The Deadly Blank

The Deadly Blank: arguably the raddest band name in South Florida. These 3 dudes are the real deal, not that turtle shit you hear on the radio
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Yes, yes… The Miami Heat is in the finals once again! Lebron and Wade are the talk of the town, and Chad Ocho Douchebag has just signed with our beloved/hated Miami Dolphins (I always thought this was a strange name for a football team. It is just way too cute). What else has been going on in Miami? Zombies man! People eating each other’s faces, while enjoying their finest brand of bath salts. All signs point to Apocalypse! Here’s another sign… The Rock Shop (www.rockshopmiami.com) in South Beach has announced that they will be closing their doors.
The Rock Shop has welcomed and hosted original live music in the heart of South Beach for a few years now. Jazid and The Rock Shop stood out in Washington Avenue as the main choice bars for live original music. It is however, time to move on and bid farewell to The Rock Shop.
As their last endeavor, The Rock Shop hired a team of event specialists to book 4 of the best bands in Miami for one last night of debauchery. Upon accepting the challenge, Rock Kulture (www.rockkulture.com) has put together a dreamy, sexy ass line-up, for this event. Ready?
Urban Rebel (www.urbanrebel.net): if you live in Miami and you haven’t heard of this local band, you sir/ma’am are a cocksmoker. Trip 6, LaC, E, and Jim Bob bring the motherfucking funk like no other band! I have played a few shows alongside Urban Rebel and they haven’t once disappointed. Not just because they are my friends and have a great attitude, but also because they are top notch musicians. There isn’t one song in their set where the audience is not completely blown away. Check out Urban Rebel live if you haven’t already done so, but if you already have experienced them live, well then keep attending their shows. This band will be huge. Mark my words.
The Deadly Blank (www.reverbnation.com/thedeadlyblank): arguably the raddest band name in South Florida. “Vintage Rock & Roll With a Modern Twist” is an understatement. These 3 dudes are the real deal, not that turtle shit you hear on the radio. I have also played alongside The Deadly Blank a few times and their sound is distinct and tight. One of the most interesting/best bands I have ever had the pleasure of sharing the stage with. Craig, Carlos, and Eric bring Rock & Roll to its knees and makes it gargle it.
Falseta (www.falsetamusic.com): Better described as “The kind of music metal dudes listen to with their girlfriends”. Melodic, hard, beautiful, Rock & Roll. Oh yeah, these Hialeah”an” dudes are talented and they will make sweet love to your moms whether you like it or not. Do me a favor and check out their video for “Running Low on High” (http://youtu.be/27u4Pcv26nw) from their debut EP titled “Perfecta”. I dare you to screen this for your mom, or girlfriend, or wife.
Barrio Activo (www.barrioactivo.com): Cuban rhythm with a side of Rock, Funk, Ska, and Reggae. Can you gobble that up? Barrio Activo’s music is insanely creative and appeals to a wide listening audience. I haven’t had the pleasure of sharing the stage with these dudes, but judging by what I’ve heard, I am really enjoying their sounds. Even if you don’t understand Spanish, it will get you your lame ass dancing and bobbing your head. I am not ashamed to say that I want to smoke a fattie and have their songs playing in my head all day.
As you can see Rock Kulture has done it once again. Less shit talking, and more getting shit done. Rock Kulture is here to support the local scene, while providing great shows to those who enjoy live music and don’t want to spend their nights at some place, listening to some dude play shit music on repeat on his laptop.
This article has been brought to you by Nando Tats of the band The Nude Cap (www.facebook.com/thenudies305). Any questions, concerns, corrections, and inquiries, can be sent to our website. They will not be reviewed and will be filed under my nutsack for further consideration. - Rock Kulture

