PERRY & BLACKWELL - A SOUND TO GET EXCITED ABOUT
PERRY & BLACKWELL
A SOUND TO GET EXCITED ABOUT
By RubySage
3 July2026
I, very recently, experienced a certain magnificent nostalgic moment, when I discovered Nu-Grunge band, Perry & Blackwell. Now, if ever there was a sure tell-tale happening that resulted in my being inspired enough to try take over the world, I can assure you, ‘Pinky and the Brain’ isn’t it…it is and has always been the sounds of Nu-Grunge. Maybe it’s the air of rebellion, the idea of being part of a movement that will, loudly, express a message of moral stature and ‘sticking it to the man’ if you will…or maybe it just a combination of epic sounds that captive me. Either way, Nu- Grunge has always, and to this day, excites me.
Now, for those who live under a rock, and in the spirit of being ever so controversial, I found a beautifully descriptive explanation on the music genre, Nu-Grunge, provided by the ever so debated about tool, namely A.I. And it goes a little something like this; “Nu-grunge is an emerging musical movement that revives the raw, sludgy, and angst-ridden tones of early 90s alt-rock by blending them with heavier nu-metal and grunge sensibilities What it represents is a massive resurgence of heavy, 90s-inspired distorted riffs, frequently blended with shoegaze, hardcore, and alternative metal."
If that doesn’t help or ‘do it’ for you, my suggestion is listening to anything by Perry & Blackwell. This is a band who has instantly and literally overnight become one of Ruby fav’s…. this is definitely a band to keep an eye out for…. Your world will be rocked!
I was lucky enough to have a chat with Jake Blackwell. And , naturally, I asked him a bunch of questions…
My Q & A with Jake Blackwell
. Q. Tell is a bit about the band. When was the band formed, by who and why?
A: 27 years of Rocking and Friendship for Jon Perry & Jake Blackwell sums it up. We met in high school and instantly identified with each other through our love for the same rock music. The first band in high school was called Zip Code. After grade 12, Jon relocated to Cape Town and formed High Trailer with his brother. Jake went to Britain. A few years later, we reconnected back in KZN province and formed “Conform to None” and there after the very successful band named “Minority For The Masses”. Now
Our latest solo project is PERRY&BLACKWELL. The project began in about 2024 when we stated writing and forming the songs for this album. And we then recorded it and produced, mixed and mastered the album ourselves in our studio Bunks studio.
2. Q: What would you say is your vibe/genre?
A: Our Vibe is Nu-Grunge because we are heavily influenced by Rock and metal bands of the 90's - 2000's
3. Q: Did you always want to make music?
A: Yes since we met in our first year in high school we started writing music together
4. Q: What are your Instrament(s) of choice?
A: For Jake it’s always been Guitar/Vocals. For Jon, its also Guitar/Vocals along with Bass guitar and a drums.
5. Q: History / short time line of your own musical journey (bands /albums/ etc)
A: We both come from musical families so we’ve always had Rock n Roll has around us. We grew up listening to our parents playing all the rock classic. The ones that we all know and love Our First single released is called *STICKS AND STONES*. We have a new single coming along with a music video coming out soon called *PSYCH* debut album _Volume 1_. …watch this space.
6.Q: Any Noteworthy /brag rights...?
A: In our previous band, Minority For The Masses, we had some great achievements. Like our one single being played on East Coast Radio in Durban and then being interviewed in their Studio. We also played Splashy Fen Main stage - twice. (2014 and 2015)
7. Q: What is your favourite sound that is unrelated to music?
A: hmmm ... for Jake it’s the sound of the ocean and waves. For Jon it’s a storm
8. Q: What’s on the cards for Perry & Blackwell...? What can we expect in the (near?) future?
A: We are currently rehearsing with a drummer and looking for a bassist to build up to playing some live shows A.S.A.P
10. Q: One word of advice for new musos trying to break into the scene?
A: Do it for the love!
11. Q: One fun fact we don't know about you....
A: Jon is a potato farmer and Jake has a home and office renovations company
12. Q: Who writes your songs and music?
A: All our music is written very collaboratively. We been doing it along time and have a great understanding of what kinda music and rock we want to play.
13. Q: Of your own music... Which is your favourite song?
A: That’s a tough question ... difficult because we love all our tunes. But for Jon it’s probably STICKS AND STONES & for Jake - HAND OVER FIST
15. Q: Do you sing in the shower? and if so... What?
A: uuummm no answer on that one – as far as I know, neither of us sing in the shower
16. Q: If you had the ability to change one thing in the local music scene, what would it be?
A: For all great local Rock and Metal bands to have more local and international exposure
17. Q: Where can listeners find you and your music?
A: you can find us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, tiktok, Apple music, Spotify etc
18. Q: What bands /musicians have been some of your greatest influences, inspiring you to make music?
A: Wow, there are so many. Pretty much everything from classic rock to present day vibes. But to narrow I down, we both agree on Nirvana and The Offspring as one of the biggest influences. Some others would be Jimi Hendrix, Deftones, Beatles, Saron Gas/Seether, Mastodon and so many others.
19. Q: If your music could change one thing in the world.... What would it be?
A: uuummm ... to make Rock n Roll more popular for the current younger generation.
20. Q: If you were trapped in an elevator with one famous person, dead or alive, who would it be and what would you ask him/her?
A: For Jake: Kurt Cobain. I’d ask him, “What kind of Alien and planet are you from".
And for Jon it would be Jimi Hendrix. And it would probably be something like "show me how you play that legendary lick”
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Catch the full Ruby's Review on #jollingwithseanmcbride show on Burg.Studio.Online, here:
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