Dallas based rock band Blindwish talk their debut album Good Excuses, singing with Rise Records, and influences.
Interview by Jane Howkins
You’re releasing your debut album soon, titled Good Excuses. Are you nervous, or more excited?
Definitely a healthy mix of both. First release are always met with some nervousness but we’re extremely happy with the feed back so far. We just want everyone to love the album as much as we do.
What can you tell us about the album, and when is it due for release?
Good Excuses is due September 1st via Rise Records. It’s our debut album, only having one song previously released!
How does it feel to be finally releasing your debut album? How long has it taken you to get this far?
We announced our band and released our debut single “3:AM” in March of 2016. We recorded Good Excuses in May of 2016. It’s been well over year since we recorded our album so we’re more than ready for everyone to hear it.
How did you find the writing and recording process was, and is there anything you would change next time around? Have you started writing news songs already, or is it time for a bit of a break?
The writing process is always the most rewarding thing artistically. We’ve already started writing material for our new album; just tons of ideas that we’re really excited about. I don’t think we could take a break from writing if we tried.
Do you have any singles up for release from Good Excuses? If so, what are they, and what can you tell us about them?
Right now we have two music videos out for our songs “After Midnight” and “Single Word”. After midnight was cowritten and recorded with John Feldmann. Single Word was cowritten with Hiram Hernandez.
You’re signed to Rise Records. Would you recommend them to other artists, and is the DIY aspect important to you?
Rise Records is exactly what a record label should be. They support us in every way possible without compromising any of our artistic abilities. DIY is very important to us, for our first few tours we designed and made our own merch, but we couldn’t do as many things as we are or as we will want to without amazing support from our label.
Will you be touring at any point? If so, when, and where? Any dates near us in York?
Right now we have some album release shows around Texas. We’re hoping to be in York very soon!
You’re originally from Dallas, in Texas. What is the music scene like there?
It’s not somewhere you tend to think of when considering up and coming music scenes! Actually only 2 of our members are from Texas. I (Zack) am from New Jersey, Billy is from California and dakota is from Oregon. We didn’t grow up in the Texas Music scene but we’ve been very fortunate that they’ve welcomed us with open arms. Our favorite shows are always in Texas.
What sort of stuff influences you, and what have you been listening to recently?
My favorite band is a two way tie between Brand New and Thrice. They were both major influences on this album and probably any album we’ll ever write. I haven’t gotten into many bands in the past few years but two that really stood out to me were Don Broco and Nothing More. I’ve listened to their catalogs a lot and I’ve seen both of them live in the last year. Everyone needs to listen to them and see them live.
Any last words for the fans?
Pre-order Good Excuses, come see us live when we come to a city near you. When we do come near you, come to our merch table and meet us. It’s our favorite part of touring.