THE BLISTERS

One of the longest-running NB-area bands who got their start in the 1980s, the Blisters recorded and toured consistently from 1986-97. Given their melodic structures, Blisters songs could have been kin to the many Central Jersey pop groups of the 80s, but guitarist Dennis Marmon was too attached to his distortion pedal, and good. Never as dark as some of their early contemporaries (False Virgins, Catharsis, Bad Karma, etc.), they were every bit as rough and raw, and always sounded good on WRSU. They could be favorably compared to the Replacements circa 1981-87 (but not beyond, for which we can all be grateful), and in fact named their second full-length Pissed To Meet Me, very funny. No point in going into biographical detail here, though: the Blisters' Facebook page is exceptionally detailed, and well-worth checking out for the history, photos, and audio.

Their Facebook page is also a treasure trove of flyers — at last count they had 45 — so I don't have to feel bad about only having this one, from 1989, which is pretty damn swell. Note the clash of two of the more recognizable band logos of the time. I also include the cover of their 1988 Sleepers EP as an early-ish example of the self-produced single. Springing for a two-color sleeve and something approximating a picture disk, the Blisters had their sites set on world domination from the beginning.

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