"For those of you who know me, know that I’m addicted to all things vintage, especially music. Now my buddies from The Deadly Blank, are exactly what the vintage Lord ordered. This Trio of pure awesome bliss is infused with the talents of Eric Sanchez on guitar, Carlos Paguaga on drums, and Craig Rittenhouse on vocals and bass. If you haven’t seen The Deadly Blank, then you are completely missing out on some serious joy."
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Last night I went over to Tobacco Road, for their 6th Annual 420 Event, hosted by Queen of the Scene, and DJ Oski. They were kind enough to invite WajimaRose.com to the event. The rain threatened our night, but for the love of all things good music, it stayed away until the very end. Miami is full of some serious musicians, and I was ecstatic when Queen of The Scene, asked me to be part of the event, just so that I could bring some of the names of our locals, hidden in our very own backyard to you.
Soma, opened up the event with their feel good in your face Funk. Their energy was just the right amount of organic combination, that kept the Happy Hour goers from closing out their beer tabs.
7 Seas took the patio with the very energetic Future Function. These boys had their fans moving their heads to every cord of Nicholas’s bass, rocking out to Ryan’s riffs, and stomping their feet to Andrew’s drums. Miami if you haven’t had the chance to witness 7 Seas live, make sure you do. Their next show will be on May the 4th at, Xtreme Indoor Karting, bring the kids.
Now, I want to share with you something I found in the patio. IKO IKO‘s very own Lead Vocalist, Guitarist, Percussionist, Graham Wood Drout, was performing his Biloxi Blues sound that brings the jambolaya, taste to life itself. What’s more fascinating than watching a crowed of people enjoying good music? Watching a crowed of young adults pack the patio, and appreciating the Blues. Drout, brought his best set list to Tobacco Road that night, giving us the privilege of listening to ‘Shine On Me’, and leaving us wanting more after ‘Ghost Of Mississippi’. Ghost Of Mississippi, won the ‘Blues Critics Choice’ award for SONG OF THE YEAR in 2006.
The first thing I noticed about Kolabo Sound System’s was that the lyrics were filled with lots of Spanish LOVE. That caught my attention immediately, and it wasn’t long before the ocean of people took notice as well, streaming in from the parking lot to the front of the main stage. The band had everyone one swaying, and grinding to their reggae rocksteady beat, it was intoxicating to watch, that they too got caught in the moment almost running passed the stage time leaving everyone wanting more.
For those of you who know me, know that I’m addicted to all things vintage, especially music. Now my buddies from The Deadly Blank, are exactly what the vintage Lord ordered. This Trio of pure awesome bliss is infused with the talents of Eric Sanchez on guitar, Carlos Paguaga on drums, and Craig Rittenhouse on vocals and bass. If you haven’t seen The Deadly Blank, then you are completely missing out on some serious joy, and WE ALL WANT SOME JOY IN OUR LIVES, DAMMIT! You can catch them at the Billiards in Miami Lakes on May 2nd, 2012. - Wajima Rose

Miami New Times 2012 Best Arts Collective] RAW: Natural Born Artists did the arts community a solid when it launched in May. The group's inaugural event, which took over Design District nightclub the Stage in May, boasted musical performances by the Deadly Blank"
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Here's the funny thing about arts in Miami: As the scene expands, it becomes harder and harder to break in as a new talent. After all, the more artists there are in this city, the more people are competing for attention. Much like Survivor, if you don't have an alliance, you're likely to get voted off the island. So RAW: Natural Born Artists did the arts community a solid when it launched in May. "My responsibility is to find great artists to represent Miami," spokesperson Rosana Emanuelli says. "It is going to be a little bit of everything." Everything, in this case, includes visual art, as well as music, fashion, film, hair, makeup, and performance art. And that's not because RAW organizers were too flighty to narrow things down. (Well, maybe it was in part — they are creative types, after all.) The group's inaugural event, which took over Design District nightclub the Stage in May, boasted musical performances by the Dude and the Deadly Blank, live painting by Floyd the Rock Artist, body art by Stay Sea Love and Pamela Trent, and art exhibits on just about every wall in the place. And nearly all of it was for sale or hire on site, providing the artists with the one thing all artists need: a marketplace. As perks of joining an arts alliance go, it doesn't get any better than that. - The Miami New Times

The Deadly Blank are the background music to a home movie of teenagers racing shopping carts down a paved hill. Yet, they continued the eclectic “mini-festival” bill, in function if not in form, with their 3-piece brand of lean-but-buff back alley Rock & Roll, seeming perfectly comfortable with both their unlikely nightclub surroundings and the modest confines of the Jazid stage.
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Perhaps the oddest thing about live music from Miami is that almost none of it can be found within Miami’s most widely known district. While South Beach is nationally famous for many traits –several of which actually reflect positively on the city- it is generally the last place one seeks out local bands on a given Friday night. Which is why the recent launch of the SoBe Rock Invasion at Jazid- the trendy Washington Avenue club, typically known for hosting Reggae and Latin Fusion acts downstairs while DJs spin Hip-Hop, Dancehall and Reggaeton tracks upstairs- made for such an uncommon evening’s diversion.

