Blanche (band)
Encyclopedia
Blanche is an American alternative country
band from Detroit, Michigan
. Their music is based in Americana
, early country
, and folk blues, with a touch of haunting Southern Gothic
stylings and garage rock
mentality. Blanche is known for wearing vintage fashion of the early to mid-20th century.
The origins of Blanche can be traced back to the early '90s band Goober & the Peas
. Led by Dan "Goober" Miller, the band was devoted to cowpunk
, and dressed in honky-tonk attire. After the break-up of Goober & The Peas, three of the band's members -- Dan Miller, Jack White
, and Damian Lang -- formed the garage rock band Two-Star Tabernacle
with Miller's wife Tracee Mae Miller. The band split in 1999, after releasing one 7-inch vinyl with Andre Williams
. White went on to form The White Stripes
, Lang joined The Detroit Cobras
, and Dan and Tracee Mae formed Blanche.
Since 2003, Blanche has performed at several international music festivals, including Lowlands, Pukkelpop
and the CMJ Music Marathon
. The band opened for and toured with The White Stripes
, Loretta Lynn
, Ditty Bops, The Flaming Lips
, Wilco
, Calexico, The Kills
, and Brendan Benson
, among others. Blanche has also appeared on several radio stations for live performances and interviews in the United States and Europe, including WFUV
in New York and XFM
in London.
Former Members
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
band from Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. Their music is based in Americana
Americana (music)
Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...
, early country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, and folk blues, with a touch of haunting Southern Gothic
Southern Gothic
Southern Gothic is a subgenre of Gothic fiction unique to American literature that takes place exclusively in the American South. It resembles its parent genre in that it relies on supernatural, ironic, or unusual events to guide the plot...
stylings and garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
mentality. Blanche is known for wearing vintage fashion of the early to mid-20th century.
The origins of Blanche can be traced back to the early '90s band Goober & the Peas
Goober & The Peas
Goober & The Peas are a cowpunk band from Detroit, Michigan known for blending odd humor to a darker side of country music. The band was known for their frenetic live shows in the early and mid-1990s. The Austin Chronicle called them "some seriously sick individuals, and quite possibly the most...
. Led by Dan "Goober" Miller, the band was devoted to cowpunk
Cowpunk
Cowpunk or Country punk is a subgenre of punk rock and New Wave that began in the UK and California in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It combines punk rock or New Wave with country music, folk music, and blues in sound, subject matter, attitude, and style...
, and dressed in honky-tonk attire. After the break-up of Goober & The Peas, three of the band's members -- Dan Miller, Jack White
Jack White (musician)
Jack White , often credited as Jack White III, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and occasional actor...
, and Damian Lang -- formed the garage rock band Two-Star Tabernacle
Two-Star Tabernacle
Two-Star Tabernacle was a short-lived punk rock band from Detroit. Two-Star Tabernacle consisted of a young Jack White, later becoming the founding member of popular rock group The White Stripes, Dan John Miller, T. Racee Mae Miller and Damian Lang....
with Miller's wife Tracee Mae Miller. The band split in 1999, after releasing one 7-inch vinyl with Andre Williams
Andre Williams
Andre Williams is an American R&B and punk blues musician who started his career in the 1950s at Fortune Records in Detroit.-Biography:...
. White went on to form The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
, Lang joined The Detroit Cobras
The Detroit Cobras
The Detroit Cobras are an American garage rock cover band from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 1994.-History:The Detroit Cobras signed with Sympathy for the Record Industry and released their first full-length album, Mink Rat or Rabbit, in 1998...
, and Dan and Tracee Mae formed Blanche.
Since 2003, Blanche has performed at several international music festivals, including Lowlands, Pukkelpop
Pukkelpop
Pukkelpop is an annual music festival which takes place near the city of Hasselt, Belgium in mid-to-late August. It is held within a large enclosure of fields and woodland—between a dual carriageway called Kempische Steenweg—in the village of Kiewit, approximately 7 km north of Hasselt...
and the CMJ Music Marathon
CMJ Music Marathon
CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival is put on by CMJ Network. CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival 2010 is scheduled for October 19–23 and will be headquartered at New York University and other downtown NYC venues.- History :...
. The band opened for and toured with The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
, Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
, Ditty Bops, The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "What...
, Wilco
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
, Calexico, The Kills
The Kills
The Kills is a rock band formed by American singer Alison Mosshart and British guitarist Jamie Hince . Their first three albums, Keep On Your Mean Side, No Wow, and Midnight Boom, have garnered much critical praise...
, and Brendan Benson
Brendan Benson
Brendan Benson is an American musician and songwriter. He sings and plays guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, and drums. He has released four solo albums and is a member of the band The Raconteurs....
, among others. Blanche has also appeared on several radio stations for live performances and interviews in the United States and Europe, including WFUV
WFUV
WFUV, 90.7 FM in New York City, is Fordham University's 50,000-watt, non-commercial radio station, with studios on campus and its antenna atop nearby Montefiore Medical Center. First broadcast in 1947, WFUV has an airstaff which includes such New York radio veterans as Pete Fornatale , Dennis...
in New York and XFM
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
in London.
