The Blow is an American electro pop band, comprising Khaela Maricich and Melissa Dyne. Maricich and Dyne write, compose, produce and perform all the music. It was formed as a solo project by Maricich in 2002, and she was joined by

Jona Bechtolt Jona Bechtolt (born December 2, 1980) is an electronic musician and multimedia artist based in Portland, Oregon, United States, best known for his band YΔCHT. He is a former member of The Badger King, Dirty Projectors, and The Blow. YΔCHT bega ...

, from

Yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

, from 2004 to 2007. Melissa Dyne became part of the project in 2007. The live shows often incorporate monologues and other performance elements. Melissa Dyne began collaborating with Maricich on the live Blow shows starting in 2007, gradually incorporating her background in installation, sound, and conceptual art into the live show. Dyne performs live from a location off stage. Maricich and Dyne composed and produced an eponymous album for The Blow, released in 2013. They have given a series of artist talks discussing The Blow as a mode of performance art.

History

Formation

The Blow was formed in

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. Europea ...

, United States. Maricich's solo music project had previously been called

Get the Hell Out of the Way of the Volcano The Blow is an American electro pop band, comprising Khaela Maricich and Melissa Dyne. Maricich and Dyne write, compose, produce and perform all the music. It was formed as a solo project by Maricich in 2002, and she was joined by Jona Bechtolt ...

. The first Blow releases, ''Everyday Examples of Humans Facing Straight into The Blow'' and ''Don't Do the Bomb Before My Mustache Comes'', were made as home recordings by Maricich in 2001. Soon afterwards, Maricich began working with

K Records K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington founded in 1982. Artists on the label included early releases by Beck, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. The record label has been called "key to the development of independent music ...

, releasing ''Bonus Album'' in 2002 and ''The Concussive Caress'' in 2003. Both albums were engineered and produced by Maricich at K Records' Dub Narcotic Studio. The live performance of ''Concussive Caress'' was a monologue interspersed with songs, titled Blue Sky vs. Night Sky. Maricich toured the performance extensively in clubs, house parties, and art venues; it was part of Portland Institute of Contemporary Art's TBA festival and was performed at the LTTR Explosion at Art in General in New York. In 2004, Maricich began collaborating with Jona Bechtolt, and The Blow relocated to Portland. Together they produced two albums, ''Poor Aim: Love Songs'', released in 2004 via States Rights Records/The Slender Means Society (later rereleased by K in 2007), and ''Paper Television'', released on K Records in 2006. The Blow has been based in Brooklyn, NY since 2008. In 2011, The Blow began recording a new album about "someone who is quasi-lesbian and might have gone off the rails." At performances Maricich claimed that the songs were for Lindsay Lohan's new album. The recording was completed in 2012 and includes guest appearances from Rostam Batmanglij,

Bashiri Johnson Bashiri Johnson (born May 12, 1955) is a New York City-based percussionist, whose work has appeared on many records, as well as in commercials, films, television, videogames, and concert performances. He is known to be one of the most recorded ...

, Sarab Singh, Mirah Zeitlyn,

Rainy Orteca Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

Brian Patrick Hill Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word mea ...

, and Brian Taylor. The Blow's album titled ''The Blow'' was released October 1, 2013, on the Brooklyn-based indie label, Kanine Records.

Discography

Albums

*''Look for It in the Sky, It Will Always Be There'' (1998 Knw-Yr-Own Records) (released under the artist name "Get the Hell Out of the Way of the Volcano") *''Everyday Examples of Humans Facing Straight into the Blow'' (2001, 2004

) (originally self-released under the artist name "Get the Hell Out of the Way of the Volcano") *''Don't Do the Bomb Before My Moustache Comes'' (2002, self-released) *''

Bonus Album ''Bonus Album'' is the first EP released by Khaela Maricich under the band name The Blow. It was released in 2002 by K Records. Track listing All tracks by Khaela Maricich except where noted. # "The Democracy of Small Things" – 2:23 # "She ...

'' E.P. (2002,

) *''The Concussive Caress, Or, Casey Caught Her Mom Singing Along with the Vacuum'' (2003,

) *'' Poor Aim: Love Songs'' E.P. (2005,

Slender Means Society Slender Means Society is an independent record label founded in 2004 by Zac Pennington, vocalist for the band Parenthetical Girls. The label's premier release was Parenthetical Girls' debut, "(((GRRRLS)))", in 2004. The label has since released r ...

