Though you'll swear you've heard many parts of Ride the Blinds' self-titled debut among the works of Led Zeppelin, the Black Crowes, and the Stones, you'll commend the band rather than condemn them. Lead singer Chris Guthridge's voice and guitar work make sweet nostalgia together, and the rhythm duo of Bill Cramer and Nick Cramer remind you that people used to dance to rock music. Critics claim Ride the Blinds make the old new again, but there's nothing particularly new in their music. It's more that they convey an intangible quality of contemporaneity in their performance that makes them more than just victims of the retro generation.
They're not simply finding salvation through the golden riffs of rock 'n' roll's heyday; they're coming to this musical destiny from their own road. Fittingly, their songs project the image of a two-lane highway running through rural America on a romanticized trip through middle-of-nowhere blues clubs in a rusty old tour bus, without a care beyond a bottle of whiskey and a six-string. The live sound of Ride the Blinds begs for these songs to be witnessed in person. Looking more suited for computer programming than rocking their asses off, Ride the Blinds infuse their tracks with a surprisingly animated charisma. Songs like "Wind Up Clock," with Nick Cramer's four-minute drum solo, and "Grace Alley," with its instantly catchy hook, are quickly becoming favorites at their concerts. If you enjoy classic rock in any of its forms, Ride the Blinds will not disappoint. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.