel's singing back ups from the audience. I didn't know a single person at this house. But by the end of the night everyone felt like family. It was one of the better parties I've been to in a long time. A memory I'll have forever.

I had such a great time I barely filmed it! HA!

 Keep an eye on Matt Adams. He was already noticed by Rolling Stone folks!!! So go notice him yourself. And if you want, bring your family…..

[Olivia Parriott]