blessed

Blessed hail from Abbotsford, British Columbia, and the band's members are (left to right) guitarist Reuben Houweling, bassist Mitchell Trainor, drummer Jake Holmes, and guitarist/singer Drew Riekman.

Photo by Jake Holmes

Breaking out of the hardcore scene, Drew Riekman and Reuben Houweling find their Zen path to melody and dissonance on the band's new EP, iii.

Are you exhausted with thoughtless, formulaic, retro-rock guitar drivel? You know the stuff. It sounds like the background music on any of the seemingly infinite home improvement or BBQ competition shows flooding TV these days. It sounds kinda like it was made by someone that listened to a few bars of a ZZ Top song and then recorded the first idea that came out. Yawn. Where are the contemporary rock artists using the guitar thoughtfully to create vital art?

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