Blind was a

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

formed in

Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in 1999 and consisted of Greg Bell (guitar), Adrian Deck (drums/vocals), Andrew Nicholls (vocals 2001–2005), Michael Molkentin (bass) and Chris Stewart (vocals 1999–2000).

Blind, 1999–2005

The band, formed by former members of Wollongong rock and funk bands '"Apartment"' (Deck) and '"Funkin' Unreal"' (Bell, Molkentin) in 1999, released their first self-recorded EP early the following year. Their music, consisting of a pop/funk feel, was not outwardly overtly Christian in nature, but instead focused more on themes of their faith that often touched on secular ideas. After building up a loyal fan base in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and

Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongo ...

areas, Chris announced his leaving the band. With Andrew Nicholls taking over vocal duties in 2001, Blind recorded their first full-length album, ''Long Walk Home''. This album was released under the Down Under Christian Music Group labels and saw the band gain radio play on local commercial stations. In late 2001, the song "Divinely Beautiful" was featured on the compilation ''Down Under 2002: Australasia's 35 Hottest Christian Artists'', and the band began intensive summer touring that would see them regular visitors to towns and cities along Australia's eastern coast. In 2002, with the album ''Echoes'', the band signed with Three:16 Records and worked with noted producer

Caleb James Rhubarb was an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland in 1996. They are best known for their song "Exerciser", released in 1999. Biography Rhubarb were formed in Brisbane, Queensland in 1996 by brothers Steve and David Drinkall wit ...

, gaining limited airplay on Australian national youth-oriented radio station

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

. Blind's work with James continued with the critically acclaimed 2003 album ''October Observations''. The band, now a major Christian act within Australia, made major billing for a number of music festivals throughout 2003 and 2004 in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, including the

Black Stump Music and Arts Festival The Black Stump Music and Arts Festival (called 'Black Stump,' 'Black Stump Festival' or just 'Stump' for short) was a four-day Christian festival that was held in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan region over the Labour Day long weekend, ofte ...

on the outskirts of Sydney. The band broke up in 2005 to allow band members to pursue other projects. Bell started another band 'The Dawn Collective', which Molkentin played bass in until late 2006. Nicholls, Molkentin and Deck are currently members of the experimental group ''Spurs''.

Releases

EPs

* ''Blind'' (2000) * ''Blind Date'' (2000)

Albums

* ''Long Walk Home'' (Produced by Andy Sorenson, 2001) * ''Echoes'' (Produced by Caleb James, 2002) * ''October Observations'' (Produced by Caleb James, 2003) * ''A Song Before We Sleep'' (2004)

Members

*Greg Bell –

guitars The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

*Andrew Nicholls –

(2001–2005) *Michael Molkentin – bass *Adrian Deck –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

*Chris Stewart –

(1999–2000)

Notes

{{Authority control Australian Christian rock groups Musical groups established in 1999 Musical groups disestablished in 2005 1999 establishments in Australia