Blinman was born and grew up near
Los Angeles, California. From an early age, he had a strong interest in music and recording technology, citing
the Beatles and many
post-punk and
new wave bands among his favorites. In high school, he began playing drums in an electronic band and experimenting with recording at home. His professional audio career began at theme park
Six Flags Magic Mountain, where he engineered live sound for various bands and theatrical shows in 1986-87. Blinman began his professional studio career in 1990, working as a runner at Ground Control Studios in
Santa Monica and Studio 55 in
Hollywood before moving to The Complex Studios in West Los Angeles in 1991. At The Complex he worked as an
assistant engineer for several years with such artists as Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, the Yellowjackets, Jack Sheldon, Neil Diamond and Tracy Chapman. He also worked at The Complex and Wilshire Stages as an
ADR recordist and
production sound mixer for film and television shows including many episodes of the animated programs
The Simpsons,
Futurama, and
King of the Hill. In the mid-1990s, Blinman moved into freelance record work, mixing albums by
This Ascension and Popsicko in 1994 and founding his own production company and personal studio The Eye Socket in 1995, where he recorded and co-produced albums by
Faith and the Muse, Malign, and Autumn. In 1998, he mixed the album
Live by
Face to Face, the first of many collaborations with the band and members
Trever Keith and
Scott Shiflett, including
Viva Death and
the Legion of Doom. He co-produced, recorded and mixed the 1999 Face to Face album
Ignorance Is Bliss, their 1999 covers album
Standards & Practices, their 2000 album
Reactionary, and their 2002 album
How to Ruin Everything, as well as Trever Keith's 2008 solo album
Melancholics Anonymous and all three albums by
Viva Death: their eponymous debut in 2002,
One Percent Panic in 2006, and
Curse the Darkness in 2010.
The Legion of Doom achieved notoriety for their 2005 mash-up album
Incorporated, which they leaked intentionally onto
peer-to-peer networks after their original plan to license all of the material proved impossible. Estimates of P2P downloads number in the millions, and fan-created videos for the
Incorporated mash-ups have millions of views. The Legion of Doom has remixed songs by
Flyleaf,
Senses Fail,
Thrice,
Slayer,
Skillet,
Goblin, and others. In 2006, Blinman co-founded independent artist collective and label Functional Equivalent Recordings to release records by
Real Space Noise,
Viva Death, Tate Eskew and others. As a touring musician, Blinman has performed on drums with
Faith and the Muse,
Das Ich and Ichor in 1995-96, and on keyboards/electronics with
Trever Keith in 2008. Blinman also worked as touring
front of house engineer for
Face to Face and
Tweaker in 2004. Relocating to
Boston in 2010, Blinman joined the
Berklee College of Music faculty as Assistant Professor of Music Production and Engineering. Blinman also serves as Faculty Advisor and General Manager of Berklee's radio station, the BIRN (Berklee Internet Radio Network). He hosts a weekly show on the BIRN called
Laboratory X. He also continues his freelance work, recording at The Eye Socket and elsewhere. == References ==