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Frequently Asked Questions:
- Who are Blind Melon?
- What are the Mammoth Sessions?
- What is the Vigil?
- How to listen to the hidden track on the Soup album?
- Who is the girl singing with Shannon on Mouthful of cavities?
- Where can I find live cds
and videos?
- Who is the bee-girl?
- Who is the guy on the Soup cd cover?
- Who plays the mad scientist in the Galaxie video?
- What
is the song Galaxie about?
- What does shannon say right after the I Wonder intro?
- Why are there 2 versions of the 'Live At The Palace' album?
-
Who
were Extra Virgin?
-
Who
were The Tender Trio?
- Who were Halo Complex?
-
Who were The Meek?
- Where is the sleepyhouse?
- Where is the Kingsway Studio?
- Where are the guys now?
- Where can I find guitar tabs?
- Is
there a book about Blind Melon & Shannon Hoon?
-
Are Blind Melon back together?
Who are Blind Melon?
Brad Smith: bass and backing vocals, from West Point, Mississipi (Sept 29, 1968).
Shannon Hoon: vocals, guitar and harmonica from Lafayette, Indiana (Sept 26, 1967 - Oct 21, 1995). R.I.P
Christopher Thorn: guitar, harmonica and mandolin from Dover, Pennsylvania (Dec 16, 1968).
Glen Graham: drums and percussions from Columbus, Mississipi (Dec 5, 1968)
Rogers Stevens: guitar and piano from West Point, Mississipi (Oct 31, 1970).
Travis T Warren: vocals and guitar from Amarillo, Texas (Jan 16, 1981). 2006-2008 / 2010-.
+
What are the mammoth sessions?
What are the mammoth sessions?
On spring 1994, the band took a short break from touring. Rogers, Shannon and Christopher went in the Mammoth mountains to have some rest. During that time, the guys wrote and recorded a few songs (acoustically mostly) which became the mammoth sessions. Among those songs: The Pusher, All That I Need...
What is the Vigil?
The vigil takes place every year on Shannon's grave on the closest week-end to Shannon's birthday. Melonheads from everywhere meet to celebrate Shannon's life. Shannon's mother (Nel Hoon) is always there and Vernie (Shannon's grandma) also comes. Since 2003, a show (the vigilstock) also held on the sunday in Lafayette where a lot of bands celebrate Shannon's music.
How to listen to the hidden track on the Soup album?
How to listen to the hidden track on the Soup album?
It's simple, rewind from the beginning of track #1 until you get to -2min24sec.
"The
secret track on the Soup album was done like this: we had this piece of
acoustic guitar music from Shannon's friend Mike Kelsey, who is just
phenomenal. We all played a bunch of stuff on it...I played piano and
some other stuff, just kept piling stuff on it. Then we took the song
"New Life" and flipped the reels upside down so it was playing in
reverse and dumped the backwards vocals on the instrumental track. We
were all shocked at how well it worked....just an accident."
Roger Stevens
Listen to the hidden soup backwards here (right click and "save as")
Who is the girl singing with Shannon on Mouthful Of Cavities?
Who is the girl singing with Shannon on Mouthful Of Cavities?
Her name is Jena Kraus. Check out her website here.
"...she just kept showing up at our shows claiming that she could sings and after seeing her around for a few weeks, we said "hi go ahead and sings!" she sang and just blew us away..."
Chis Thorn talking about Jena Kraus - New Orleans 1995
Where can I find live cds and videos ?
Where can I find live cds and videos ?
A lot of people trade live bootlegs, check out www.sharingthegroove.org and www.tapetradernetwork.com.. You can also buy live cds on www.ebay.com and www.gemm.com or even better, you may find some stuff to download for free on the Trader's Den.
Concerning the videos, the official Letters From A Porcupine and Live At The Metro'95 dvds are fan must have. You also can check out the Video Section or www.youtube.com to watch online videos.
Who is the beegirl?
The bee-girl on the self-titled cd is Glen Graham's sister (Goergia Graham) whereas the girl on the "No Rain" video is called Heather DeLoach.
