Butchers Blind (Paradiddle Records)

When
you listen to the music of Butchers Blind you know the future of the
Americana/Alternative-Country music scene shines blindingly bright. It's easy to hear the influences of
Wilco, Gram Parsons and The Band in their music, but the real magic is how they
blend these ingredients into a musical recipe all their own. Butchers Blind encompasses the rich
history of American Roots music, then broadens and reshapes it into something
exciting, refreshing and uniquely their own.

Their
new record, Destination Blues, marks a significant step forward for
the band. They are stepping into
new musical territory while keeping one foot firmly grounded in the sound they
established with their first record, Play for the Films. Songs like "Nobody Hears What I Say
Anymore" and "Selfish Silent Films" recall the timeless American sound of The
Band, while "Tear it Down" and "OPP" channel the energy of bands like Lucero
and the Gaslight Anthem. There are
story songs, love songs and a heartfelt tribute in "Enough Already Anyway." For this project the band locked
themselves in a secluded cabin with Long Island's Mick Hargreaves whose Roots
and Rockabilly sensibility has helped them uncap a well of new ideas to shape
the 13 original songs on this CD.This time the focus was more on capturing the live energy of their
current lineup with minimal overdubs as they continue to explore and develop
their own sound. Destination Blues will be released on Paradiddle Records,
an independent record label based out of Huntington, New York. (www.paradiddlerecords.com)

Butchers
Blind hails from Bellrose, New York and is comprised of Pete Mancini on guitar
and vocals, Joe Sanders on lead guitar, Brian Reilly on bass, and Paul
Cianciaruso on drums. Their
origins go back to The Double Stops which was founded in 2006 by Pete, Paul and
Brian after playing in numerous cover and 12 bar blues bands. Their influences were many and
varied. The addition David Murphy
on guitar was short lived, but vital; he brought a ton of new records to the
band's studio, which was in the back of an old woodworking shop. There, with sawdust on the floor, they
were inspired by the raw honesty of alt-country bands like Whiskeytown and
Uncle Tupelo, as well as the raw energy of the Replacements and the Hold
Steady. They drank and talked -
united by their desire to create new, original music.

In
2007, the Double Stops recorded and independently released their first EP. It featured six songs that were an
accurate reflection of their combined influences, performed with the honesty
they learned from the records they loved.The track listing even included an early version of "Highway Song"
(later found on their debut release Play for the Films). After a few successful shows, the band split up due to creative
differences and an overall lack of direction.

In
2009, the band reformed with a new focus.They called the project Butchers Blind after a poignant lyric from
Wilco's 2004 record A Ghost is Born. Following a
tip from local songwriter Wes Houston they recorded a three song demo at Mike
Nugent's home studio in Huntington, New York. The demo included an early version of "One More Time" and "My
Worst Enemy," songs the band still perform today. The demo gained the attention of Bill Herman at Paradiddle
Records and opened several new doors for the band. They soon found themselves opening for national touring acts
such as Candles, HYMNS and Steve Forbert.

In
2010, the original lineup of Mancini, Cianciaruso and Reilly returned to Mike
Nugent's studio to record Play for the Films, their first full length
record. The concept for the album
came from Pete's father's travel journals. These journals chronicled several cross-country trips and
provided inspiration for the lyrics and overall theme of the album. After many months of hard work, the
album was released to widespread critical acclaim. The music possessed the grit and drive of Son Volt and the
Drive By Truckers while retaining the soft melodic qualities of Gram Parsons
and Wilco. The addition of Joe
Sanders on lead guitar filled out their live sound considerably. The band secured slots at prestigious
venues such as NYC's Mercury Lounge and began to play their first out-of-state
shows. That same year saw the
release of Live at PIANOS, the band's first live EP.

In
2011, they signed with Paradiddle Records and released their debut CD, Play
for the Films. The music
possesses the grit and drive of Son Volt and the Drive By Truckers while retaining
the soft melodic qualities of Gram Parsons and Wilco. The Pete Mancini penned tunes on Play for the Films were inspired
by travel journals kept by his father as well as experiences from his own
cross-country travels.

"Play for the Films is one
great song right after the next It's as if we somehow stumbled upon this
treasure of tunes and narration in some lost place, perhaps never intended to
be found."

(Ames, Rod. "'Rebel' Rod's Reviews - Butchers Blind - Play for the Films hits
the streets on July 23 on Paradiddle Records." FromUnderTheBasement.blogspot.com.
19 July, 2011)

"From the opening "Brass
Bell" you can feel the wanderlust, the urge to blow town, the expectation of
the journey ahead and the confidence of someone young enough to enjoy (or at
least react to) the moment." ("Butchers Blind: Play for the Films."
Hyperbolium.com, 9 Aug, 2011)

Butchers
Blind will be touring extensively throughout the Northeast promoting their new
CD Destination Blues and as good as they are on disc they are equally
compelling live.

"Butchers Blind performed a
set before the 'main event' and they blew the crowd away. With a natural ease that defied their
ages, they played original material that sounded ageless and kept the crown
humming."

("AHN In-Studio: Butcher's Blind." AmericanHitNetwork.com. 1 Sept 2010)

While
bands like Whiskeytown and Uncle Tupelo helped shape their Americana roots the
raw energy of the Replacements and the Hold Steady gave them a rock sensibility. Pete Mancini's confident yet vulnerable
vocals give their sound a rich texture. His songwriting draws you in and if you
listen close enough you can hear the future of Alt-Country music in every note.

It's been said

"The tunes are, for the most part, rock
and roll. Pretty darn good rock
and roll at that."

- Twangville

"Butchers Blind has a mournful pop
songwriting style, slightly reminiscent of the Counting Crows, but blended with
a folk-country sensibility to form a sound that is all their own"

- Subterranean Sounds.

"The tunes are, for the most part, rock
and roll. Pretty darn good rock and
roll at that."

- Twangville

"Butchers Blind manages to make relaxed
music that somehow is exciting and challenging at the same time-a true rarity
in the Long Island music scene."

- Good Times Magazine

"Pete Mancini's songwriting is
uncomplicated and unpretentious."

- Long Island Pulse Magazine

"Pete Mancini's voice favors the reediness
of Jeff Tweedy; but there's also a melancholy in his delivery that suggests
Chris Bell, and a soulful bottom end in the rhythm section that gives the band
plenty of rock flavor"

- hyperbolium.com

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