The Blind Shake

Brothers Jim and Mike Blaha established The Blind Shake as a Minneapolis trio that fuses garage punk, surf music, and noise rock into a powerful three-piece sound, all without employing a bassist. The siblings maintain they favor midrange frequencies rather than opposing bass outright. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the pair spent their early years in Lake City before relocating to Minneapolis, where they cultivated a deep passion for rock & roll during adolescence. Near the start of the new millennium they decided to start a band, taking cues from local outfit VAZ by assigning Mike the baritone guitar and Jim the standard six-string to capture a comparable guitar texture while sidestepping bass duties, an instrument that held no appeal for either. Drummer Dave Roper, a longtime acquaintance, completed the lineup.

The group maintained a rigorous schedule of Twin Cities performances and road trips whenever personal obligations allowed. Their first full-length, Rizzograph, appeared in 2005. The following year they began a series of joint projects with Minneapolis garage and psych veteran Michael Yonkers, beginning with Carbohydrate Hydrocarbons. Additional Yonkers collaborations followed on 2009’s Cold Town, Soft Zodiac and 2011’s Period. On their own they issued Carmel in 2007 and Seriousness in 2011. After catching a Blind Shake set, Thee Oh Sees’ John Dwyer invited them to release Key to a False Door on his Castle Face imprint in 2013. That same year Rocket from the Crypt and Hot Snakes founder John Reis enlisted the trio as his rhythm section for a high-octane surf record. Following the limited cassette Live at Frank’s Power Plant, Milwaukee, WI, July 17, 2012, the band delivered Breakfast of Failures on Goner later in 2014. John Dwyer captured their 2013 performance at the Chapel for the 2015 album Live in San Francisco, and Goner issued Celebrate Your Worth in October 2016.