Seeing Blind

The band Seeing Blind is: Melissa Levi, singer and songwriter, acoustic and electric guitar; Jessika Kitzman, cello; Wes Amundsen, bass; and Luke Larson, drums. Seeing Blind takes influences from bands like The Dave Matthews Band, Ani DiFranco, Tori Amos, Tool, Bela Fleck, Jimi Hendrix, and Tracy Chapman and combines them with jazz fusion rock. They use the work of classically trained cellist Jessika Kitzman in many areas of their music that normally would be played by a second or lead guitarist. The music is an array of time changes, interesting breaks, and tempo changes.

Seeing Blind is about to embark on a major tour. They are finishing up a new album titled Simulated Sun Rays and have recently changed bass players by bringing in Wes Amundsen. Though not a traditional rock group, music critics have been praising the musicianship and songwriting of Seeing Blind, especially over the last year. Audiences are also turning out in large numbers to their shows. A recent show at the Comet Tavern with opening band Mercurious was packed.

I met Seeing Blind when they first came to Seattle back in 2003 at a show at The Chai House in Ballard. The audience was blown away by the amount of intricate music coming from this group, which at the time was headed by two dreadlocked hippie-looking female musicians. Though the dreadlocks of Melissa and Jessika are now a thing of the past, the songwriting is just as intricate and intense today as it was back then and they are still steering the Seeing Blind musical ship.

After the show back in 2003 I ran into the pair again and began to talk about music. I spent a couple hours talking with them about Seeing Blind, and the musical backgrounds and training of the musicians in the band. Being a classically trained musician myself, I was curious to discover how they were able to convert a classical music background into a alt-rock group that appealed to rock audiences, while also holding up to the scrutiny of jazz and classical players. They went into great detail about the songwriting, rehearsing, and crafting of the Seeing Blind material, which is based mainly on actual schooled musicianship.

The songs are painstakingly written, practiced, and practiced again until every song in every set is played as close to perfection as they could possibly be performed live. The music of Seeing Blind is actually very difficult for musicians with no formal musical training to play, if not impossible. They are certainly not a band that ever “wings it” in concert or in any other matter concerning the band.

In short, Seeing Blind is a musician’s band. And what they do seems to initially go over the heads of many of their audiences. Anyone with a classical music background would instantly pick up on the fact that Jessika is a schooled cellist and obviously has studied with some serious teachers. The way she weaves the cello through rock songs is fascinating to watch live for any musician, especially one with an orchestra background. And Melissa is a strong, crisp and clean guitarist with a powerful, classically trained voice.

Seeing blind is just now breaking into mainstream acceptance and playing venues that are traditionally rock venues like The Blue Moon and The Comet. Before they headed out on tour I wanted to sit down with them and get an update on the current projects, and hopefully turn on my readers to some of the best musicians on the Seattle club scene right now. Here is my interview with Melissa of Seeing Blind, conducted May 2008 for The Seattle Sinner Magazine.

Tell me about the upcoming tour.
Oh man, I am really looking forward to this tour! We will be busting ass across 5 states (WA, OR, CA, NV, ID), hitting 11 cities in 12 days, sometimes performing twice in one day! Just us, the open road, killer shows, little of the drink and cool people! The tour kicks off in Portland, OR July 11th and ends in Seattle, WA on July 20th.
We will be announcing the rest of the tour dates soon, so join our mailing list to keep updated: seeingblind@seeingblindband.com.

How exactly does Seeing Blind fuse other styles of music into its rock sound and what style are they?
Having such diverse influences and playing styles already present combined with the privilege of working with such talented musicians makes it a lot easier than you might think. Also, I think because we fuse discipline with an openness to try new things it makes for a comfortable environment for everyone to put their intimate musical stylings on the table. Some of the styles that we end up fusing together include jazz, salsa, funk, folk, rock, pop, classical, alternative, blues, R&B and more!

Having studied music seriously growing up yourselves, how important do you feel private lessons are for players starting out?
I think private lessons are very important for players just starting out on any instrument. Private lessons teach you how to coax the best tone out of an instrument, help you work on technique, and give you goals to work towards that help to motivate you to get to the next level of musicianship. Most importantly, they help you learn the proper way to play or hold your instrument. That way you can enjoy making music without the threat of injury, which, to put it eloquently, would suck!

How important is an understanding of music theory in songwriting in comparison to being self taught?
I have studied theory for voice in the past, but I eventually got to the point where I was like, “Yeah, o.k., I get most of this, now let’s make some music.” Now, I like to sit down and use my ear to guide me, although I am sure in the back of my mind I am aware of all my learning. I think it can be important, but you don’t necessarily have to start out learning theory first. I started playing for fun and theory wasn’t “fun”. The freedom I have gained in my chord structures and movements are a result of balance: learn the theory, creatively explore a bit and then forget “it” enough to let your music take you for a ride without worrying about the street signs.

Being musicians who come from a variety of structured school and extracurricular music programs, how do you feel when you hear that school music programs are being cut to near extinction in Seattle and across the country?
Screw the Arts! No, of course we hate to see the school music program funding in this country cut so drastically! When Jessika was in school she saw all music and art programs cut from her school and surrounding schools; all except for band that is...can’t have good ol’ American football without a marching band. In poverty-stricken communities, public school music programs are sometimes the only opportunity kids have to play an instrument, because they are too poor to rent one and afford lessons. It is definitely a class issue and Seeing Blind hopes to one day help provide music programs, especially fine instrument programs, to kids everywhere, regardless of economic status.

Are there any other bands on the Seattle music scene you admire for musicianship and playing ability? If so, who would those bands be?
Actually, this is the hardest question to answer! Since I moved to Seattle from Detroit in 2002, I’ve really seen Seattle develop a very eclectic, talented scene. If I have to pick, and I guess I better ‘cause Doug just pulled out the taser again, I would say Neon Brown, The Randy Hicks Band, and Shawn Smith.

Tell me about the current work your doing in the studio.
We are taking the “do it yourself” approach and utilizing our new recording space. Honestly, I think the freedom to not worrying about money or someone else’s schedule provides the “creative fertilizer” that can really fuel an extraordinary album. The new c.d., “Simulated Sun Rays” is shaping up to be as diverse as our musical influences. We’ve got some alt. rock tunes that weave in and out of key signatures, some heavier political rock tunes that will rip your head off and some sexy funk rock that is just damn fun. Look for the new c.d. out by the end of the summer.

What would the members of Seeing Blind like to say to the bands fans?
We have some really hot fans. They are sexy. Seriously, our fans are so supportive and get crazy excited about whatever we are doing! It is awesome to have such an intimacy with them. So, we would say Thank You to everyone who has been there with a kind word or a cold beer. You make it possible. We love ya!