Absinthe Blind Timeline
With all the changes that have taken place over the multi-year history of Absinthe Blind, this timeline was added to the site to provide a brief outline of the band's history. A more detailed account can be found in the press kit on Absinthe Blind's official website. If any info is missing, feel free to provide it using the email link at the bottom of the page. Credit for a lot of the material goes to Absinthe Blind's old website, Absinthe Blind's current website, and a horde of email announcements from the Absinthe Blind mailing list.

Summer 1996 -- Inspired by Edgar Degas' painting Le Absinthe, Adam Fein formed the band Absinthe Blind with his brother Seth and their friends Tristan Wraight and Mike Zolfo. Adam provided lead vocals and played guitar; Seth played the drums; Tristan also played guitar; and Mike was the bassist.

Fall 1997 -- Absinthe Blind releases their first album, When Our Flashes Sway, on Hammerhead Records.

Fall 1998 -- Absinthe Blind reseases their second album, Solarshift, also on Hammerhead Records. They begin experimenting with the addition of female vocals, enlisting Lynn Canfield to sing backup vocals for a few songs, most notably for Fantasy Loss, Celestial.

April 1999 -- Absinthe Blind adds two new members to its lineup, Clarissa Novales on backup vocals and percussion and Yichel Chan on guitar, and begins work on new material that will appear in a new album in about a year's time...

August 1999 -- Absinthe Blind and Clarissa Novales part ways. Clarissa is replaced by Cherie Earl.

November 1999 -- Absinthe Blind releases the now out-of-print Image EP, which contained their first songs as a six-piece. The band also settled on its female vocalist/percussionist: Adam and Seth's sister Erin. She started with backup vocals, but her talent soon surfaced, and before long, she found herself dabbling with lead vocals. The track Lifelike on Absinthe Blind's next full-length release would feature her fronting the band for the very first time.

April 28, 2000 -- Absinthe Blind releases Music for Security at a show at the Canopy Club in Urbana, IL. Though the album was another Hammerhead release, Parasol handled its distribution, enabling the music to reach a wider audience.

Summer - Winter 2000 -- Absinthe Blind tours to promote their new album, even playing at CMJ Music Fest in New York. This gains them many new fans around the continental US. They also begin work on a new album, set to be released in 2001.

January 2001 -- Absinthe Blind switches to the Parasol label.

March 4, 2001 -- The author of this very site attends his very first Absinthe Blind show.

April 28, 2001 -- Absinthe Blind releases their next album, The Everyday Separation at another show at the Canopy Club.

May - June 2001 -- Absinthe Blind tours to promote The Everyday Separation, starting from Urbana and going west as far as LA and San Francisco.

July 1, 2001 -- Hormozd's Absinthe Blind fansite is unveiled.

October 2001 -- Yichel Chan leaves the band.

November 2001 - January 2002 -- Absinthe Blind starts work on new material for an upcoming album.

February - August, 2002 -- Absinthe Blind unveils some of their new material at shows, and completes their next album, Rings, in late August. The release date is pushed back to early 2003 as the band takes a bit of a breather (in relative terms) during the fall.

September 23, 2002 -- Mike Zolfo leaves the band.

October 2002 -- Brett Sanderson is introduced as Absinthe Blind's new bassist/programmer.

December 11, 2002 -- Fans are rewarded when Parasol makes a few copies of Rings available in time for Christmas.

February 11, 2003 -- Rings is officially released, marking the end of a long but worthwhile wait. CD release shows are February 20 in Chicago and February 21 in Urbana. Recorded with the band a five-piece, Rings introduced yet another change in the band's sound and showcased more of Erin's vocal talents.

February - April, 2003 -- Absinthe Blind tours the midwestern, western, southern, and eastern United States to promote Rings. New material begins to appear at these shows.

August 2, 2003 -- Adam Fein announces his fateful decision to leave the band.

August - September, 2003 -- Absinthe Blind takes one last tour of the western US with Adam. His last show is on September 13.


[ Hormozd's AB home ]

Band photos not taken by the author, logos, images, and song lyrics have been posted here with the band's permission. All other content is Copyright © 2001 by Hormozd Gahvari. Feel free to email him about the site, but don't expect him to answer any questions about the band. For those questions, it would be better to email the band itself.