I'm starting this blog off with one of my favorite local bands from the area, Mindset. Based out of Chesapeake, VA, Mindset set themselves apart from other local bands in the area simply by having a heavier sound and provocative, creative lyrics. Their live shows were full of energy and passion. Simply put, they were one of the best local bands in the late '90s.
Mindset had been around for a couple of years before I discovered them in 1997. I attended a show at the legendary Boathouse in Norfolk, VA (to this day, still my favorite venue) and was expecting to see a different opening act. Instead, the band took the stage and Roddy Lane (vocalist) said "How's it going? We're Mindset. Let's have a good time tonight." and subsequently kicked into their set.
At first I thought, "Who the hell are these guys?", expecting another band to open the show. Once I shrugged off that question and began watching them and listening, I found myself liking what I was hearing. Their music was ferocious with an I don't give a fuck attitude about it. Once their set ended I was sold and immediately walked over to the merch table and bought their self titled album for about $10-15. After the show I put that CD in my car stereo for the ride home and couldn't believe how good the album was. It then proceeded to live in my stereo for the next 6-7 months. I shared it with my friends who also became fans of the band.
They played around town, mostly in venues I couldn't get into because I was under age. I usually caught them performing at local shows that were all ages or on a side stage for the local rock radio station FM99's festival Lunatic Luau.
In 1999, they put out their second album, A Bullet For Cinderella, and it was just as fierce and heavy as their first album. My excitement for the band became crazy. I was sure they were going to blow up and get signed to a label that would expose them to a bigger audience. Word had it that Kid Rock, who was enjoying his mainstream breakout success, had listened to Mindset and was a fan of the band. I knew it was only a matter of time.
Then, something strange happened. One day in the summer of 2000, I randomly searched the band on Amazon and came across a couple of stray singles. One was called "Running Out of West" which had all of the band's trademarks. It was new material, but no album? I found another single "Napalm Sunday" that blew me away! It was by far the best song I'd heard from them at the time. I ordered it for like $2 and couldn't wait to get it, but once it arrived it was the other song "Running Out of West". When I went back to re-order the right song, the listing was gone. After that, I heard nothing from the band. It was as if they had just disappeared. A year or so later I heard the band broke up and some of the members were playing in a new band. (I forget the name)
As disappointed as I was the band had broken up, I still listened to their albums and they still hold up for me. Their music doesn't sound dated and stale. Last month I ordered their first two albums online, needing new CDs since mine were 15 years old and scratched and played to all hell. Ripping off the cellophane and flipping through the booklets, I felt as if I were back in high school, discovering this band for the first time. Now, in my thirties, instead of feeling joy of hearing this band for the first time, I was simply excited to have newer copies to continue my appreciation for the band.
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I miss them so much.
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