The Blakes

The Blakes formed as a power trio in 2001, drawing from the early-'60s British rock sound and punk's independent ethos. Garnet Keim sings and plays guitar, Snow Keim handles vocals and bass, and Bob Husak plays drums. Maine natives Garnet and Snow Keim had spent the late '90s hitchhiking nationwide, taking temporary work and composing songs, before they encountered Husak at a Seattle coffeehouse. His drumming struck them with the same explosive force as Keith Moon of the Who, prompting the trio to move to Los Angeles and begin writing material for the group. Two years later they embarked on a self-arranged tour, performing without compensation and rehearsing spontaneously at highway rest areas. Back in Seattle they put out the self-released Little Whispers EP in 2005, which caught the ear of KEXP. Programming director John Richards and other station DJs became early supporters, featuring the band heavily on air and recording an in-studio session. The group followed with another self-titled, self-released EP in 2006 and soon signed with the local imprint Light in the Attic. In 2007 they issued the Streets EP; later the same year the self-titled EP was re-released as a remastered full-length album containing extra tracks. Souvenir appeared in 2009 on the band's own We Are OK imprint, with Art of Losses arriving in 2012, Junko in 2013, and A Darker Green in 2014.