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 in Christianity, Jesus. This music is typically performed by Christians, Christian individuals. The extent to whi ...

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, ...

formed in

Wollongong Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') 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 water' or 'sound ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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 States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and

Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal Regions of New South Wales, region in the southeast of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast, New South Wales, South Coast region. It encompas ...

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

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

. 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 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 stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

*Andrew Nicholls –

(2001–2005) *Michael Molkentin –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

*Adrian Deck –

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

*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