Notes

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Day Blindness - Day Blindness (us 1969)

Formed: 1967, Daly City, CA, United States
Disbanded: 1970 //

Members:
*Gary Pihl (guitar, vocals),
*Felix Bria (bass, organ, vocals),
*Roy Garcia (drums, 1967-69),
*Johnny Vernazza (guitar),
*Dave Mitchell (drums, vocals, 1969-70)

Track Listing:
01. Still Life Girl
02. Jazz Song
03. Middle Class Lament
04. I Got No Money
05. House And A Dog
06. Live Deep
07. Young Girl Blues
08. Holy Laned


Notes:
This very obscure & classic album created by the San Francisco psychedelic band Day Blindness
in 1969 features driving guitars & crunching organ. Long jams sum up their music, which shows
influences of both Iron Butterfly & The Doors.

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Biography:
Day Blindness came together in 1968 from a pair of competing bands at Jefferson High School in
California's San Mateo county. One of the bands was a trio led by guitarist Gary Pihl -- from
nearby Santa Clara High -- and included Felix Bria on keyboards and Dave Neuman on drums. This
unit ran across one of its rivals, the Dimensions, at a county battle-of-the-bands competition
at which both were short-listed. The Dimensions were made up of the Tabucci brothers, Mark and
Charles, on saxophones; lead guitarist Ken Starr (younger brother of a Ventures member); Roy
Garcia behind the drums; John Vernaza on rhythm guitar; and bass player Ramos Ramirez.
So impressed were Pihl and Bria by Garcia's drumming abilities upon seeing the band play that
they soon asked him to replace Neuman. The resulting trio officially became Day Blindness in the
summer of 1968.

Over the next year, Day Blindness played gigs at many of the most notable venues throughout the
Bay Area, even landing an opening slot for Sly & the Family Stone, both locally and on tour.
By 1969, Mark Tabucci, who had also become a behind-the-scenes supporter of the band during the
Dimensions swap, began to construct a small studio at 10 Claude Lane, funded by local backers
and sponsors, in anticipation of the recording of an album. Once Studio 10 was ready, Day
Blindness, with new skinsman Dave Mitchell in Garcia's old spot, set about working on that debut
record. During the sessions, both Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin stopped by to submit a variety
tips, including song titles and artwork. Soon thereafter, Day Blindness was released, though to
little fanfare.

The band started to come apart almost immediately after the album's release. Producer and
engineer Tom Press used some of his proceeds from the album to buy a Harley-Davidson motorcycle
and disappear into the '70s. Tabucci became an automobile repairman for the Jefferson Airplane.
Drummer Mitchell went on to produce and engineer for other acts, including Emerson, Lake &
Palmer. Pihl later turned up in platinum-selling rock band Boston, then went on to play with
Sammy Hagar in the 1990s. Day Blindness, not a big seller upon its release, took on a life of
its own in collector's circles, including the circulation of a pirated bootleg CD in the late
'90s. Gear Fab brought it back legitimately with an official 2002 CD reissue.
~ Stanton Swihart, All Music Guide.
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Unexciting teen psych-rock with an obvious Doors influence similar to those many 1969-70
Canadian LPs. Parts are so lame that it sounds almost like a Doors parody album, the deadpan
sub-Lizard King vocals in particular. Lead guitarist has a nice garage fuzz sound but doesn't
show much creativity, despite plenty of "jams" with equally cool-sounding and equally clueless
Vox organ guy. "Heavy" lyrics about "squares" add entertainment / embarrassment factor.
Songwriting doesn't account for much, and while they do achieve a nice cheese epic doom vibe
on the last track, Ultimate Spinach did these dumb teen dope sounds much better.
~ [PL] www.lysergia.com/AcidArchives.