New Blind Melon album?!?!?

[Coltrane]

where the hell have I been???



dear god. have I travelled back in time???



who is the president?!?!?? Bush???!!!!




the new singer sounds eerily like Mr. Hoon.

Anyone heard the whole thing yet??


thoughts?

[kyjed48]

You know what, I have been one of those skeptics concerning this album.  BM are one of my all-time favorites and I just couldn't imagine them without Hoon.  But, I just listened to the new album on iTunes and it sounds phenomenal.  I'm buying it tonight!

[BH]

They are also one of my all time favorites.  I went to see this new version about a month ago, and although it was great to hear some live Blind Melon for nostalgia sake, and I had a great time, it was very dissapointing.  The new singer does sound very much like Hoon, but he also sounded a bit too 80's metal. He could easily be in a Tesla cover band.  Also, instead of doing extra long or special versions of their old stuff they actually did little shortened versions as if they were trying to get as many songs in as possible.  The whole thing kind of turned me off.

Having said that, I will definately give the new album a chance.  It may very well be great.  It just was not a very good experience for me.  I think I would have prefered my memory of the glory days.   American Theatre circa 1994?  Top 10 show for me of all time.

[kyjed48]

They are also one of my all time favorites.  I went to see this new version about a month ago, and although it was great to hear some live Blind Melon for nostalgia sake, and I had a great time, it was very dissapointing.  The new singer does sound very much like Hoon, but he also sounded a bit too 80's metal. He could easily be in a Tesla cover band.  Also, instead of doing extra long or special versions of their old stuff they actually did little shortened versions as if they were trying to get as many songs in as possible.  The whole thing kind of turned me off.

Having said that, I will definately give the new album a chance.  It may very well be great.  It just was not a very good experience for me.  I think I would have prefered my memory of the glory days.   American Theatre circa 1994?  Top 10 show for me of all time.

That would be disappointing.  I would have to hear those tunes in their full-lengthed glory.  

I never got the chance to see those guys back in the day.  Got to say I'm a little jealous of you!  ;)  

Soup might possible be my favorite album of all time.  I've listened to it thousands of times since it came out.  To this day, it still gives me chills.  Just an absolute masterpiece!

[BH]

 

Soup might possible be my favorite album of all time.  I've listened to it thousands of times since it came out.  To this day, it still gives me chills.  Just an absolute masterpiece!

You took the words right out of my mouth.  That album just never gets old.

I actually saw them one other time open for the Stones at Ferot field in Columbia, but I was about, well 120 yards away.

Also, right after the first album came out, I went with about six friends to see them in a small club downtown, and three of us stayed in the car for a few extra minutes, *cough*, and it ended up selling out with about five people in line in front of us!  Doh!  [size=8](I guess "they" were right, pot is bad for you.)[/size]

[kyjed48]

[quote author=Bevil Hevil


Also, right after the first album came out, I went with about six friends to see them in a small club downtown, and three of us stayed in the car for a few extra minutes, *cough*, and it ended up selling out with about five people in line in front of us!  Doh!  [size=8](I guess "they" were right, pot is bad for you.)[/size]

That sounds like my luck!

But, it is very cool you got to see them.  I've always thought they would've became our generation's Zeppelin if they'd had the chance.

I just bought the new album and I'm really looking forward to the first really good listen in the morning. From what I've heard so far,  a lot of that old magic appears to be back.

[BH]

[quote author=Bevil Hevil


Also, right after the first album came out, I went with about six friends to see them in a small club downtown, and three of us stayed in the car for a few extra minutes, *cough*, and it ended up selling out with about five people in line in front of us!  Doh!  [size=8](I guess "they" were right, pot is bad for you.)[/size]

That sounds like my luck!

But, it is very cool you got to see them.  I've always thought they would've became our generation's Zeppelin if they'd had the chance.

I just bought the new album and I'm really looking forward to the first really good listen in the morning. From what I've heard so far,  a lot of that old magic appears to be back.

That's good to hear, I will definately check it out.

[Coltrane]

just finished listen to Soup again.....



damn, they were amazing. Just all around, every member.....fucking rock solid!