"...that
girl (Heather DeLoach) was so annoying I was ready to strangle her the
day we were shooting the video. Her parents got mad because I took off
all my clothes and ran through this field. They didn't take too kindly
to that and grabbed her by a wing and left."
Shannon, 1995
Who is the guy on the Soup cover?
Who is the guy on the Soup cover?
"...We
looked at his (Andy Wallace) discography and, seeing the other people
he’d worked with, you could tell he was a versatile producer. And
because this band is made up of five very different types of
personalities, it was easy to foresee him being able to work with each
one individually. Andy was great. He made you feel like you needed to
bring him a note from your parents if you missed a session! He was like
the father figure. That, plus recording it in New Orleans, that
probably played a big part in alleviating the pressure, because there
was always something to do and because you would think, ‘I’m only down
here to make a record’. If that’s all you’re supposed to be doing, it
helps..."
Shannon Hoon (from Request Magazine 1996)
The cover photo is of producer/engineer Andy Wallace, taken at a deli in New York on lunch break during the mix sessions.
Andy Wallace's a very well-known producer who worked with Nirvana, Rage Against The Machine, Jeff Buckley, Skunk Anansie, Foo Fighters, System Of A Down, Bruce Springsteen...
Who plays the mas scientist in the Galaxie video?
Who plays the mad scientist in the Galaxie video?
It's 60s druggie legend Timothy Leary (aka 'Mr Time Warp').
"...What
a character! He is a TimeWarp man, isn’t he? Jake Scott the director
lives across the street from him and said something to him, and Timothy
Leary had heard of our band and liked this song, so he was up for it.
We knew there had to be a significant person playing the role of the
mad scientist..."
Shannon Hoon (from Request Magazine 1996)
What is the song Galaxie about?
What is the song Galaxie about?
The song Galaxie refers to the 1964 Ford Galaxie that Shannon Hoon bought when Blin dMelon was recording the Soup album in New Orleans. Shannon loved Galaxie 's, he owned around 5 of them. This car is owned by Christopher Thorn and has been painted black now. The Galaxie from the video is a 65-67 convertible.
Thanks to Mario for the tip
What does Shannon say right after the I Wonder into?
What does Shannon say right after the I Wonder into?
Shannon whispers:
"Get me outta here, get get get, get me outta here man, get me outta here, get me out".
Why are there 2 versions of the 'Live At The Palace' album?
Why are there 2 versions of the 'Live At The Palace' album?
If you have the first version of this live cd, you have probably noticed that the tracklisting is wrong... The remaining members of Blind Melon were not involved in the process, the cover chosed was not the one they wanted and the packaging is very very limited despite of the resquest of the melon guys to take advantage of this album to thank their crew and fans.
Here is a message from Rogers Stevens about the way Capitol managed the Live At The Palace (just after the first release came out):
Dear friends of the Melon,
We are very disappointed with the new "Live at the Palace"
release. I have not seen a hard copy of the disc yet, but I was aware
several months ago that the track list was scrambled when they made an
aborted attempt to put it on iTunes, but did not know that this was off
on the disc as well. We've been around the bend with Capitol
about this, and they pretty much did what they wanted to anyway. The
band does not have a manager now, so we didn't have anyone to run
interferece with the label, and were dealing with it ourselves. We
hated the cover, nobody who worked on it was credited, and it was put
together without any consideration for our wishes. Last year, we worked
closely with Capitol to release the "best of" and "live at the metro"
releases, but some new people took over and just didn't care for our
input. If you go to itunes Australia or England, you'll see the cover
that we picked, which fits the theme of the other releases. Brad and Christopher
spent a week mixing this thing and got no credit. Lyle Eaves (our live
sound engineer) facilitated the recording...and again no credit. We
wanted to honor our crew members who stuck with us through some
unbelievably difficult touring...again no credit. We stand by the
quality of the show and recording, but cannot remain silent about what
they did with it. It's a goddamm shame, too, because Capitol treated us
very well to this point. As always, we appreciate your support......
Rogers Stevens (04/06/2006)
After a meeting with the management team of Capitol Records about what happened, Blind Melon announced the re-release of the album:
"We're
going to redo the packaging in the fall and do a rerelease that'll
likely include more tracks. We're working it out so that those who
bought the first "Live at the Palace" release will be able to exchange
it for the new one.....we'll keep you posted."
