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BLIND PONY - REVIEW
I walked into the Cinema Bar one recent summer Sunday night with high expectations.
Though the tavern is small, it's
developed an insider's reputation as a remarkably consistent showcase for top-notch Los Angeles singer/songwriters. And when Blind Pony took the stage and began belting out hook
laden, 1970s working class rock 'n
roll I knew I would not be
disappointed.
Blind Pony is something of a ball of contradictions. Just when I
thought I had them pegged as credible interpreters of Tom Petty
style rock, they switched over to much more psychedelic, "Animals" era Pink Floyd
vein. From there I heard bits of Neil
Young, REM and even the raw ferocity of Iggy Pop in his heyday.
The band is tight---locked into a pounding groove for up-tempo
numbers, but quite comfortable to wield a lighter touch for
ballads and lo-fi offerings.
Front man Kent Klineman sweats
authenticity and earnestly belts out vocals with an energy too rarely found in much of the modern music scene. And he has a
knack for penning eclectic lyrics that catch the listeners ear. "I'mFreudian, I'm Jungian, I'm analyzing all the time" he sang during
an intense acoustic number entitled "Go Down."
After the band performed their set and a much requested encore, they stepped off stage and proved to be quite
approachable, eagerly mingling with a new bar room of fans.
They clearly seem driven more by the desire to create good music than ego and that resonates in their performance. I
heartily recommend any opportunity to take in one of their shows.
-
Wil Forbis, author of Acid Logic.
Blind Pony's songsmith, lead singer and guitarist is Kent Klineman.
He grew up in New York City where he became involved in music and acting. While hitchhiking through Europe to Greece at age 19, he wrote his first song. After winning a Tony Award on Broadway in 2000, for Death of a Salesman, Kent decided it was time to move to LA.
It was in LA that Kent fell in love with writing music on an electric guitar. Before LA, Kent’s wrote on an acoustic and played finger style folk rock. But his new electric friend took Kent to another level with his playing and his songwriting, exploding his musicality. With this new stage of his creativity came the need for a new entity for his performing: a new band.
Clinton Kirby, master guitar player, singer, bassist, and drummer plays bass for Blind Pony, and Clinton and also switches over to play Lap Steel on Blind Pony’s song, "The Right Thing”. He is a true multi-instrumentalist, as well as a consummate musician and performer.
Joe Romersa plays drums with force and style and musicality. He has played with EVERYONE…and also is a well known engineer and producer.
Blind Pony music is Psych Blues Rock with flashes of, folk, country. and punk.
They have been compared to Neil Young and The Black Keys.
Blind Pony plays some of LA’s premier venues: The Viper Room, The Mint,The Echo, The Escondite, Paladino’s, Davey Wayne’s, Silverlake Lounge, The Cinema Bar, Maui Sugar Mill and many others.
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