[kyjed48]

just finished listen to Soup again.....



damn, they were amazing. Just all around, every member.....fucking rock solid!

Yeah, you just can't beat that album.  It's great with any season or mood!  

I've listened to the new album a couple times today.  Musically, it's very good and reaffirms just how talented those guys are.  But lyrically, you can definitely feel the absence  of SH.  I'm going to give a few more listens, but I'm just not feeling it like I though I would.   However, kudos to those guys for keeping the magic going!

[Coltrane]

yeah....those dueling guitars, especially from the first album, were so on point. I wonder if i could get a version of the new album without vocals....

[Dee.]

I am curious to hear the new album. Have you guys seen this? Nico Hoon performing Changes! I don't even know her and I'm proud of her, I can imagine what family and friends must have been feeling. Nell Hoon appearance at the end giving the new guy her blessing. Sweet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q5_TnAxTDM

I have been thinking about Melon a lot lately, probably because of the nice weather. They tend to = nice weather in my mind. The song Soup hit me like a ton of bricks the other day. That song is untouchable. I have watched this video like four times in the past couple: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuvXb-VkUVM

[upstatestruggler]

I am curious to hear the new album. Have you guys seen this? Nico Hoon performing Changes! I don't even know her and I'm proud of her, I can imagine what family and friends must have been feeling. Nell Hoon appearance at the end giving the new guy her blessing. Sweet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q5_TnAxTDM

I have been thinking about Melon a lot lately, probably because of the nice weather. They tend to = nice weather in my mind. The song Soup hit me like a ton of bricks the other day. That song is untouchable. I have watched this video like four times in the past couple: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuvXb-VkUVM

no idea this was out there. amazing. the anti-cyrus!

[joey_rogo]

sooooooo has anyone seen the guys on this latest tour??? i had read that the vocalist was kicking some ass, and all things were well; setlists looked good. but i guess as of yesterday the new vocalist has left the band, and now there is a new new vocalist. i have tickets to a show next saturday. hopefully the band can pull things together and rock out, the show is still on according to their website.

i just really wanna hear soup

[buaawwww]

Yeah, well, say goodbye to the new Melon already!  So disappointing...

Friends....

I bring you some difficult news.

The revelry call went out to start the tour, and all reported to duty except for one. We, along with our entire team, have been working long hours to prepare for this upcoming US tour, which we have all been excited about. All except one. There has long been consensus with the original 4 members of the group....we agree on purpose and vision, we believe deeply in what we are doing, and we have been forged together in the kiln of tragedy which has made us unbreakable. We all share that. All except one.

We believe that it is a great privilege to do what we do. It is an honor to stand onstage before you all and play these songs, and we will endure just about anything to do so. We have unity on this...all except one.

Travis does not share this with us. Two weeks ago when we cancelled the first half of the tour, Travis was having problems with his voice and the doctor recommended that he rest. Though it hurt us to cancel the shows, we were understanding towards him and supported him because nobody wanted him to injure himself or damage his obviously amazing voice. God dropped a Stradivarius down Travis's throat, but the reality is that he treats it like a broken pawnshop fiddle. It is very difficult to maintain a rigorous touring schedule while chain smoking.

Early this week Travis was due to again visit the doctor, a specialist that we found for him who is the very best available. The doctor wanted to make sure everything was OK before we embarked on the tour. We told Travis that we would cancel the rest of the tour if his voice was still hurting, regardless of what the doctor said. Travis will tell you that we fired him because his voice was fried, but this is not true. All singers go through vocal problems from time to time, and we understand that. We did not fire Travis, he abandoned us. The plan was set, it was solid, and we were confident. Everybody was on board...all except one. Not only did he bail on the doctor, but he did not return anybody's calls, texts, emails, telegrams, or carrier pigeon messages for the last two weeks. We're talking about a LOT of attempts to communicate. This has been a pattern from the beginning of our involvement with him. The reality is that Travis did not want to go on this tour, and his reasons for this changed many times. The touring life is not for everyone. Had he told us that it was just too much for him, then that would have sucked for us but we could have dealt with it. But the dilemma was that HE WOULD NOT COMMUNICATE WITH US.

