简介： by Rick KutnerBlank got their start playing all-ages punk shows in various basements and fire halls in the Annapolis, MD, area in 1992. The 更多>
by Rick KutnerBlank got their start playing all-ages punk shows in various basements and fire halls in the Annapolis, MD, area in 1992. The group had a very explosive raw sound that incorporated the sincerity and pop hooks of East Bay pop-punk bands Samiam and Jawbreaker with the edgier more disjointed sounds of their Washington D.C. neighbors Jawbox and Nation of Ulysses. Blank's songs were both chaotic and extremely catchy at the same time. It was as if their super-infectious melodies were just dying to break through the chaotic noise. The group started as a five-piece with Ryan Shelkett on vocals, the dual guitar attack of Kerry Silanskis and Noah Chace, Shannon Mitchell on bass, and John Welch on drums.
The group eventually made their way up to Baltimore's small yet fertile indie rock scene where they stood out as one of the few Baltimore underground bands to concentrate on a more melodic sound. During this period the group released its first full-length CD, The Tab Street Affair, on Vermin Scum and 2% Muscle Records. The group at the same time began to build up a small but loyal following throughout the Annapolis-D.C.-Baltimore region. 1996 saw Blank slim down to a four-piece, with Shelkett picking up second guitar duties and a new rhythm section featuring Tom Kerner on bass and Leroy Blades III on drums.
The new lineup combined with Shelkett's matured songwriting made for less noise and more melody, which gained the group an even wider audience. Blank then recorded The Race EP for the local Baltimore punk label Reptilian Records and toured the U.S. to support it. A year later the group toured again extensively throughout America. In 1997 they recorded Anywhere but Here, which would be their final album before calling it quits. Throughout the group's five-year career they appeared on several compilations and were extremely prolific in releasing singles for various independent labels.
After the group split, Shellkett went on to form the emo rock quartet Cross My Heart, who released three albums on New York independent label Deep Elm.
