Age policy: 16+ with ID / under 16 with a parent or guardian This all original, female-fronted, five-piece moxy rock band from Ithaca, NY is driving hard at bigger things and has been busy building an airtight justification for all the buzz surrounding it, both in its hometown and throughout the region. The band gets better and better, with its solid-as-a-rock rhythm section, eclectic library of keyboard sounds, and bold and inventive electric guitar stylings. Electrifying lead vocalist and force of nature Maddy Walsh can hang with the best of them, continuing to reach new heights with her voice at every show and on every recording. Walsh possesses that easily recognizable raw talent that makes each Blind Spots show an experience that audience members walk away raving about. There are only so many female rock vocalists throughout history to reference when drawing vocal comparisons, meaning that Walsh has heard the “Janis” comparison all too many times. “I sound nothing like Janis!” she says. “I love Janis to death, but I have very little in common with her vocally. When people see a female vocalist having that much fun commanding the stage, she’s all that comes to mind. It’s a giant compliment, but it’s a shame we don’t have more rockin’ ladies to look to. The tides are shifting, though, which is awesome. Talented women are popping up all over the place… so people better listen up,” she says grinning. More recently Walsh’s voice has been compared to Adele’s, Grace Potter’s, Edie Brickell’s and Bonnie Raitt’s, but given the style of music she’s chosen to sing—not to mention her original lyrics, derived from a background in poetry—none of those references hit the mark. “I just wanna sound like Otis Redding,” she says. “Doesn’t everyone?” It’s clear that the band is no longer a baby; the group has matured at an incredible rate, but its members all attest that the recent recognition they’ve garnered comes not from luck but from some seriously hard work. “We’ve put in have a lot of hours together,” says lead guitarist and co-founder Mike Suave. “We’re lucky to have a group of such dedicated people working toward a common goal and all thinking about the future.” It’s the dedication to writing new material and rehearsing, the refusal to slow down, and the shared love of the music they make together that continues to propel The Blind Spots forward and set them apart. Since the release of their debut album, El Camino Dream [2010], a well-loved tight and inspired ten-song collection that showcases the band’s energy and expansive creativity, The Blind Spots have played a handful of the northeast’s well-renowned clubs and have been invited to play at a number of summer festivals, including the Sterling Stage Folk Fest [http://www.sterlingstage.com] and the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance [www.grassrootsfest.org], where they packed the Cabaret Hall so tightly that some of their proud family members couldn’t squeeze in. In a musical-minded town, virtually teeming with talented artists, The Blind Spots have really had to earn their notoriety in Ithaca. “It’s a great place to come from if you’re a serious musician,” says Walsh. “It’s a good training ground.” Ithaca serves now as a supportive springboard that allows The Blind Spots to catapult into new areas, and they plan to continue expanding their radius. Since their 2011 performance at GrassRoots they’ve enjoyed gracious reception on some larger stages, including the Homer Center for the Arts, and at colleges, including the University of Vermont and SUNY Brockport. The band has recently recorded at both Electric Wilburland Studios in Newfield, NY with Will Russell, who mastered El Camino Dream, and at Pyramid Sound in downtown Ithaca with Alex Perialas. Keep an eye on The Blind Spots, as they are on their way to winning the hearts of new devotees.