A quick search of the Blind Eyes artist page on Facebook will reveal a barely hidden genre-proclamation of "Architecture Rock." The inside joke almost certainly takes a jab at the pool of adjective-genres floating around, but "architecture" feels apt for music that sounds so thoughtfully built. Pop at its core, the Blind Eyes crafts tangible songs with deep hooks. Grab up the new EP, World Record, and catch the band live at Off Broadway (3509 Lemp Avenue; 314-773-3363) this Saturday, June 15, with Beth Bombara and Bruiser Queen.
See also: - The Blind Eyes' new album, With a Bang, track by track
This week drummer Matt Picker, founding member of the Blind Eyes, talked with us about his love of St. Louis, artistic intention and memorable scenes on the road. You might notice that we've eschewed a standard interview format in lieu of something more fun. Matt Picker happens to be our first subject in a new Web series, Fill In The _, where we here at RFT Music simply ask the artist to, well, fill in the damn blank.
I make music because... it's fun. At this point, there's really no other reason to do it. It's not like being in a band is exactly paying the bills or anything. Coming up with new stuff, hearing songs come together in the studio, playing out, hopping in the van and doing weekenders and short tours here and there. It's fun. Once it stops being fun, I'll be done with it. Hopefully that never happens.
I've learned the most from... Andy White. He showed me that sometimes, dreams do come true.
My favorite aspect of being in a band is... playing shows. That's always been my favorite thing since day one. The really good ones, where the crowd is super into it and it's just a sea of energy. Also, just the laughs that come with being in a band, the funny things that go down, especially on the road. Sometimes you can have a so-so show, but something will happen that makes it stand out. Like, one time we played in Madison, Wisconsin, and the show was just OK, but weirdly, Jane Wiedlin from the Go-Go's was there, so it was instantly memorable. I remember Kevin being all excited that Joan of Arc from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure was in the audience. Those things. Playing a show in Peoria and having a loud midi version of "Tommy Can You Hear Me?" blaring from a Who pinball machine the whole time.
The best show I ever played was... I don't know. Honestly, there have been so many good ones. I can't pinpoint one. Some were great random local shows where a ton of people showed up and partied. There's obvious ones, like the NYE shows we do every year, or Undercover Weekend. Really can't say. I could easily give you a couple of the worst ones. I guess it's nice that the good outweighs the bad by such a wide margin.
