How did you come up with the band name 'The Blinding Light?' Is it a metaphor or a representation for something specific?

I had the name written down for quite some time. I knew we were going to be doing, for the most part, death-metal/grind stuff but I wanted to stay away from the cliche stuff name-wise. Plus the first practice I watched was insanely loud. Just this wall of noise. So, I thought it fit.

How did The Blinding Light come together?

Terry, Chad and Josh were in this death-metal band here called Suffer years back that I thought were awesome. They were getting back together to do a one off show and I said if they wanted to do a cover or something I'd do it with them. Little did I know that they got off on playing together again and asked me to check out some new stuff they had written for this new thing. I wasn't really asked to join, I was told the line-up and that was it.

Is there a purpose behind The Blinding Light? Are there any agendas or messages, or is it more of just an outlet for creativity and 'baggage?' And if there are any, how does it differ from Threadbare?

No agendas really. We're just trying to create something we like. Keep it fun. Hopefully keep it interesting. Keep it obnoxiously loud. I know this sounds corny but I'm serious about the volume factor of it all. I don't think it's that much different from playing with Threadbare, other than its different members.

What prompted you become involved in a band again?

I'd been looking for a new thing ever since Threadbare ended. I actually was in a more pop/punk band called Stickler for a year or so around '98. That was fun and I played bass REALLY shitty. I've kinda put it away for now. We did get to play our first show with Mike Watt on the 'Third Time Before the Mast' tour. That was one of the best days of my life, playing my first bass gig with the man that made me want to pick it up in the first place. Plus, 'Contemplating the Engine Room' was a heavy record for me. Still is, being a huge Minutemen/Firehose fan.

With the Blinding Light though, I was checking out a lot of hip-hop again and I heard the Company Flow-Funcrusher Plus LP for the first time and it totally blew my mind. That really got me hyped to do something again. Good timing too, it was right around when I talked to the rest of the guys.

photo courtesy of The Blinding Light

Hardcore, as a whole, has evolved since the days of Threadbare. What are some of the noticeable changes you've witnessed? Are they for the better or for the worse?

It's hard for me to say. I was a buyer for a record store here for about six years, so I saw the trends come and go. I'm not so sure if it's really evolved, though. I'm sure somebody will argue that it has. I don't care.

How did you hook up with Deathwish for the EP? How has it been working with the label?

Deathwish has been totally cool. They were the first label I thought about sending it to and they dug it, so here we are. Jake [Bannon] is a good cat. I really like his work as far as design goes, too. We seem to have a lot of similar interests so I think he understands what we're trying to do, whatever it is, no matter how vague it is.

In retrospect, how do you and the rest of the members feel about the EP? Is there anything you'd change or improve? What have the responses been like?

The ep was pretty much a demo that we whipped up rather quickly. I'm sure if you asked each of us individually we'd have a thing here or there we'd maybe change. It's always best not to over-analyze that stuff anyways. We just banged that one out and there it is, warts and all. We recorded it all ourselves except mastering, so there was a different kind of satisfaction this time for me. We're doing the LP this way too. It gives you that much more autonomy plus there's little or no pressure of being in a big studio. I'm hooked on it now. I hope to do all future recordings this way. Response has been positive so I think we're doing something right.

Where do you draw your lyrical inspiration from? In a past interview for your former band, issues such as 'Basically just the frustration of having to deal with everyday types of things, and the pressure put upon people our age' were listed as sources (Threadbare Interview from Help#2). Is this the same for The Blinding Light? As a band, what are some of the musical influences?

Inspiration comes from so many places, it's hard to nail it down. I really need to keep a pocket notebook on me at all times. I try to but sometimes I forget. I've got so many pieces of scrap paper floating around here, with two words, a line or two. It's hard to keep them organized. I'll put them away and find them later and make a song out of it. Life's curves and bends will always have something there. We all listen to so much music, whether it's metal, hip-hop, pop, reggae so that stuff creeps in. We were all big fans of early 90's grind/death-metal like Carcass, Entombed, Suffocation. That's one hands down we'll all agree on. Can't forget Neurosis, either. Myself, I'm a big hip-hop fan, I've been always loved it but it seems I've gotten pretty obsessed with it the last three years or so. It's amazing how much great shit is out there, whether it's new or old. It's like when I first started going to shows in high school and getting into the punk and hardcore records. Newer labels like Definitive Jux, Stones Throw, Counterflow. I check out all their shit because it's always so fresh. Graphically, so much of that stuff is so incredible too. It just makes my head spin. Forever inspiring.

Do you feel that the band has found its "own" sound, or is it still evolving? The EP features songs that vary from straightforward metal/metalcore to some Sabbath-sounding/stoner grooves.

I'm not sure we'll know what our "sound" is while we're still around. That usually seems to get addressed after the band's been kaput for a while. As long as we're playing together hopefully it'll progress. I know none of us want to get stuck in a rut or pidgeonholed. I just want to keep it mammoth-sounding.

I swear you could sing on the next Slayer album and most people wouldn't notice the difference. Has anyone ever compared your screaming voice to Tom Araya's?

Yeah, it seems every other review I read that. Maybe a little, I suppose. He does have the best voice for that genre. He doesn't need the cookie monster/bubbling shit thing. But, you can't forget, a lot of what makes him great these days is Kerry King's lyrics. There was one line off the last one.." you got a catheter on your brain, pissing your common sense away..." that I just went nuts when I heard it. Awesome.

Hardcore is starting to turn a lot of heads in the music industry, kind of similar to pop-punk/indie rock in the late-90's. What's your take on this? Is it a blessing or a curse?

We'll see if it actually yields anything though. I think for the most part a lot of this is still a little too extreme for most of the majors. That's fine. I've never been that interested in making music for a living. There just seems to be so much eminent disillusionment and bullshit to deal with that I don't want to bother. I'm just doing this for fun and to hopefully put a couple cool records that I like. Hopefully others will too.

What are some other bands in the "scene" that you guys dig?

I'm digging the last Isis record, so are the rest of the guys. I need to check out more of their records. Converge is doing some cool shit, I've only heard 'Jane Doe' and the split with Agoraphobic Nosebleed. I like what I've heard so far. That last Agoraphobic record was some of the most outrageous stuff I've heard in a long time. Just incredible, I love them. Plus, they've got a sense of humor. I've been listening to a lot of doom shit - Neurosis, Obsessed, Spirit Caravan, Goatsnake, High on Fire, Down. Wino disbanded Spirit Caravan and he's in Place of Skulls (I think that's the name) now with a member or two of Pentagram. I think that'll be great. So, not a lot of hardcore, obviously.

What do you and the members do on your off time? What kind of hobbies or interests are you involved with?

Josh plays with another group called Rapid Fusion, Terry with Rusalka, and I think there's another Suffer show coming so maybe they'll start playing together more too. I'd like to do more when time/schedules allow. In between our lives it isn't always easy to have as much going on as we'd like. I chill and listen to records when I can. I've been asked to do this noise pop thing with a couple dudes here, so hopefully I can get that going with them. It looks to be more of a recording project which is cool with me.

What can we expect from the upcoming release you have scheduled for Deathwish? Any suprises?

The new record is called 'the Ascension Attempt' and hopefully it'll compensate for the shortcomings of the ep. There's some weird shit on there that will make it interesting to hear people's take on it. Some will like it, some may hate it. We'll just have to wait and see. I'm psyched to see the artwork that Jake and I have been discussing for it. Thanks to Alex and Lambgoat for checking us out.