By DONNA BALANCIA
The Blankz will release their debut 7-inch single called “White Baby,” produced by the Meat Puppets’ Cris Kirkwood on July 13.
“White Baby” is a dynamic, high-energy, guitar-driven record that will get the room jumping. On the flip side is “Sissy Glue” an even faster-paced song that has a touch of outer space vibe to it because of the fun synthesizer. This is tight music.
The band is comprised of Tommy Blank (vocals), Jaime Blank (guitar), Nikki Blank (synthesizer), Andy Blank (bass), and Johnny Blank (drums) to build a strong lineup.
‘White Baby’ a Story of Identity
Seasoned veterans of the punk and garage scenes, the Blankz are more than just a collection of pretty faces. They are true musicians and understand how to rock.
Slope Records distsributes the debut 7-inch “White Baby.” The Blankz are based in Phoenix. The band will release a series of nine 7-inches culminating in a full length compilation of all the releases at the end of this year.
Available formats will include CD, 7-inch vinyl, cassette and digital download.
The Blankz’ synthesizer-punk sound is reminicent of Devo with punk-pop sounds of The Ramones and The Spits.
What started as a casual writing project between band founders Tommy and Jaime quickly became something more as they realized they had real chemistry and shared a vision for the band.
The Blankz: ‘Fun Band with Snotty Lyrics’
“Jaime and I agreed from the start that we want this to be a fun band with snotty lyrics,” Tommy Blank said. “There are passing mentions of drugs and partying (though I am 13 years sober) and a few non-P.C. lyrics, but The Blankz have no interest in political rants or agendas.”
Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets produced the first two sessions, which include The Blankz debut as well as the upcoming single featuring “(I Just Want To) Slam!” backed with “Baby’s Turning Blue.”
The title track from the first record in the series, “White Baby” is about Tommy Blank. He was in fact a ‘white baby’ adopted by Mexican parents in 1969. Cultural dissonance permeated his youth.
“I constantly found myself navigating situations that were either culturally Mexican or “white” and having to figure out where I belonged in that dynamic,” he said. “The punk scene provided a home-away-from-home for me. It was a place to feel ‘normal’ since the scene is all freaks, deviants and social misfits.”
Album artwork was rendered by Dana Armstrong with layout by Mike Fisher and band photos were shot by longtime friend, Joe Cultice. Visit the band on Facebook, Bandcamp and Instagram.