THE DAMAGE IS DONE

The Features
“Blow It Out”
Live @ The Red Rose
February 28th, 2003

A VERSION APPEARS ON:
Exhibit A, album release (2004)
Blow It Out, single release (2005)

OTHER VERSIONS

The Features
“Blow It Out”
Live @ Blue Cat’s
March 28th, 2002

Here is the oldest version of “Blow It Out” that I have, which comes from a show one month to the day after it debuted. You notice that the song has a placeholder second verse and the whole song is just a hair slower than normal.

A VERSION APPEARS ON:
Exhibit A, album release (2004)
Blow It Out, single release (2005)

OTHER VERSIONS 

The Features
“Blow It Out”
Krampf Sessions (2002)

Here’s an early recording of “Blow It Out” from the band’s Krampf Sessions. If I recall correctly, this recording was first heard on South By Southwest’s website when the band played there in 2002.

A VERSION APPEARS ON:
Exhibit A, US album release (2004)

OTHER VERSIONS

The Features
“Blow It Out”
Live @ The Boro
May 2nd, 2002

This is a baby photo of the Features biggest (?) song, which was only a bit over two months old at the time. Aside from a very undefined second verse (just listen to Pelham make those words up on the spot!), it’s interesting to note that this song was pretty much a done deal from it’s debut. No tinkering or re-working, the band knew they had a pop gem on their hands. With a chorus that borrows from the classic kiddie ditty “If You’re Happy and You Know It” and relates it to love of a girl/music (much like “33 1/3”), “Blow It Out” could actually border on insufferable if it wasn’t for that killer crunching back and forth rock sway that the band does underneath the chorus. Plus any song where Pelham gets to scream “yeah!” I’m down with. This song is easily accessible, sweet and unoffensive, even moreso than the band’s other heavily ’60s inspired singles “Kari-Ann” and “See You Through.”

Irresistibly poppy and undeniably clever, “Blow It Out” instantly became a fan favorite and regular at Features shows after its debut at the Red Rose on February 28th, 2002 (odd note, the band played one of their best shows there exacly a year later, and I post the bootlegs from it often…I just realized this). It enjoyed a consistent run where it was played at almost every show until the start of September 2002. The song drastically dropped off for the rest of 2002 and became something of a rarity. The song picked up again around the date of its birthday in 2003, but then trailed off as Summer 2003 rolled around. The song was not played from May 2nd, 2003 to March 12th, 2004. This was, based on conversations I’ve had, because around this time the band started getting a lot of attention from labels because of this song. I know the band feared getting signed based on one song and then becoming a one hit wonder. The fans also caught onto this and, at least in my group of friends, started disliking “Blow It Out” because of the one hit wonder status it might bestow upon our beloved Features.

The song was included on Exhibit A and became a single. Almost five years after the fact I can say that it didn’t turn the Features into one hit wonders, mainly because they still haven’t had any huge hits. I mean, if there is one Features song that people have heard, it probably is “Blow It Out.” It was included on a ton of samplers and I’ve had people reference this song without knowing of my love for this band. But still, the band performed “The Way It’s Meant To Be” on Jimmy Kimmel Live and that song was also put into the background of numerous MTV shows (including The Ashlee Simpson Show). And now that the Features have parted ways with Universal and are on 429 Records, there’re really no worries about them having been signed based on one song. I know Kings of Leon signed them based on their body of work, not the pop sensibilities of the great “Lions.”

After its inclusion on Exhibit A, “Blow It Out” came back into rotation heavily. It was regularly played for the rest of 2004 and all of 2005, but I don’t think it survived the band’s lineup change in 2006. It was most recently played at the band’s June 19th, 2009 show in Nashville.

A VERSION APPEARS ON:
Exhibit A, album release (2004)
Blow It Out, single release (2005)