The World Blanket profile picture

The World Blanket

Create your own road show.

About Me

"aMaybe" -- the debut album
from the world blanket.
BUY THE ALBUM NOW!!
from CD Baby CLICK HERE!!
or for iTunes CLICK HERE!!
or buy them via SNOCAP above!!

The World Blanket is a rock band collective based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America."World Blanket boomed like a big-riff rock beast, despite acoustic guitar and violin dressing." - SPIN.COM
"Make no mistake, this is a band that loves to break convention. [...] World Blanket is already causing a unique ruckus; and one that's more than worth checking out." - THE COMPENDIUM
"World Blanket is a multi-faceted rock band. Not only does violin provide melodies...but the band incorporates ingenious rhythms that get away from the typical rock and indie sound." [grade: B] - PLUG IN MUSIC.COM
"Warm, violin-driven Americana...keep[s] the listener consistently on their toes, never knowing what to expect next." - FOXY DIGITALIS
"A unique sounding brand of indie rock. Well-played and original." - PUCKNATION.COM
"This is one solid album." [3 out of 4 stars] - THE COMPENDIUM
"A slowcore record with a twist." [3 out of 5 stars] - ORIGIVATION

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Biographical Information Related to the Band:
The World Blanket brings a unique rock crunch to a band fronted by an acoustic guitar player and a violinist. But such a symbiosis should be expected from an existentially aligned project formed out of one of the most destructive events in history.
Only months after moving to New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina struck in the summer of 2005, sending Grant back to his hometown of Philadelphia. Originally relocating to the Big Easy in a search for change, Mike (a former bandmate and longtime friend) convinced Grant to instead seek change through music. Frustrated with previous rock projects, singer/acoustic guitarist Mike and drummer Grant set out to form a band with a unique line-up and sound.
After an open search for a triad of string players (they originally hoped for a violin, viola and cello), Mike and Grant discovered Jon whose diverse, genre-crossing talents on the fiddle caused them to decide on a single violin lead.
With Mike, Grant and Jon forming the principles, they enlisted the help of an old collaborator, Mark, to begin rehearsals and recording.
On February 12, 2006, the band played their debut show at The Khyber in Philadelphia, five-song self-pressed debut EP already in hand. Over a foot of snow fell and the band played to just two eager fans. The World Blanket's battle with Mother Nature continued.
The group released their debut LP, "aMaybe", on Mike's own No Applause Records in October 2006. Featuring instrumentation far beyond their live line up, the band began establishing the prevalent dichotomy between their rowdy live act and their orchestrated albums, as well as their willingness to work with a variety of guest artists, caused in part by the group's constant inconsistency at the bass position.
In 2007, the band began extending their reach beyond their usual Philadelphia and New York City gigs by making brief jaunts to the Midwest and South. They're also in the studio working on their second LP, tentatively titled "Elevator", hoping for a winter release.
===== SEE PAST TOUR DATES TO THE LEFT
===== UNDER THE "SOUNDS LIKE" HEADING

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 12/12/2005
Band Website: worldblanket.com
Band Members: current live members:
brian of new - bass
grant - drums, piano, shaker, triangle, hand claps, board
jon - violin
mike - vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboard, hand claps, pitch pipe

former live members:
brian of old - bass

enduringly etched in wax:
ami - vocals
andrew - vocals
j.c. - cello, vocals
mark - bass, trumpet, saxophone, hand claps
Influences: "The Madcap Laughs" by Syd Barrett, "Tindersticks" by Tindersticks, "In Utero" by Nirvana, "The Boy with the Arab Strap" by Belle & Sebastian, "Magical Mystery Tour" by The Beatles, "Pink Flag" by Wire, "Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada" by Godspeed You Black Emperor, "Neu!" by Neu!, "Kid A" by Radiohead, "Surfer Rosa" by the Pixies, "This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About" by Modest Mouse, "The Soft Bulletin" by The Flaming Lips, "Scary Monsters" by David Bowie, "Atom Heart Mother" by Pink Floyd, "Electric Warrior" by T. Rex, "Any Other City" by Life Without Buildings, "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain" by Pavement, "Alien Lanes" by Guided by Voices, "The Velvet Underground & Nico" by The Velvet Underground & Nico, "More Songs About Buildings and Food" by Talking Heads, "Confusion is Sex" by Sonic Youth, "Fear of a Black Planet" by Public Enemy, "Vakio" by Pan Sonic
Sounds Like: the Kind of Music You Might Have Heard On:

