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So, as most of you know , I have been pretty much sequestered this past semester completely mired in these last two large papers I was writing. I am finally finished and really enjoying relaxing! The day after I finished Avi told me he got me a gift for working so hard and handed me ticked to Blind Melon. I knew I have been pretty sleep deprived but I was certain it said Blind Melon, and that they had not played a live show since 1995 when the lead singer Shannon Hoon died from a cocaine overdose. Mind you I had just finished writing a paper on the history of the idea of bodily resurrection, so my first thought was, wait Shannon’s back? Then I thought: ” oh god Avi got me tickets to a lame cover band!” Finally after staring a looking dumb, Avi explained that he had been downloading some Blind Melon shows and stumbled across one from April, 2008, and after a similar state of dumbfoundedness he found out that Blind Melon got back together with a new lead singer.

In 2006 the original members Rogers Stevens (lead guitar), Brad Smith (bass, flute, back vocals), Glen Graham (drums and percussion),Chris Thorn (guitar, steel guitar, mandolin and harmonica) teamed up with Travis Warren who was working on his own band and was friends with some of the members and they recently recorded a new album.

We went to see them play last night and I was some what skeptical, I wanted Travis to sound like Shannon, but I also didn’t. We were blown away, the old songs sounded right and not like a lame copy, Travis’ voice, like Shannon’s, is one of the instruments! It was surreal to listen to my favorite songs live, but I was more striken by their new work. Despite the fact that there has been a 13 year hiatus and a new lead vocalist their new album sounds exaclt how I would have envisioned their fourth album.

I had always felt semi-embarrassed to admit that Blind Melon was my favorite band, not because they don’t rock, but because I was concerned that I was acting like those people that never get over highschool (or middleschool, Blind Melon was the first CD I ever bought, in the 7th grade). So now I am out of the closet (as the paraphernalia Avi bought me last night will prove!) and can;t wait to see them again. Everyone should check out their first three albums, Blind Melon, Soup, Nico, and their new one- For My Friends!