Punk and hardcore musicians are often whimsical about their creative endeavors. Especially for established musicians who can write fast and lay down competent recordings in one or two takes, new projects come and go without much more commitment than it takes to set up a new bandcamp page. This is not a criticism of side-projects, one-offs, or collaborative “super groups” in general, as the musicians often have just too many disparate ideas to fit into the sonic bounds of one band. The point is that these are often short-lived, fluttering into the wind as soon as a new idea notebook cracks open.
Blind Solution is the antithesis to this archetype. A supergroup of sorts, a side-project of sorts, this band has actually dedicated almost two decades to developing its root system. Blasting out of the gates with a perfect blend of DC, NY, and MA approaches to grunting, pissed off, tough guy hardcore, Blind Solution leaves no doubts that these musicians have earned their stripes. Drawing from legendary Pacific Northwest groups Sidetracked, Bell Witch, and Seattle’s New Gods, its no wonder that this project boasts so much technical proficiency, stylistic ingenuity, and overall punk swagger.
For fans of Brother, Peace Test, Think I Care, Straight Ahead, and Clear, Blind Solution is a no-brainer. The result of some of the most brilliant creative minds in aggressive music today, this hardcore artwork has been bottled for over fifteen years, and now is the perfect time to uncork it.
Blind Solution’s Jay Tichy shared the band’s story with Cvlt Nation.
“In 2006, a gentleman named Mike Davis wrote about 30 songs and reached out to Jay Tichy to work on something. Jay was really into the first half of songs that were focused mostly on fast parts. Considering Jay’s main project Sidetracked, it was no surprise.
“Right away, Mike got another project going and the initial idea dissolved. The two reconnected once again in 2010, but Mike was more focused on some Black Flag inspired songs he was currently working on while Jay was still hoping to work with the fast songs from 2006. Mike essentially gave Jay his blessing to use the songs how he saw fit. Later on, Mike played in the band CONVICT, who did a cassette for Painkiller Records.
“In late 2013, Alex Klump was looking to sing in a band. Jay reached out to him with the songs and Alex was interested, but things got hectic in Jay’s life and shortly after, Alex had joined up with SEATTLE’S NEW GODS as their frontman for the next several years.
“Throughout the 2010’s, Jay would put together different lineups and talk to different people but nothing ever really gelled. In 2019, he met drummer Jesse Shreibman. Jay knew Jesse was extremely busy with his main band BELL WITCH, but figured it was worth a shot to see if he wanted to jam sometime since he lived in Tacoma and had a practice space. The two got together in early 2020 and got through all the songs rather quickly, then COVID hit.
“In the summer of 2021, Jay reconnected with Jesse and brought with him Joey Hidalgo on bass. Joey had moved to Tacoma a few years prior from Denver where he played (and continues to play) in the band RAW BREED.
“Also having engineering experience, Joey started recording Blind Solution in October 2021. Shortly after that, Jay ran into Alex at a show and thought he’d bring up doing vocals, 8 years after initially asking him. With Seattle’s New Gods being a primarily mid-paced to slow grunge-influenced hardcore band, Jay thought it would be interesting for Alex to venture into a fast band since they had bonded over groups like Straight Ahead and Rest In Pieces in the past. He obliged and in 2022 they got to work with rehearsing and finished the recording around April of that year. 15 songs total were recorded: 14 originals and a Poison Idea cover. Joey’s idea was to do a 6-song promo cassette of sorts with the Poison Idea cover and then a 7” EP that has all the songs except the cover. The tape, titled BLIND SOLUTION, is out now on To Live a Lie Records.
“Joey has since stepped down to focus on other projects and has been replaced by Rusty Baumeier. The 7”, titled HANG ME HIGH, will be the first release on Bremerton, WA based label BRAIN FLOSS. The record will come out in early March and the band hopes to return to the stage around that time.”