Rogers Stevens (05/02/2006)
The new cd came out on October, 17th 2006
Who were Extra Virgin?
Extra Virgin was the band Rogers
Stevens had with his friend Rene
Lopez in New York after Blind
Melon split up in 1999. Extra
Virgin were:
- Rene
Lopez (vocals/guitar/percussion 1999-2002, now solo
artist)
- Rogers Stevens (guitars, bass 1999-2002, now in Blind
Melon)
- Bill
Dobrow (drums 1999-2002, now supporting many bands including
The Black Crowes)
- Jonny Lonely (bass 1999-2000 now in Orson)
-
Pat Sansone (bass 2000-2002, now in Wilco)
-
Jack Petruzzelli (keyboards, guitar 1999-2000, now in The
Joan Osbourne Band and The
Fab Faux)
The band made an album titled '12 Stories High' in 2000 and toured mainly in the New York area but broke up in 2002 during the session for a second album. Click on the picture below to get a lot of demos, live shows and rare pictures from the band.
Who were The Tender Trio?
The Tender Trio was Rogers
Stevens' band before the Blind Melon reunion in 2006.
TTT
were:
- Rene
Lopez (vocals/drums, previously in Extra
Virgin and now solo
artist).
- Rogers Stevens (guitars, previously
in Extra Virgin
and now in Blind
Melon).
- Royston
Langdon (vocals/bass guitar, formely of Spacehog now in
Spacehog).
They were previously known as The Quick and before that as Sparticle. The band split up in March 2006.
Who were Halo Complex?
Halo Complex is the band that Chris Thorn and Brad Smith shortly had after Unified Theory broke up. Nothing officialy came out of this project but there is a studio demo out there, here is the tracklist:
1. Little Things
2. High
3. Mother Fucker
4. Taking Over Me
5. Let It Rain
6. Angel
7. Crash Landing
8. Alias
9. Tangled Youth
10. Automatic
11. Wait
Halo Complex were:
Brad Smith: Bass
(now in Blind
Melon)
Christopher Thorn: Guitar
(now in Blind
Melon)
David Zager: Guitar (now in
Tron
Carter)
David Brotherton: Drums (now
in Everything
Is Energy)
Ryan Kean: Vocals
The Meek is a band that Glen Graham formed with Joe Tullos and Stuart Cole (from the Squirrel Nut Zippers) in 2003. After many jam sessions at Glen's home studio and a few gigs in the Durham, NC area, the band made a EP in 2006 just before the Blind Melon reunion.
Where is the sleepyhouse?
The Sleepyhouse is located in Durham, North
Carolina (926 West Trinity Street). This is the name given to the house
the band rent before the making of their first album. The guys spent a
few months there having fun and playing music. As Shannon said living
all together "helped to make the music more sincere".
Sonya is a
cool melonhead from North Carolina who lives not so far from Durham and
kindly sent these pictures from the Sleepyhouse. Click here to see more...
Where is the Kingsway Studio?
The Kingsway Studio is located at 544
Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans (in the french quarter at the corner of
Chartres St). This is where Blind Melon recorded the Soup album during winter 1994-1995. Producer and artist Daniel Lannois opened this studio in August 1990. During 10 years, artists such as Pearl Jam, The Black Crowes, The Tragically Hip, Midnight Oil and of course Blind Melon played and recorded there. Daniel Lannois closed the Kingsway studio in 2000. It was then bought by actor Nicolas Cage who lived here for a short period and is now owned by Sean Cummings.
Here are a few pictures Ryan took in May 2006.
Where are the guys now?
Chris Thorn and Brad Smith:
Chris Thorn and Brad Smith now own a recording studio in North
Los Angeles called the Wishbone Studio. They have discovered and produced Anna Nalick first album which is a world-wide success. They have also produced the last American Minor cd and Under The Influence of Giants.
Both were in a band called Unified Theory with vocalist Chris Shinn and drummer Dave Krusen.
Brad has made his first cd under the name of Abandon Jalopy in 2001 (Glen Graham, Chris Thorn and Rogers Stevens played on a few tracks) and is slowly working on the next one.
