Artist Biography by Rick Kutner
Blank
got their start playing all-ages punk shows in various basements and
fire halls in the Annapolis, MD, area in 1992. The group had a very
explosive raw sound that incorporated the sincerity and pop hooks of
East Bay pop-punk bands Samiam and Jawbreaker with the edgier more disjointed sounds of their Washington D.C. neighbors Jawbox and Nation of Ulysses. Blank's
songs were both chaotic and extremely catchy at the same time. It was
as if their super-infectious melodies were just dying to break through
the chaotic noise. The group started as a five-piece with Ryan Shelkett
on vocals, the dual guitar attack of Kerry Silanskis and Noah Chace,
Shannon Mitchell on bass, and John Welch on drums.
The group eventually made their way up to Baltimore's small yet fertile indie rock scene where they stood out as one of the few Baltimore underground bands to concentrate on a more melodic sound. During this period the group released its first full-length CD, The Tab Street Affair, on Vermin Scum and 2% Muscle Records. The group at the same time began to build up a small but loyal following throughout the Annapolis-D.C.-Baltimore region. 1996 saw Blank slim down to a four-piece, with Shelkett picking up second guitar duties and a new rhythm section featuring Tom Kerner on bass and Leroy Blades III on drums.
The new lineup combined with Shelkett's matured
songwriting made for less noise and more melody, which gained the group
an even wider audience. Blank then recorded The Race
EP for the local Baltimore punk label Reptilian Records and toured the
U.S. to support it. A year later the group toured again extensively
throughout America. In 1997 they recorded Anywhere but Here,
which would be their final album before calling it quits. Throughout
the group's five-year career they appeared on several compilations and
were extremely prolific in releasing singles for various independent
labels.
After the group split, Shellkett went on to form the emo rock quartet Cross My Heart, who released three albums on New York independent label Deep Elm.
The group eventually made their way up to Baltimore's small yet fertile indie rock scene where they stood out as one of the few Baltimore underground bands to concentrate on a more melodic sound. During this period the group released its first full-length CD, The Tab Street Affair, on Vermin Scum and 2% Muscle Records. The group at the same time began to build up a small but loyal following throughout the Annapolis-D.C.-Baltimore region. 1996 saw Blank slim down to a four-piece, with Shelkett picking up second guitar duties and a new rhythm section featuring Tom Kerner on bass and Leroy Blades III on drums.
Tracklist
| 1 | Teenage Ballad | |
| 2 | Medical | |
| 3 | Wish It Away | |
| 4 | Confessions Of A Heterosexual | |
| 5 | Insecurity Blanket | |
| 6 | Headwound | |
| 7 | Big Kiss | |
| 8 | Guillotine Lullaby | |
| 9 | Thinking Of Oblivion | |
| 10 | Coffeehouse Revolutionary Land | |
| 11 | Industrial Strength Bullshit | |
| 12 | Las Vegas | |
| 13 | Carpet Busting | |
| 14 | Turning Point |
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