Unified Theory Rises From Blind Melon's Ashes

06/14/2000 12:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(6/14/00, 12 p.m. ET) - Seven years ago, Blind Melon was on top of the world, with a hit self-titled album featuring a single in "No Rain" that ruled radio (and, thanks to a little girl in a bumblebee outfit, the video airwaves as well). Two years later, lead vocalist Shannon Hoon died of a drug overdose and the Seattle band became another rock 'n' roll casualty. Nowadays, two-fifths of the group -- guitarist Christopher Thorn and bassist Brad Smith -- are rocking again in the alt-rocking Unified Theory along with former Pearl Jam drummer Dave Krusen and Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter/guitarist Chris Shinn.

Gone might be the days of maximum-profile rock stardom, but Thorn tells LAUNCH that starting over again can be a pretty energizing experience, as was this particular moment before a club gig in Portland recently. "I was lifting my gear on stage and some guy said to me, 'Hey, is it weird that a couple years ago you played Woodstock and now you're lifting your own gear?' I felt so, like, humbled but, like, the truth is I never even thought about that. I didn't go, 'Hey, man, I played Woodstock back in '90-whatever, I shouldn't be. . .' I never thought about that," he says. "I just thought, 'Hey, I'm in a new band and I'm psyched, you know?' I was just having a good time."

Thorn jokes, "After that I called my manager and I said, 'You know what? I don't know if you know, but I played Woodstock. I ain't ever lifting my gear again.'"

Unified Theory's self-titled debut album is due from 3:33 Music/Universal on August 15.

-- Neal Weiss, Los Angeles

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