Monday, November 26, 2007

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::THIRD EYE BLIND::


The first time I heard Third Eye Blind, I was in the 5th grade. It was one of my 8th grade friends' favorite bands, so he let me listen to the band's debut album (Third Eye Blind)...and I wasn't ready for it. The lyrics were too far above my head to understand, the music was far from what I was used to (which wasn't much at all, let me tell you), and I just didn't get into them. Though I didn't like them as a musically naïve 11 year old, that experience opened the door for my current musical taste. After hearing them, I was a bit intrigued. I don't know what it was, but I wanted to hear more music. The way my friend loved that band made me want to find a band where I'd know every word to every song. That moment came in 7th grade in the form of fellow 90's alternative rock band Eve 6. After toting the album to school in my CD player (a CD player?!) nearly every day until the album was almost too scratched to play smoothly, I decided it was time to branch out. I then remembered Third Eye Blind, the band I only gave one shot back in 5th grade.


After giving them another shot, I found that I could better relate to the lyrics, and my musical taste had evolved to the point where it fit into the genre of music I most enjoyed. "Semi-Charmed Life" very quickly became one of my favorite songs. I may not have known all the words to the quickly sung verses, but boy, did I know that chorus...and I made sure people knew. A friend of mine had by then purchased the 1999 release, Blue, and burned me a copy of the album. The radio-friendly single, "Never Let You Go", made it onto a mix tape (wow...I haven't even thought about one of those in years) of songs recorded from the radio. That tape was quickly worn out.


High school then came, and so did a shift of my taste in music. My freshman year of high school was filled with metal (Slipknot, Disturbed), and a pair of headphones that never left my neck. For my sophomore year, I started to stray from the angry heavy metal scene and turn to the ska/punk scene, where bands like Sugarcult, The Ataris, and Less Than Jake began to become more prevalent in my listening schedule. By junior year, I was into the pop rock/pop punk scene, with bands such as The Format, Yellowcard, and longtime favorite Jimmy Eat World were among the most listened to. It wasn't until my senior year (or just after) that I rediscovered the Third Eye Blind CD burned for me so many years prior...so I gave it a shot. I was quickly reminded as to why this band was one of my early favorites. Songs like "Slow Motion", a slow, piano filled tune about drug use, and "Blinded", a song full of gratitude and love (lines such as "I wanted to thank you for a vision that was lost that you returned/But you're past where you understand" and "So when I see you/Despite all that we've become/Still I'm blinded" highlighting the song) found their way into my iTunes library and racked up the play counts. Call it perfect timing, call it luck, call it what you will...but Third Eye Blind will always remain one of my favorite bands.

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