Blinker the Star

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Blinker the Star

| image =

| caption =

| image_size =

| alias =

| origin = Pembroke, Ontario, Canada

| genre = Indie rock, Blues, Pop music

| years_active = {{Start date|1992}}-present

| label = Treat & Release
A&M
DreamWorks, Vibra Cobra Records

| associated_acts =

| website =

| current_members = Jordon Zadorozny

| past_members =

}}

Blinker the Star is the recording and performance name of Jordon Zadorozny, a Canadian solo artist who has worked with various musicians to create eleven albums. Notable musicians who have appeared on Blinker the Star albums include Leland Sklar, Ken Andrews, and one of Jordon's childhood heroes, Lindsey Buckingham.{{cite web |title=Blinker The Star – Songs From Laniakea Beach, Credits |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/4638857-Blinker-The-Star-Songs-From-Laniakea-Beach |website=discogs.com |date=29 January 2013 |publisher=Discogs |access-date=23 January 2022}}{{cite web |title=Blinker the Star - Flex Your Little Claws (in studio with Lindsey Buckingham) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bzt-VhirIA |website=youtube.com | date=21 May 2013 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=23 January 2022}}

History

Zadorozny launched his musical career with a solo album created in his Pembroke basement. Aside from two songs featuring Reg Wick (a pseudonym for Doug Hempstead, who became a journalist and head of his own music project, Area Resident) on drums and Phil (last name unlisted) on bass (or "bace," as the credits spell it), and a guitar intro by Randy Pederson on one of those songs, he played all of the instruments and used elementary and improvised production techniques to create the self-titled album, which was released in 1993.{{cite web |title=Blinker The Star – Blinker The Star |url=https://www.discogs.com/master/271939-Blinker-The-Star-Blinker-The-Star |website=discogs.com |date=1994 |publisher=Discogs |access-date=23 January 2022}}

Zadorozny moved to Montreal and on the strength of favourable reviews from the debut album,{{cite web |last1=Jeffries |first1=Vincent |title=Blinker the Star Review |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/blinker-the-star-mw0000177317 |website=allmusic.com |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=23 January 2022}} which featured complex, hard guitar-pounding riffs mixed with softer, melancholy tracks, was signed to A&M Records. In 1996, with drummer Colin Wylie,{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Emma |title=Six Months In A Leaky Boat...Dec 2020 |url=https://lightning100.com/newmusic/six-months-in-a-leaky-boat-colin-wylie-dj-pick-of-the-week/ |website=lightning100.com |date=10 December 2020 |publisher=Lightning 100 |access-date=23 January 2022}} bass player Peder Jakobsen, and Guns N' Roses keyboardist Chris Pitman, Blinker the Star recorded the album A Bourgeois Kitten.{{cite web |last1=Raggett |first1=Ned |title=Blinker the Star, A Bourgeois Kitten |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-bourgeois-kitten-mw0000075144 |website=allmusic.com |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2021-08-30}}

In 1997, Zadorozny moved to Los Angeles, where he was tapped by Courtney Love, and her band Hole, to help with their 1998 album Celebrity Skin. Zadorozny contributed to the song Reasons to Be Beautiful.{{cite web |last1=Helms |first1=William Ruben |title=New Audio: Blinker the Star |url=https://joyofviolentmovement.com/new-audio-blinker-the-star-releases-an-anthemic-80s-synth-pop-inspired-single/ |website=joyofviolentmovement.com |date=6 September 2019 |publisher=The Joy of Violent Movement |access-date=2021-08-31}}

In Los Angeles, Blinker signed with DreamWorks Records and released the album August Everywhere in 1999.{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Catherine |title=Video Vision Exclusive Interview: Blinker the Star |url=http://videovision.org/vv_interviews-blinkerthestar.html |website=videovision.org |publisher=Video Vision |access-date=2021-08-31}}{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000304161314/http://www.chartattack.com/features/99/blinker/index.html "BLINKER THE STAR: NOT RICH AND FAMOUS YET"]}}. Chart Attack, interview by Daniel T. Smallegange, 1999{{cite web |last1=Reyes-Kulkarni |first1=Saby |title=Jordon Zadorozny Interview |url=https://www.popmatters.com/blinker-the-star-2020-interview-2649478786.html |website=popmatters.com |date=17 December 2020 |publisher=Pop Matters |access-date=2021-07-31}} Singles from the album, particularly "Below the Sliding Doors", enjoyed considerable airplay on Canadian radio stations such as 102.1 The Edge; the album was number 89 on The Edge's top 102 albums of 1999.{{cite web |author=Edge.ca |title=Top 102 Albums of 1999 |url=http://www.edge.ca/Music/Countdowns/1999Top102Albums.aspx |publisher=CFNY |accessdate=Dec 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090529000549/http://www.edge.ca/Music/Countdowns/1999Top102Albums.aspx |archive-date=2009-05-29 |url-status=dead }}

