this is our band.
our story.
Blankslate was founded in 2018 by college roommates Em, Tess and Rylee after the trio transferred to the University of Denver from different schools. In the beginning, they practiced in a storage closet in the basement of their dorm and played small coffee shop and open mic gigs around DU before graduating to Denver’s club scene.
After releasing an EP, ‘{thursday},’ in 2020, Blankslate’s debut album, ‘Summer on a Salt Flat,’ was released with a sellout show at Goosetown Tavern on October 28, 2022.
‘Summer on a Salt Flat’s lead single, “Bell Station,” debuted on Indie 102.3 ahead of the album, and the band was named to the station’s Best of Local 303 list at the end of the year by listeners.
Blankslate will embark on the ‘Summer on a Salt Flat Tour’ beginning with a west coast run in summer 2023.
The driving principle behind Blankslate is transformation; a belief in the possibility to become. By culling elements of disparate influences ranging from folk to grunge to classic rock, the band crafted a sound that is uniquely their own and serves as the tapestry upon which referential, diaristic lyrics and stories are interwoven.
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“why are you so FAR from saving me?”
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Em Troughton
The voice of Blankslate, Em (they/them) is the band’s lead singer and has been singing before they could talk. Having become enamored with Dream Girls at a young age, Em found early inspiration in the unparalleled throat of Jennifer Hudson. As a performer, they got their start in collegiate acapella, so singing with instrumentation now is the most invigorating. Em is queer and non-binary. In their professional career, Em works in policymaking at Mental Health Colorado.
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Rylee Dunn
Rylee (she/her) is Blankslate’s guitarist and songwriter. Inspired by luminaries including Sufjan Stevens, Taylor Swift and Adrianne Lenker, she has been honing both skills since she was 12. Her distinctive finger-style guitar playing is inspired by the folk music she listened to growing up in California’s Monterey Bay, while her songwriting aims to capture the jagged beauty of the region. Rylee is a trans woman and works as a newspaper reporter.
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Tess Condron
The heartbeat of the band, Tess (she/her) is the drummer and keyboardist of Blankslate. She has been a musician since she was 12 years old. Tess learned to play the drums by drumming the Beatles songs and got her start with cover band Beatlehead. She credits Ringo Starr as her biggest inspiration in drumming. In her professional career, Tess works as a health center assistant at Planned Parenthood.
