New chapter for Blind Melon

• By MICHAEL FARRAR
• Special to 2theadvocate.com
• Published: Apr 22, 2008 - UPDATED: 3:15 p.m.

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When a famous musician dies, many bands will immediately break up (Led Zeppelin) or replace the deceased member and carry on (The Who). Blind Melon took a different path in 1995 that recognized the loss of singer Shannon Hoon while allowing the group to continue on until 1999.

Almost a decade later, Blind Melon has reunited, although they understand some folks might be reluctant to embrace the reunion.

"This looks terrible on paper. 'Band reunites 12 years after singer dies?' We realize it just looks like a bad idea," guitarist Christopher Thorn said.

But Thorn wants people to trust Blind Melon's intentions.

"We never thought this would ever happen,” he said. “It happened naturally. It happened in the most organic way and respectful way."

Blind Melon formed in 1990 when the five original musicians met in Los Angeles. Shannon Hoon (vocals), Brad Smith (bass), Christopher Thorn (guitar), Glen Graham (drums) and Roger Stevens (guitar) had all migrated to the West Coast, seeking work in the music industry.

At that time, they didn’t t realize just how quickly Blind Melon would gain fame.

Lead singer Hoon took a colossal side job screeching vocal harmony with Axl Rose for Guns N Roses' mega-hit two-volume CDs "Use Your Illusion.” Singing with a metal super group was a random blessing, not only for Hoon, but for his own band, as well. The sudden attention heaped upon him helped get a major record deal for Blind Melon.

The band's sound was a cross of rock, alternative and folksy acoustic that seemed to make Blind Melon a bit difficult to categorize for music executives. Music fans, however, liked the band’s variety, which avoided cookie-cutter descriptions.

Within two years, Blind Melon had a hit single and wildly popular music video with "No Rain,” plus national tours that included the Woodstock ’94 Festival.

Unfortunately, as Blind Melon's dreams of rock stardom came true, the nightmare of Hoon's drug use became vividly clear as well.

The pressures of maintaining hard-earned success, emotional demons and the constant temptation of a rock-star party lifestyle all seemed to burden the young singer, who died from drug use in late 1995.

The surviving members of Blind Melon were shocked and grief-stricken by their band mate's death, but went on for a while, releasing the 1996 CD, "Nico," named for the Shannon's baby daughter. That CD's profits went to assist musicians struggling with addictions.