Ithaca’s The Blind Spots play The Root Bar, Jan 23

From a press release:

Ithaca’s The Blind Spots play The Root Bar, Jan 23

Fresh off the release of its third album, Rhizomatic, The Blind Spots, an Ithaca, NY-based band that calls its music “moxy rock” will make a swing through Asheville Friday night with a show at The Root Bar.

The group is a five-piece band built around the powerful vocals of singer Maddy Walsh, who is also the chief lyricist of the band’s co-written songs.  Guitarist Mike Suave, keyboard player David Openshaw, bassist Khris Oursler, and drummer Mike Parker, who also produced the latest album, round out the ensemble.

In addition to its tour in support of the new album, The Blind Spots produced five music videos,which are gradually being released over the next few months.  The first video, for the song “Hey Boy,” can be seen below.  All five videos premiered at two sold out shows recently at a theatre in the group’s hometown of Ithaca.

“I’ve heard for years about Asheville being a great music town—and one that has a lot in common with Ithaca, actually,” said Walsh.  “It’s a place I’ve wanted to the band to check out for a long time, and I’m thrilled to have a show booked there.”

The band’s southern tour includes dates in Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida, with a stop at the Virginia Key Grassroots Festival in Miami.  The event is one of four Grassroots Festivals, the first of which, The Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance, will celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary this summer.  Each year the original festival in Trumansburg, NY brings in an astounding array of world music acts, nationally touring acts, and a handful of regional acts who are clearly on the rise; it was named by USA Today as one of the top ten music festivals in the world.  The other Grassroots Festivals take place in Shakori Hills, North Carolina, one in the fall and one in the spring.

“We’re very happy about being invited to play the Miami Grassroots,” Walsh said, noting that the band has been playing for large crowds at festival in New York the past several years.  “We have friends in lots of the other bands playing the festival, so it will be great to see some familiar faces after having been on the road for about a month.”

Promoter Dan Smalls, who hosts a range of national acts throughout the Northeast, has become a full-fledged supporter of the band. “I have put The Blind Spots on some of my biggest stages as support for Blues Traveller and other acts of that caliber, and I give the band my full endorsement,” he said.  The group has also opened for Eddie Money and Rusted Root.  Smalls also scheduled them to open for Toots and the Maytals, but an unfortunate injury to frontman Toots Hibbert caused him to cancel his tour.

The group’s Asheville stop is the first of several dates in the Carolinas in January.  The are slated to play at 10 pm at The Root Bar on Friday, January 23.