"Long Hard Road”, the awesome fifth studio disc by the BLINDSIDE BLUES BAND, features 11 trax (69 minutes) of killer, bad-ass, straight-ahead, in-your-face, solid bluesy heavy guitar riffage with powerful rippin’ lead guitars that are guaranteed to rock your world. “Long Hard Road” is a classic modern-day heavy guitar riff monster with a way-kool retro-70’s Les Paul through a Marshall vibe.
Fronted by Mike “riffmaster supreme” Onesko on guitar & vocals and joined by original killer B.B.B. blues/rock axeripper Scotty J. on guitar and Bill Gressock on 3rd guitar and complete with the powerhouse rhythm section of Emery Ceo on drums and Michael Barrick, the band rip it up and shred their way through a no-holds-barred explosive triple heavy guitar attack that will rip your face off and satisfy even the most hard-core guitar addict. From the killer powerful bluesy riffage of opener “Electric Woman” to the awesome amped-up version of the classic Cream jam “Outside Woman Blues”, on through the B.B.B.’s rippin’ heavy version of the obscure U.F.O. with Michael Schenker bluesy heavy guitar rocker “Pack It Up And Go” from the “Obsession” disc, Onesko & Co. mean serious business when it comes down to REAL heavy guitar music on the “Long Hard Road” disc. As an added bonus there is a mega-awesome 15 minute live-in-the-studio improv. power trio jam as a hidden bonus track where brother Mikey O. gets down hard on his guitar with a heavy vintage Trower vibe that sounds like this killer jam landed from 1975!!! The “Long Hard Road” c.d. (their first disc for GROOVEYARD RECORDS, an indie label dedicated to outstanding TOTAL GUITAR music), is definitely their best/heaviest work to date.

The BLINDSIDE BLUES BAND: “Long Hard Road” disc is HIGHLY recommended to fans of CREAM, MOUNTAIN, LESLIE WEST, ROBIN TROWER, PAT TRAVERS, MONTROSE, U.F.O. w/ SCHENKER and all other classic heavy guitar rockers. Fans of the previous BLINDSIDE BLUES BAND discs (in particular, the first two B.B.B. c.d.’s) will heavily dig the bad-ass killer heavy-duty hi-powered bluesy riffage that kicks serious ass all over the place on the awesome “Long Hard Road” disc.

If you dig outstanding bluesy heavy guitar riffage, do yourself a favor and take a “musical ride” down the “LONG HARD ROAD” with the BLINDSIDE BLUES BAND who definitely KEEP THE ROCK ALIVE with their awesome brand of classic bluesy riff heaviness.

I don't have to tell you there's a HUGE void in serious rock guitar nowadays. Sure, you've got Johnson, Satch, Vai and their clones and outfits like Dream Theater and their offshoots - you know the drill: unreal chops, quantum theory arrangements and "wasps in a jar" solo sections, but somehow...when all is said, done and heard...all that stuff rings a little hollow. There's something vital missing. It begs the question: Whatever happened to the "band" sound? I've had enough of the musical equivalent of an elite, high-tech SEAL team on a covert mission...I want the 1st Marine Division hitting the beach under heavy enemy fire. As The Blindside Blues Band's aptly titled CD "Long Hard Road" implies, where Dream Theater and their ilk is the former, BBB is definitely the latter, and it's about fucking time. These guys don't use laser-sighted rifles and high-tech gadgetry, killing from a distance...they use bayonets and their bare hands to tally the body count, looking you square in the eyes before they kill you so you KNOW who's doing the deed, up close and personal. In every sense, this band is BAD ASS - fearless, straight razor-toting, hard-drinking, clench-fisted fretmasters of the first fucking water...and they mean business. With a vintage three-guitar full frontal assault reminiscent of Molly Hatchett (minus the wimpy chops) and The Outlaws (minus the jangly country twang), this is true "old school" musical gang warfare - a trio of wide-open Les Pauls through cranked Marshalls - a very heavy, very bluesy, hard-as-nails jamfest with tons of energy and attitude, oozing with that elusive "band" sound where everyone is working together for a change - all for one and one for all. Finally. This three-way guitar tag team is hot and ferocious, dripping with sweat. There is absolutely NO pretention here, and you can FEEL it in their music...every hard-hitting track smokes. This is what's been missing from serious rock guitar, and BBB fills the void in a big way. So...if you like your whiskey straight, no chaser...your cigarettes short and strong...and your tuneage hard, raw and relentless, you came to the right place. This is what a band should be all about. BBB carries their banner high and proud in the ongoing rock guitar wars, leading the charge in the long-awaited return to REAL music played by a REAL band...and it's about fucking time.
JIMMY RYAN (TRUTH SQUAD) (3.06)


The band makes no apologies about their triple-guitar assault. The riffs are golden brown in an early 70s sort of way (think MOUNTAIN or POOBAH), and the trio of Mike Onesco, Scott Johnson, and Bill Gressock cover the listener in copious amounts of sweet TROWER-esque guitar nectar. Onesko’s husky vocals (which sound hauntingly similar to Mark Shelton from MANILLA ROAD) are particularly dark and alluring, sliding over cuts like “Mercury Man” and the grungy “Time Before the Sun” like some weathered reptile. Their off-center cover choices are also captivating (CREAM’s “Outside Woman Blues” and UFO’s “Pack It Up and Go”), giving your ‘ol noggin something familiar to chew on for the first few listens while the originals sink in. Every track is packed to the rafters with bloozy jam-band guitar frenzies, but none really ramble on too long, and they’re all delivered with a down-to-earth, “Don’t forget to tip your waitresses” kind of bar-band savvy. Personally, I found the MAHOGANY RUSH flavor of “Gypsy Blood” and “Sacred Son” to be the most irresistible of the lot. So if you’re a big fan of the six-string, and perhaps tired of classic rock being epitomized by Dee Snider and Kevin Cronin discussing tour bus etiquette, pick this up.