The Blood Lines @ NXNE 2008

BACKGROUND/COMPOSITION: Comprised of two groups of siblings (Paul and Barrett Ross and S.J. and Maygen Kardash), The Blood Lines play pop music that’s sometimes perky, sometimes kind of sad and moody, but almost always awesome.

Grade: 88

Comment:With harmonies that range from pretty to downright boisterous and jubilant and an arsenal of well-crafted, memorable songs and a ridiculously energetic live show, The Blood Lines could be considered Saskatoon’s answer to The Golden Dogs. The band did have one unfortunate misstep when they started to veer into boring Stars territory, but they can be forgiven for that in light of how great the rest of the set was.

Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations
80-100: Exceeds skill and knowledge expectations, i.e. rocked us so hard we peed our pants.
70-79: Achieves required skills and knowledge. Meets rock 'n' roll standard.
60-69: Demonstrates some skills. Approaches rock 'n' roll standard.
50-59: Demonstrates some required skills and knowledge in a limited way.
00-50: Has not demonstrated required skills or knowledge.

Learning Skills: E=Excellent, G=Good, S=Satisfactory, N=Sad Really

Oral And Visual Communication
Eye Contact: E
Pronunciation: S
Stage Presence: E
Stage Banter: E
Image: E
Appearance: E
Use Of Stage: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep:
S.J. and Maygen Kardash clearly had a better time during this set than they did with their other band, Junior Pantherz, earlier in the night. Ditching the reserved nature of their Pantherz performance, the siblings, especially the charismatic and sequin-laden Maygen, tore up the stage. It’s hard to blame them for their behaviour. The Blood Lines are far more fun. 

Musical Analysis
Level Of Participation: E
Problem Solving: G
Teamwork: E
Work Habits: E
Organization: E
Audience Participation: E
Sound: E
Composition: E
Songs: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep:
The sound during this set left a little to be desired. At times, Maygen’s vocals were inaudible and the harmonies were often buried by the instruments. It’s a shame, because the ones that could be heard sounded pretty freaking amazing. 

Other Skills And Areas Of Interest
Charisma:
E  Problem Solving: G
Teamwork: E
Sexiness: E
Haircut: E
Indie Rock Footwear: G
Nods To Disposible Fashion: G
Cool Equipment: E
Level Of Inebriation: E
Actual Ability: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep:
On a completely superficial note, the Kardash parents have passed on some fantastic genes to their children. Their cheekbones are so perfect that it’s positively distracting. As for disposable fashion, Maygen scored big points for her sparkly green dress that could have been a figure skating costume, but, sadly, lost almost as many for her unfortunate choice of boots.