The first of these monthly shows, promoted by a group of local music loyalists dubbed Rock Kulture may have been an unsettling change of pace for some of the Jazid regulars. Many seemed confused upon walking into the middle of a Rock show, before quickly retreating to the safety of the 808s pulsating in the upstairs room, but it was eagerly embraced by those who hadn’t crossed the MacArthur Causeway in a while.

Hollywood, FL’s Unmaskd opened the show with a swath of broad, highly polished Christian Rock, leaving quizzical looks on the faces of much of the mostly secular Rock audience, but adeptly, if inadvertently setting the theme for a night which had no theme.

Dear Darling immediately followed, inverting the sonic landscape of the room until, where there had been the ardent light of faith-based Rock, there were soon loosely harnessed waves of melodic darkness. Inspired by the existential film and avant garde Alt-Rock, Dear Darling’s amorphous, often discordant instrumental arrangements, punctuated by Damaris Vicke’s vocal transitions -from dreamy longing, to dark foreboding, to outright hostility- seemed less designed to “pump up” the crowd than to provoke them into listening intently for the next line.

If Dear Darling are the soundtrack to a French Impressionist film about a love affair-gone-frightfully-bad, The Deadly Blank are the background music to a home movie of teenagers racing shopping carts down a paved hill. Yet, they continued the eclectic “mini-festival” bill, in function if not in form, with their 3-piece brand of lean-but-buff back alley Rock & Roll, seeming perfectly comfortable with both their unlikely nightclub surroundings and the modest confines of the Jazid stage.

The Nude Cap, whose more numerous and dance-prone membership were unable to fully fit onto the stage, took the room, and a sizeable chunk of the dance floor, by storm. Clambering, with blissful abandon, through an uncommon blend of Surf Rock, 80’s-tinted Pop and Latin attitude, husband and wife team Nando Tats and Sonia Tats, et. al., answered the age-old scientific question: “What would happen if someone took a seed from the B-52’s during their early 80’s heyday, planted it under a palm tree in South Miami and watered it with Malibu Rum?”

Funk/Metal/Hip-Hop fusion cabal Urban Rebel were then faced with the challenge of performing one of the most eagerly anticipated sets of the night, which they did in a no less than explosive fashion. Mixing elements of Korn, Fishbone and Rage Against the Machine with a brutally gifted rhythm section would be enough to snare the average crowd’s attention. But adding Lead Singer, Trip6’s mammoth stage presence (or, in this case, standing atop a large crate presence) and Drummer, Elisa Seda’s exceptional -let’s call it- “noticeability” to the mix was enough to turn this crowd into a fearsomely adoring mob.

As the wee morning hours pressed on, Brand Name Punk rounded out the festivities by serenading the most diligently devoted local music fans (and those who were just more readily able to sleep-in late the next day) with a selection of high-speed, low-pomp, short, sweet Punk anthems which, like the band’s pithy name, proved that they can never be accused of taking themselves too seriously.

Whether Rock Kulture’s valiant campaign to storm “the Beach” under the banner of Miami music will eventually succeed remains to be seen. But, where there is one mob of loyal fans willing to brave increased drink prices and “gratuity added” bar tabs that come with a trip across the Intracoastal, there may very well be others. - The Robby Robb Report

Interview with The Deadly Blank

Eric Sanchez- Guitars
Andres Abreu- Drums
Craig Rittenhouse- Bass, Vocals

What’s the origin of your band name?

Craig: Our name is a public service announcement.

Eric: Use protection.

Craig: Yes. Unless you’re a fertility doctor, don’t try to diagnose yourself. Beware the deadly blank.

Tell us the brief history of your band.

Craig: Eric and I were friends and shared a girlfriend in middle school, so we figured that collaborating musically was a logical next step. Sometime in late ’98, we started a schizophrenic rock-jazz project that played out under several crappy names. Eric brought Andres in after our original drummer, Romulo, left to serve our country on the weekends. We spent the next decade forming and breaking up several bands together. A few years back, I fell off stage and landed in the corporate world, while Eric and Andres went off to make hits records for Mexico. By November of last year, we had forgotten what a pain in the ass being in a band together was, and the Deadly Blank was born.

Andres: I remember meeting Eric and Craig in the cafeteria of a juvenile detention center.