/ States Rights Records) *''

Paper Television ''Paper Television'' is the fourth LP from The Blow. It is also the band's first album as a duo consisting of Khaela Maricich and Jona Bechtolt Jona Bechtolt (born December 2, 1980) is an electronic musician and multimedia artist based in Po ...

'' (2006,

) *'' Poor Aim: Love Songs'' (2007,

) *''The Blow'' (2013,

Kanine Records Kanine Records is an independent record label based in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York started at the end of 2002 by Lio and Kay Kanine. Their first release, ''NY: The Next Wave'', was a 20 track compilation featuring mostly unsigne ...

) *''Brand New Abyss'' (2017)

Singles

*"Alphabet Series K" (2006,

Tomlab Tomlab is a German record label based in Köln. It has released works by bands such as The Books, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Deerhoof, Thee Oh Sees, Les Georges Leningrad, and acts associated with Blocks Recording Club, such as Fi ...

) *"Parentheses" (2007,

)

Compilations

*''Yoyo a Go Go'' (1997,

Yoyo A yo-yo (also spelled yoyo) is a toy consisting of an axle connected to two disks, and a string looped around the axle, similar to a spool. It is an ancient toy with proof of existence since 500 BCE. The yo-yo was also called a bandalore in ...

) A compilation of live performances from various artists at the

Yoyo A Gogo Yoyo A Go Go, usually abbreviated to Yoyo and often typeset in various ways, was an independent music festival in Olympia, Washington, first held in 1994 and followed by successor festivals in 1997, 1999, and 2001. Five- and six-day concert marat ...

music festival. Khaela performs "A Girl in the Sky" with Jenn Kliese *''Projector'' (1998,

) Get the Hell Out of the Way of the Volcano "Bagfull of Spiders" *''Remote Wing'' (2001, Knw-Yr-Own), an alternate version of "That Boy Makes me Want Things" from Everyday Examples..., retitled simply "That Boy" *''Shipwreck Day'' (2002, Knw-Yr-Own), a cover of the

Little Wing "Little Wing" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and recorded by the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1967. It is a slower tempo, rhythm and blues-inspired ballad featuring Hendrix's vocal and guitar with recording studio effects accompanied by bass, ...

's "Faith Children" *''Own Zone'' (2004, States Rights Records), remix of "Hey Boy" *''Invisible Shield'' (2004,

), "The Democracy of Small Things" *''Good Grooming for Girls'' (2004,

Shameless Magazine Shameless may refer to: Television and cinema * ''Shameless'' (British TV series), a UK television series that ran from 2004 to 2013 * ''Shameless'', a 2007 HBO special by Louis C.K. * ''Shameless'' (2008 film), Czech film * ''Shameless'' (A ...

), "What Tom Said About the Girls" *''Trust in Sirens'' (2005, Kelp Monthly), a cover of Devo's "Snowball" *''2005

PDX Pop Now! PDX Pop Now! is a local annual music festival held in Portland, Oregon, and a 100% volunteer-run registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that organizes and promotes the festival event. It consists of a two-disc compilation released in spring ...

'' (2005, PDX Pop), "Pile of Gold" *''Free the Bird'' (2006, Kelp Monthly), "The Sky Opened Wide Like the Tide (Lucky Dragons New Age Power Mix)" *''2006

'' (2006, PDX Pop), "Babay (Eat a Critter, Feel Its Wrath)" *''Yeti No. 4'' (2006,

Yeti Publishing The Yeti ()"Yeti"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. is an ape-like creature purported t ...

), "Get Around" *'' Joyride: Remixes'' (2006,

), a cover of

Mirah Mirah (born Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn) is an American musician and songwriter based in Brooklyn, New York. After getting her start in the music scene of Olympia, Washington in the late 1990s, she released a number of well-received solo albums on K ...

's "The Garden"

Accolades

*'Parentheses' Ranked No. 55 in ''Pitchfork's'' "Top 100 Tracks of 2006" *''Paper Television'' Ranked No. 66 in Idolater 2006 Jackin' Pop Critics Poll "Top Albums" category" *'Parentheses' Ranked No. 66 in Idolater 2006 Jackin' Pop Critics Poll "Top Tracks" category"

References

External links

The Blow official website

Khaela Maricich's website

Melissa Dyne's website

K Records official site

The Blow
at The Indie Music Database
The Blow interviewed by Plan B Magazine, November 2006

Interviewed by Miranda July in June/July 2007 issue of ''The Believer''

Interviewed by Christopher Frizzelle in February 2011 on SLOG
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blow K Records artists Lo-fi music groups Musical groups established in 2001 2001 establishments in Washington (state) Electronic music groups from Washington (state)