By Shari Burnett
If the Whistler music scene has seemed just a little quieter since the spring, it could be because local punkers, Going Blind, have been MIA.
Rumour had it that Dom was put into rehab at the Betty Ford Clinic; Nate got an ear infection and hadn?t been heard from since; Pete got a job as a roadie for the Twisted Sister reunion tour; Jamie grew a bad moustache and joined the porn industry (look out Jenna!); and Fisher won the lottery, moved to Vegas and married a stripper.
That was the rumour until the five popped up at last month?s SkateSpace to open for Siobhan Duvall and set the record straight.
Going Blind has officially broken up. After two years and two CDs, it was a unanimous and friendly split as members wanted to pursue different musical directions. Despite the fact that the band had just released Referatic , their first CD of original tunes, in January, they decided to dissolve after a supporting tour in March.
"We saw it in the works after that tour that things weren?t going everyone?s way. We all had our own ideas. Everyone was becoming less committed to the band and more career oriented to other things. But we?re all still friends," says Jamie.
That?s not to say that the boys, known for their crazy antics on stage and off, have decided to put on suits and ties. Dom has been scooped up by the Vancouver band, Mr. Solid, and is about to set out on a North American tour.
Dom and Steve are also putting together a new band but are taking the studio approach, as opposed to the live gig route.
"They?re starting right out by producing a CD and are going to see what they can do on the Internet," explains Jamie. "The two of them are going to do all the bass and guitars and vocals and will hire a studio drummer. The music will be more in the Blink 182 direction."
Jamie is also hoping to continue under a new name and a new sound. The guitarist is pairing up with another Whistler musician, Shane Lenser, to turn out acoustic sets of traditionally heavier music, such as Incubus and Staind. Be watching for ?Break the Cycle? around town this winter.
"Fisher is still around, just working and jamming," continues Jamie. "He was all about fun when it came to the band. That?s all he ever wanted to do was have fun. And it becomes a business after a while and you have to get serious about it. I think that?s really what it was, we weren?t really too serious about the band."
Nate, too, agrees that he doesn?t have the time to commit to that next level and has other issues to take care of at this point in his life.
Going Blind will be back for one final performance when the snow hits the ground. The band wants to be sure all their old friends are back in Whistler for the send off. They?ll return to The Boot, their favourite haunt, where they?ll try to pawn off all their old merchandise and to say thanks for the memories.
"It was two years of having fun. It was an awesome time!"
