Swami John Reis & The Blind Shake - Oh My Rockness

Band We Like

Swami John Reis & The Blind Shake

December 7, 2014

Written by Patrick McNamara

This one is going to be kind of hard to explain but I’ll try - so help me blob I'll try. Swami John Reis & The Blind Shake is a brand new band that consists of Swami Records’ John Reis (a.k.a. Speedo a.k.a. Slasher a.k.a. shredder of legendary punk bands Hot Snakes + Drive Like Jehu + Rocket From The Crypt) backed by noisy Minneapolis band The Blind Shake. I hope this excellent opening has given you more clarity on what Swami John Reis & The Blind Shake is all about. There's no way you could have figured it out without me.

Full disclosure time: I will write about any band John Reis decides to be involved with (and he’s decided to do that a lot over the years). I’ve seen a lot of shredders come and go in my day and he has always been one of the very few shredders for me. And by always I mean since the first time I heard “Yank Crime.” Minneapolis’ The Blind Shake are good too, especially when they shred and go BIG which is basically all the time but I forgot to include them in the nostalgic memories of my youth because they weren’t born yet.

So, based on the above information, if you were to think Swami John Reis & The Blind Shake would sound like a band that shreds you’d be somewhat accurate but mostly incorrect and I am sorry I unintentionally steered you in that direction. However, if you were to think this band shreds but in like that surf rock kind of way, well, your thinking would have nailed it. Well done, old boy.

Yes, I guess John Reis and The Blind Shake decided to make some surf rock together. Weird, but if Reis says this is the hot new thing that's happening next then paddle me out, man. Am I using the correct terminology? Paddle me out? I only went surfing once and it ended in hurt feelings.

Watch the video below. Keep an open mind. You just might like it.

Don’t File Under: Drive Like Jehu + Hot Snakes + Rocket From The Crypt

RIYL: paddle me outs

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