Chris
and Brad are back with Blind
Melon since September 2006 after the guys decided to reunite
with singer Travis
Warren and a new album called 'For My Friends' came out
on April 22, 2008.
Rogers Stevens:
Rogers lives in Pennsylvania, he was in a band called The Tender Trio (previously known as The Quick and
as Sparticle before that) with Rene Lopez and Royston Langdon (former Spacehog frontman). The band broke up in March 2006 and nothing official came out after 3 years being together.
Rogers Stevens had another great
band before that (with Rene Lopez on vocals) called Extra Virgin. The guys made a cd in 1999 (Twelve Stories High). Rogers is
back with Blind
Melon since September 2006 after the guys decided to reunite
with singer Travis
Warren and a new album called 'For My Friends' came out
on April 22, 2008.
Glen Graham:
After a few years of silence, Glen came
back in 2003 in the North Carolina trio called The Meek with Joe Tullos (vocals and guitar) and Stuart Cole (formerly of The Squirrel Nut Zippers). The Meek released
a 6-song EP in October 2006.
Glen
is back with Blind Melon
since September 2006 after the guys decided to reunite with singer
Travis
Warren and a new album called 'For My Friends' came out
on April 22, 2008.8. He also
has a blog on the Blind
Melon forum.
Where can I find guitar tabs?
Check out this website: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/
Is there a book about Blind Melon and Shannon Hoon?
Yes, Greg Prato (music journalist and longtime friend of the band) wrote a 344 pages book that is available for purchase here since September 18th, 2008. Greg Prato has interviewed over 50 people for this book (including Nel Hoon, Lisa Crouse, Rogers Stevens, Glen Graham, Brad Smith, Chris Thorn, members of bands Blind Melon has toured with, producers, friends of the band, etc...).
Are Blind Melon back together?
Blind Melon officialy announced the reunion in September 2006 with Travis Warren (formely of Rain Fur Rent) behind the mic. Travis Warren has always been a Blind melon fan, he actually came to Brad Smith and Chris Thorn in order to make them produce his own music. Brad had the feeling that Travis could be the guy Blind Melon has been looking for. He invited Rogers Stevens and Glen Graham to visit him in Los Angeles. Rogers and Glen were both very septikal about this. They guys decided to play some old Blind Melon stuff. On August 25th, 26th and 27th, the guys played No Rain, Toes Across The Floor, Mouthful Of Cavaties, Wilt, Soup, 2x4, Drive, Walk and Sleepyhouse and they all realized Travis is the perfect guy!
"I was really skeptical in the
beginning about doing anything, and none of us are into doing any kind
of 'nostalgia trip.' We started playing, and I knew within the first
half of a song that [Warren] was nailing it. It was something about the
way he did it that it immediately disarmed my skepticism"
Rogers
Stevens (10/20/2006 interview by Greg Prato for billboard.com)
"All I can say is when we got to the first chorus of 2x4
and he sang the word "four," we almost stopped playing. My eyes
literally crossed, they felt like they were being pulled outward and
around to the back of my skull. People may faint at gigs. I realize
this sounds like I'm trying to be funny but if you don't usually wear
earplugs at shows I dare you not to wear them during 2x4, and grab
something or someone because you will lose your balance. I have never
heard anything even approaching it, the closest thing is when a little
girl screams that glass breaking shriek that literally overloads your
ears... Power. That's really all it took for me. Rogers is not
exaggerating when he says we knew he was the right guy after the first
song. I went in to that situation having heard 5 or 6 songs by Travis
and was not looking forward to telling the band I was not into it, but
when I heard him on our material it was instant. I was stunned, you
will be stunned. He has Shannon-isms but they are the perfect ones. I
think we are in no danger of sounding like a bad Blind Melon cover
band. Trust us, He gets it, He's the guy."
Glen Graham (12/13/2006
on www.blindmelonforum.com)
As announced on the official Blind Melon site on Nov 6th, 2008, Travis and Blind Melon decided to stop working together. The band was then looking for a new singer. After searching for 2 years, Blind Melon decided to hire once again Travis in 2010 for a set of periodic dates.
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