We finally started calling family members to try to locate him. Members of his family were very helpful and the good news is that they had spoken to him and he was alive. We were all relieved but curious as to what was going on. One of Travis's cousins finally got him to agree to call our manager yesterday evening and they spoke for about 20 minutes (we were all waiting to figure out if we should get on airplanes today or stay home). Travis stated that if we couldn't understand that he needed this time to himself, then he didn't want to be in a band with us anymore. He complained about being underpaid and overworked (we all make the same thing and we all work as hard as he does). He said that he didn't want to play the US anymore and that he was under-appreciated. He complained about playing the same songs in the same towns. We could not make him understand that the wheels were in motion for this tour for 6 months, and that to blow it out just because he didn't want to do it was a very bad move (we think his voice is probably fine now, by the way, though we could never say for sure since he neglected his doctor's appointment and did not call us to tell us that it was not well).

There was no indication that any of this was coming at the end of the Canadian tour. We had great success up there (thank you Canada) and we were encouraged by what was ahead of us. We were all set to record a live album on this tour, we just booked Japan, and we were in the process of putting together Europe and South America. People have been working very hard on this stuff...lots of great people who we are very much lucky to be working with. Travis is unable or unwilling to care about how his actions affect everybody else, and he's been this way since day one. We have passed up or blown many opportunities because of his actions, and this has made it very difficult for us to function effectively. For the 2 weeks worth of shows that we have cancelled in the last year, there have been countless others that were on the verge of not happening. Many nights we have sat in the dressing room or on the bus wondering if Travis was going to show up and what condition he would be in if he did show up. None of us want to be in one of those bands that is held hostage by a single person's whims and demands. Travis's talent is enormous and deep, but after two gut-wrenching years and countless setbacks and heartbreaks, we can no longer work with him.

We want to make this clear that this calamity is not just about the most recent events. For many different reasons, there has been a division that slowly developed from the beginning. Travis came into a very difficult situation, and in a lot of ways he handled it very well. But for whatever reason, we could never get him to come fully into the fold. We tried to achieve unity and balance in the band and we welcomed him with open arms as a full partner. But in a band you are dealing with a bunch of highly creative and impulsive people in suspended adolescence who are also oftentimes maladjusted. It must have been very difficult for Travis to figure out our relationships and to find his place. When things got tough, Travis would fire off an email and threaten to quit the band....this happened at least a dozen times. Eventually, confidence within the band as well as with the people who worked with us became undermined. Everybody around saw what was going on and were probably taking bets on how long we would last.

The real back-story to this is very deep. If you squint your eyes and read very closely between the lines, you might pick up a hint of it. There is no way that we could accurately tell you what has transpired over the past two years without breaking some ethical codes and spewing a bunch of angry stuff that will just sound irrelevant to you. We don't want to hurt Travis or say anything more than what is necessary to tell enough of the story. We believe that to publicly air out all of the prior details of what brought us to this place would be counterproductive. We will have our side of the story and Travis will have his, and the two shall not meet. And you as the reader will be left scratching your head and wondering who is crazier. You'll probably also wonder why we can't just kiss and make up and play the goddamned songs. We can only say that we have tried everything that we could to get to that place.

We sincerely hope that Travis finds a musical situation that makes him happy. As previously stated, his talent is prodigious, and that is why we thought he should play in the big leagues, but now it is clear that he was drafted by the wrong team. He belongs onstage, and that is where we got along with him best. He is a GREAT performer and we are hopeful that he will end up in the right situation for him.

So the next question is "what are we going to do"? First of all, we plan to begin the tour in Allentown, PA on Monday. Chris Shin, who formed Unified Theory with Brad and Christopher, is coming with us and is ready and willing. We are enormously grateful to Chris for accepting this somewhat daunting challenge. After the tour, we will begin the process of finding somebody who understands, as previously stated, that it is an honor to perform for ya'll, and that it is important to pull together and work together in order to create something truly great. We intend to play all the shows that are on the schedule, including the New Year's eve show, and we will make up the shows that were cancelled earlier this month. We're going on a journey and we'll bring you back something great......thank you for everything that you've given us.


Blind Melon
November 6, 2008