By Tiffany Lewis
Two high school friends had a dream to start a band. There was only one problem -- neither of them played instruments.
So their passion for music traveled to the basement, where they held karaoke jam sessions to quell their band-hungry desire.
Five years and a few music lessons later, their dream became reality -- Blind Reality, that is.
'None of us had ever played in a band, so we were kind of blind to it all, but then it became a reality, and that''s how we got our name,' said Aaron Weaver, 23, an accounting major from Sandy, Salt Lake County and lead guitarist for the band.
Weaver was the first to step into the music world when he started learning the guitar after high school. His best friend, Jared Colton, followed suit. Jared''s younger brother, Dan, also began learning the guitar.
They returned from their missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with plans to start a band, but thought it was all over when Jared got married.
The potential problem became an asset as Jared''s wife, Ashley, joined on as the band''s bass player. The band was complete after Weaver asked a fellow co-worker and recent high school graduate John Cox to be their drummer.
The band has now been together six months and has performed at BYU, local gigs and fundraisers.
Their music, a far cry from the strains of karaoke, is all original and described as melodic rock, said Dan Colton, 21, a communications major from Sandy, Salt Lake County, and rhythm guitarist for the band.
Blind Reality considers itself different from other local bands because of its progressive dynamics and tight harmonies, Weaver said.
They also boast a good lookin'' female bassist as one of their distinguishing features.
The band''s main purpose is to have fun, but if they could play music for a living, they would, Weaver said.
However, with the lead vocalist leaving for a year and the drummer heading off to school in South Carolina, the band is looking to take a break before hopefully making it big.
If not, there is always karaoke.