Eric: Well, um…yeah…. I met Andres at a music store in Hialeah called Music Magic. He was working there as the …honestly, I dont know what he did there. I think there was a vacuum cleaner he would pretend to use. He and I started jamming and playing in bands together sometime in the late 90's.

How do you describe your music to people?

Andres: Dance rock.

Craig: In our bio, we describe our sound as ‘a happy marriage of vintage rock with modern roll’. You can also add, ‘an open, happy marriage willing to occassionally swing with other styles’.

Eric: We sound the way that promiscuous sex feels.

When you compose a song where do you get your ideas from, and how does a song evolve?

Craig: Lyrically, I have a fondness for writing an entire song based on a socially-unacceptable premise and disguising it to pass the censors. My lyrics are really all just perverted crap that rhymes. Otherwise, Eric wrote it.

Andres: Eric and Craig do most of the writing. I infuse the songs with dance-able beats and the results always kick my ass to play.

Craig: Recently, Andres dedicated himself to making people dance with his drumming. We supported this, especially since it was safer than his previous occupation, ninja-for-hire. It helped our sound evolve into what it is.

What can people expect from a live show visually and musically?

Eric: We really love groups from the 1960s British Invasion and bands like the New York Dolls, T-Rex, MC5, the Stooges. There’s also our secret desire to bring dancing back to rock & roll, with some blues mixed in.

Andres: Sonically, you can expect up-tempo, dance rock with comedy. Visually you’ll see two jumping, juggling guitar extraordinaires.

Craig: All of that, plus they can expect to have fun.

What’s your favorite song to play live?

Craig: “Inner Beauty”. It’s musically relentless from the first beat, lyrically perverted in a way that humors me and, in my opinion, the perfect example of what we want to do.

Eric: “Pick it Up” it’s got a great drum beat and my guitar part gives me blisters. Rock and roll should be a little dangerous.

Andres: “Inner Beauty” and the last song of the night. Doing all of that dancing on the drums tires me out.

What is your favorite venue to play in South Florida?

Craig: I’m especially partial to the cabaret in Tobacco Road, and the Monterey Club in Fort Lauderdale. My favorite rooms are the ones where the audience is close enough to steal your oxygen.

Eric: The more intimate the venue the better but, personally, I’ll play anywhere I can plug in my guitar amp. We’ve played some great parties at the Shack Annex in Hialeah, and The Stage in Midtown.

Andres: I like The Stage. The system sounds great and the engineers are attentive and knowledgable.

Finish this sentence. Support local music because…

Eric: ..if you don’t, you will miss out on great acts like the Chris Alvy Band, Dreaming in Stereo, Radioboxer, the Livesays, Brain Chips, Rebel, Falseta, Space Between Words, Avenida Zero, Lavola, Joel DaSilva, etc., the list goes on.

Craig: …it more than likely hasn’t been sanitised by a board of executive numbnuts before it reached your ears. Plus, a lot of it is as good as anything on the corporate grid. There are more great venues to hear live original music in Miami than I can recall there ever being at one time. The performance quality of the music is top-notch, and there really is an awesome local band around for practically every preference. In addition to the local bands Eric listed that deserve support, I would add ArtOfficial, Electric Piquette, Low Visibility, Stone Miller and the DRJ, Kill the Messengers, the Wholetones, Avenida Zero, Urban Rebel, DeRevo, Brand Name Punk, the Mirrors and then give up because I could go on all day. That’s what blogs like SFMO are for, generating awareness of all of this great music, and why we need to support them, too.

Andres:..it feels good when you do. - South Florida Music Obsessed

The Deadly Blank are the background music to a home movie of teenagers racing shopping carts down a paved hill - The Robby Robb Report

"very radio ready these guys. AND they nurse ducks back to health. so even better" - Billy Thin, Songshooter.com

SFL Music: Your sound has been described as ‘the
soundtrack to a downhill shopping cart race.’ What
does that even mean?
TDB: "It means that we are fun and raucous. We are
relentless. The thing with the Deadly Blank is that we want
everybody to feel good and we want them to rock. We’re
going to sound-bang everybody until we can’t sound-bang
them anymore. We don’t want our audience to stand still.
We want to get everybody in the room to move."
[Full interview available at http://www.SFLMusic.com/s/SFLMusic-January2017.pdf] - SFL Music Magazine