Members
- Dan John MillerDan John MillerDan John Miller is an American singer-songwriter and actor from Detroit, Michigan. He is currently the guitarist and lead vocalist for the gothic country-garage band Blanche...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Tracee Mae Miller - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Lisa 'Jaybird' Jannon - drums, vocals
- "Little Jack" Lawrence - banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, vocals, keyboards - David Feeny - pedal steel guitarPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
, dobroDobroDobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
, keyboards, clarinet, melodica, vocals, percussion
Former Members
- Brian "Patch" Boyle - banjo, autoharp
Albums
- If We Can't Trust the Doctors (2004, V2 RecordsV2 RecordsV2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI....
/Cass Records/Loose Music) - Little Amber Bottles (2007, Loose Music)
EPs
- Demo EP (2003, self-released)
- America's Newest Hitmakers (2004, Loose MusicLoose MusicLoose Music is a British independent record label based in Acton, London, specialising in in Americana and Alt. Country.-Artists:Since 1998, Loose has released music by the following artists: Giant Sand, M Ward, The Arlenes, Inara George, Neko Case, Blanche, Willard Grant Conspiracy, The Handsome...
) - What This Town Needs (2006, V2 Records/Loose Music)
Other Projects
In addition to Blanche, the band members have been involved in various other music and arts:- In the 2005 biopic of Johnny CashJohnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, Walk the LineWalk the LineWalk the Line is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by James Mangold and based on the early life and career of country music artist Johnny Cash...
, Dan Miller played the major supporting role of Luther PerkinsLuther PerkinsLuther Monroe Perkins was an American country music guitarist and a member of the Tennessee Three, the backup band for singer Johnny Cash. Perkins was an iconic figure in what would become known as rockabilly music...
, Cash's guitarist. Perkins' wife, Bertie, was portrayed by Tracee Mae. Miller also appeared on the film's T-Bone BurnettT-Bone BurnettJoseph Henry Burnett , widely known as T-Bone Burnett, is an American musician, songwriter, and soundtrack and record producer.He was a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band on the Rolling Thunder Revue...
-produced soundtrack. - Tracee Mae Miller is an established painter, and also makes many of her own dresses. For a short time, she ran a popular eBayEBayeBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
store, where she sold revamped vintage clothing. - Feeny was in the '80s garage band The Hysteric Narcotics as well as the Orange RoughiesOrange RoughiesOrange Roughies is the name of a New Zealand drama television show created by Auckland-based film company Screenworks, the first season of which screened on TV ONE from May to July 2006. The second season has recently finished filming and is, according to TVNZ, due to screen sometime between...
, and is currently also in the band American Mars. He also runs Tempermill Studios. - Little Jack Lawrence has been the long-time bassist for The GreenhornesThe GreenhornesThe Greenhornes are an American garage rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 1996 by vocalist/guitarist Craig Fox, bass guitarist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler. They released their debut album Gun For You in 1999, followed by a self-titled album in 2001. A third studio album, Dual...
, and has been known to play with both bands on the same night. He is also a member of Jack WhiteJack White (musician)Jack White , often credited as Jack White III, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and occasional actor...
's bands The RaconteursThe RaconteursThe Raconteurs is an American rock band that was formed in Detroit, Michigan, featuring four members known for other musical projects: Jack White , Brendan Benson , Jack Lawrence , and Patrick Keeler .-Formation:The...
and The Dead WeatherThe Dead WeatherThe Dead Weather is an American alternative rock supergroup, formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2009. Composed of Alison Mosshart , Jack White , Dean Fertita and Jack Lawrence , The Dead Weather debuted at the opening of Third Man Records' Nashville...
. Lawrence's stand-ins for live performances with Blanche have included former member Patch Boyle, Detroit musicians Dean FertitaDean FertitaDean Fertita is an American rock musician and multi-instrumentalist. Fertita was the lead singer and guitarist of The Waxwings from the band's formation in 1997 to its breakup in 2005...
and Steve Nawara, and former Goober & the Peas member Tom Hendrickson Jr. - Lawrence, Miller, and Feeny briefly played in the Do-Whaters (along with the Greenhornes' drummer Patrick KeelerPatrick KeelerPatrick Keeler is an American rock music drummer from Cincinnati, who best known for playing in The Greenhornes and The Raconteurs. He plays with both traditional and matched grips.-Recording career:...
), the backing band for Loretta LynnLoretta LynnLoretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
's 2004 album, Van Lear RoseVan Lear Rose-Personnel:*Loretta Lynn - vocals, guitar*Dave Feeny - pedal guitar, steel guitar, dobro, percussion, background vocals*Patrick Keeler - drums, percussion, background vocals*Jack Lawrence - bass, percussion, background vocals...
. The album was produced by Jack White, who also led the band. - Patch Boyle has drifted out of the music business, and is the co-founder of the Detroit web magazine Model D.
External links
- Official website
- MySpace page
- Facebook page
- July 2005 Interview with Tiny Mix TapesTiny Mix TapesTiny Mix Tapes is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, as well as its mix tapes generator.-History:Originally called Tiny Mixtapes Gone to Heaven and...