Blind Revision is a female fronted band whose combination of rock and metal has taken them to release a new EP titled "Of White and Grey". Front women vocalist/keyboardist Jen Janet discusses said release and what they want to do with themselves.
1. What role do you play in the band?
Jen: My name is Jen Janet, and I’m the vocalist as well as the keyboardist for Blind Revision.
2. What is the story behind your band's name Blind Revision?
Jen: Our drummer came up with a few different names and we picked one that we liked. Honestly, it’s not a crazy story. But to me, the phrase “Blind Revision” refers to the fact that we are all just blindly going through life. As we learn new things, we revise our thoughts about the world. Therefore, we are all just sort of blindly revising our own opinions and thoughts about what we see and what the world is. I think that idea encompasses what some of our songs are about. The songs on “Fight or Flight” have to do with overcoming different obstacles, and I think that references the idea of learning new things as you go through life. We all get through hard times, and the more we learn, the more we can push through them.
3. What has influenced your sound and style?
Jen: The band Coheed and Cambria is definitely a big influence to us! I love their songwriting style and how diverse some of their songs are. It’s also refreshing to listen to songs that have intricately written verses, but also have catchy choruses that will get stuck in your head.
4.What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)
Jen: “Fight or Flight” is about overcoming obstacles – whether that be family, relationship, or political issues. The lyrics in “Colors” for example, have a lot of symbolism regarding the war in the Central African Republic. It brings awareness to issues happening around the world that the American media doesn’t usually cover. The other songs on the EP reflect obstacles in family and personal relationships. Our new songs are described in question number eight and they are a bit darker than our previous tracks. We are very excited for their release!
5. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)
Jen: Yes, the process is very collaborative. We are very lucky, because I feel that everyone in the band brings something different and equally beneficial to the table. Some of us have diverse backgrounds in music. For example, I listen to more alternative rock, and one of our guitarists has a more classic rock background. Our other guitarist was a jazz minor in college and loves progressive rock. Our drummer and bassist have metal backgrounds. I feel like we pull from everything and have created a sound that encompasses all of that.
6. How do you describe your music to people?
Jen: You can probably imagine from that description that it’s difficult to describe! Instead of saying, “Well, it’s a little of everything,” I usually tell people that if Coheed and Cambria had a baby with the early days of Paramore, Evanescence, or Flyleaf, that’s us.
7. What image do you think your music conveys?
Jen: Our image has changed a bit over time. We are very goofy people but we make serious sounding music, so that’s one interesting thing. I think “Of White And Grey” is very dark, and as a result of that, the photos of our band have been very dark too. On stage when we perform the song “Ashes” we also die at the end, meaning we fall to the floor while we are still playing the song. It represents what is happening in the song itself, and I think it’s a great way to keep the audience engaged. We don’t go all out with our outfits on stage either, but we tend to wear black or grey colors.8. You will soon be releasing your new EP, can you tell me a little bit about it?
Jen: Our upcoming EP “Of White And Grey” will be released May 14th. We are super excited about it! It’s a psychological concept EP with each song representing a different lobe of the brain. Therefore, each song has different symbolism and little lyrical details that you might catch if you know your biology/anatomy. As a story, the EP follows the life of one narrator, and the psychological demons the person deals with. Some of their demons include anxiety, addiction, and fear of death. Instrumentally, we have some songs that are more reminiscent of metal music, and some that are more alternative/post hardcore. And of course, we have some cool solos and progressive rock tones as well.
9. What is the concept behind the EP and how did the idea come about?
Jen: Last spring we got to work writing the tracks, and it honestly happened so fast. We just got together as a group and it happened. I’ve never seen a group of five people write like that before. I am very lucky to be in a band that has so much chemistry. We are all very open minded with creative musical ideas.
For the most part, the music was written first and I held off on writing lyrics until everything else was almost complete. I knew I wanted to fit all the lyrics into one concept. I have a degree in Psychology and tend to write darker music, so it seemed like a natural idea. I liked the concept of each song represented a specific idea, but also a physical part of the brain at the same time.
10. What is your favourite song on the EP and why?
Jen: That’s an impossible question! I think “Ashes” was my favorite for a while but currently it’s “Parietal: Pressure.” We are releasing a lyric video for it pretty soon so you’ll be able to find it on Youtube. The song is the opener to the EP, and it begins with a quiet guitar. This song has the most piano in it, so maybe I’m biased. But I love the way the song progresses because it starts out so small and calm, and at the end it rocks so hard. I love songs that are dynamic like that – when they can morph and change during the course of the track easily and naturally.
11. What can fans expect from the new EP?
Jen: Expect us to sound a bit more metal than you are used to! I think “Fight or Flight” was more hard rock or pop punk than the songs from “Of White And Grey.” In this EP, we were heavily influenced by progressive rock and metal. I feel that the lyrics are stronger too, and if you know anything about the brain, you might catch little lyrical details pertaining to that particular lobe as well. In “Occipital: Covenant” there is also a play on words with our band name in it. Overall, I’m happy with how everything turned out. I really wanted to tell a story with the lyrics and I think that was successful.
12. What was the writing and recording process like for this EP?
Jen: For most of the songs, the guitarists brought up certain ideas they had been working on. Usually it was a riff or a few verses, or just an idea. Once they brought it to the band, we all expanded on it with our own particular parts. I wrote lyrics last because I wanted to make sure that we knew what order the songs would play in. I wanted to make sure the lyrics fit with a concept and a cohesive story, or natural progression of music at least.
In the studio, we went in and out a lot! It took many days. We recorded drums first, then guitars, bass, and vocals. Honestly, being in the studio was a lot of fun. Some days we would be hanging out and ordering pizza, just having fun. It was a tedious process to get everything down, but it was so worth it.
13. Why do you think people should check out your new EP once released?
Jen: I think if you are a progressive rock or metal fan, you’ll find something you like about the EP. But all of our songs do include a catchy chorus in them at some point, so hopefully we’ll get stuck in your head. Biology and Psychology nerds will enjoy the lyrics too! Aside from the fact that we put a lot of work into it, I don’t think there’s a lot of progressive rock bands in the New England area of the U.S. Sometimes I feel like our location makes us stick out, because many of our members are from Rhode Island, the smallest U.S. state. We’re on tour in mid-May though, so maybe we’ll come to your city!
14. How would you say you differ from other bands and artists on the scene?
Jen: Like I said, the progressive rock influence makes us stick out a lot. The Rhode Island music scene has a lot of pop punk and hardcore bands, but there isn’t much in between. I think that makes us unique in the area. We are also female fronted, and a lot of female fronted metal bands go the symphonic metal route. We do have some of those influences, especially for the vocals in “Ashes.” But there aren’t many progressive rock bands fronted by women right now.
15. What do you want to achieve as a band?
Jen: World domination. ;)
16. What does next year hold for you?
Jen: We will definitely be releasing a music video, although I do not have an exact date yet. That’s the main thing we will be working on. And we are always working on new music!
17. Describe Blind Revision in three words.
Jen: Goofy silly doggos.
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