Wed, Sep 12, 07 - Ardmore, PA - The Rusty Nail
Sat, Aug 25, 07 - Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar
Sat, Aug 18, 07 - Philadelphia, PA - Block Party
Thu, Aug 16, 07 - Philadelphia, PA - Tritone
Tue, Aug 07, 07 - Philadelphia, PA - The Khyber
Sat, Jun 30, 07 - New York, NY - The Annex
Tue, Jun 19, 07 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live
Wed, May 16, 07 - Philadelphia, PA - The Khyber
Wed, Apr 04, 07 - St. Louis, MO - Way Out Club
Tue, Apr 03, 07 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverwest Commons
Mon, Apr 02, 07 - Chicago, IL - Silvie's Lounge
Fri, Mar 30, 07 - Brooklyn, NY - Luna Lounge
Fri, Mar 23, 07 - Philadelphia, PA - Doc Watsons
Sat, Feb 10, 07 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fire
Sun, Jan 28, 07 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
Thu, Jan 25, 07 - Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar
Thu, Jan 04, 07 - Philadelphia, PA - The Khyber
Wed, Dec 13, 06 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fire
Fri, Nov 24, 06 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fire
Sat, Oct 14, 06 - New York, NY - The Delancey
Thu, Jul 27, 06 - Philadelphia, PA - The Khyber
Sat, Jul 08, 06 - Coatesville, PA - House Party
Thu, May 04, 06 - Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar
Fri, Apr 14, 06 - New York, NY - The Ace of Clubs
Wed, Mar 08, 06 - Philadelphia, PA - The M Room
Sat, Mar 04, 06 - New York, NY - The Delancey
Sun, Feb 12, 06 - Philadelphia, PA - The Khyber

Record Label: no applause records
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

The Devil Made Me Do It?

666 friends.
Posted by The World Blanket on Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:52:00 PST

What About the Recordings & Champagne Dreams

Good news.  Well, first bad news.  The 2" analog is destroyed.  In it's last gasp it spat out whatever had yet been put to tape to its digital enemy.  So we shall continue unfetter...
Posted by The World Blanket on Fri, 12 Oct 2007 03:23:00 PST

Escape from Noise

Was listening to Negativland's "Escape from Noise" and realized that 2007 marks the 20th anniversary of this bizarre classic. My how time flies.
Posted by The World Blanket on Tue, 09 Oct 2007 10:59:00 PST

Too Much Plastic

I was drinking Perrier ('cause I'm classy like that) out of a nice, sturdy glass bottle and I was reminded of how too many things are made of plastic.  Put my glass bottle in a paper bag, please....
Posted by The World Blanket on Fri, 05 Oct 2007 07:46:00 PST

Secession -- Jump on the Bandwagon

I've been preaching for years that state secession from the American union is the only viable endgame for survival of the original ideals of freedom established with the formation of our country ...
Posted by The World Blanket on Wed, 03 Oct 2007 10:27:00 PST

Grammar Debate!

For those of you not in the know, Grant also occasionally drums with fellow Philadelphian's Grammer Debate! Beyond our love of all things Grant, we're big supporters of Mr. Joseph Lekkas and his proje...
Posted by The World Blanket on Thu, 27 Sep 2007 09:51:00 PST

Giuliani is a scumbag

Recently, I've spent a lot of breath trying to get out the word that Rudy Giuliani is a ruthless, power-hungry scumball trying to boost his own ego at the expense of any ideals he (or the rest of huma...
Posted by The World Blanket on Tue, 25 Sep 2007 07:30:00 PST

CBS is an embarassment

The 60 Minutes interview of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was embarassing.  Scott Pelley displayed a bias and hubris unbecoming to even the most slanted journalist and engaged in third-pa...
Posted by The World Blanket on Mon, 24 Sep 2007 03:28:00 PST

why we have no band photos...

'cause they look silly. I was flipping through Spin earlier today.  All the band photos looked so contrived, so full of staged impluse, so perfectly ironic, so self-reflexively hip, so ...
Posted by The World Blanket on Wed, 19 Sep 2007 01:10:00 PST

in case you missed it -- Tues @ Khyber

we awed the Khyber and scared the Plough & Stars.good times.we've just started lining up shows for the rest of the summer.check our calendar and mark yours.awesome.mike...
Posted by The World Blanket on Sat, 11 Aug 2007 05:29:00 PST