After being dropped from DreamWorks, Blinker re-emerged in 2003 with the album Still in Rome,{{cite web |title=Blinker the Star - Still in Rome |url=https://silentuproar.com/reviews/579/blinker-the-star/still-in-rome/ |website=silentuproar.com |publisher=Silent Uproar |access-date=2021-08-30}}{{cite web |title=Open Your Eyes to Blinker the Star |url=https://therevue.ca/2013/10/24/open-your-eyes-to-blinker-the-star/ |website=therevue.ca |date=24 October 2013 |publisher=The Revue |access-date=2021-08-30}} then, in the spring of 2012, We Draw Lines.{{cite web |last1=Sylvester |first1=Daniel |title=Blinker the Star - We Draw Lines |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/blinker_star-we_draw_lines |website=exclaim.ca |publisher=Exclaim! |access-date=2021-08-30}}{{cite web |last1=Gahan |first1=Sebastian |title=Blinker the Star - We Draw Lines |url=https://www.verbicidemagazine.com/2012/07/13/blinker-the-star-we-draw-lines-review/ |website=verbicidemagazine.com |publisher=Verbicide Magazine |access-date=2021-08-30}}{{cite web |last1=Harrison |first1=Tom |title=Blinker the Star: We Draw Lines |url=https://theprovince.com/entertainment/music/blinker-the-star-we-draw-lines-nile-river |website=theprovince.com |publisher=The Province |access-date=2021-08-30}} Blinker drew in several musicians for 2013's Songs From Laniakea Beach, then went solo again with 11235 (2015){{cite web |title=Blinker The Star – 11235 |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/21634396-Blinker-The-Star-11235 |website=discogs.com |date=7 December 2015 |publisher=Discogs |access-date=23 January 2022}} and 8 of Hearts (2017).{{cite web |last1=MacIntyre |first1=David |title=Blinker the Star - 8 of Hearts |url=https://www.taisawards.com/inpage/blinker-the-star/?preview_secret=SERVICE_PREVIEW_SECRET |website=taisawards.com |publisher=Tais Awards |access-date=2021-08-31}} That was followed by Careful With Your Magic (2019),{{cite web |title=Blinker the Star shares...Oct 2019 |url=https://medium.com/gigsoup/blinker-the-star-shares-new-album-careful-with-your-magic-interview-8c751210a4fc |website=medium.com |date=8 October 2019 |publisher=GIGsoup |access-date=23 January 2022}} Juvenile Universe (2020){{cite web |last1=Doole |first1=Kerry |title=Blinker The Star: Terror Of The Heart, Dec 2020 |url=https://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/2020/12/02/blinker-star-terror-heart |website=fyimusicnews.ca |date=2 December 2020 |publisher=FYI Music News |access-date=23 January 2022}} and another solo album, Arista (2021).{{cite web |last1=Lepage |first1=Mark |title=Blinker the Star brightens the summer |url=https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/local-arts/blinker-the-star-brightens-the-summer-with-one-of-the-best-songs-of-2021-so-far |website=montrealgazette.com |publisher=Montreal Gazette |access-date=2021-08-31}}{{cite web |title=Spill Album Premiere: Blinker the Star - Arista |url=https://spillmagazine.com/spill-album-premiere-blinker-the-star-arista/ |website=spillmagazine.com |date=28 June 2021 |publisher=The Spill Magazine |access-date=2021-08-31}}

Zadorozny has put together live bands to open for Sam Roberts{{cite web |title=Blinker the Star - Below the Sliding Doors (live) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P50DPdUn0I8 |website=youtube.com | date=29 March 2012 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=23 January 2022}} and Sloan.{{cite web |title=Sloan / Blinker The Star, Apr 2004 |url=https://www.concertarchives.org/concerts/sloan-blinker-the-star |website=concertarchives.org |publisher=Concert Archives |access-date=23 January 2022}} His band played Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern with Wide Mouth Mason, The Pursuit of Happiness, The Killjoys and Local Rabbits during Canadian Music Week,{{cite web |title=Canadian Music Week, March 1997 |url=https://www.concertarchives.org/concerts/canadian-music-week-d007de27-e945-413e-8a7f-540f5cded14d |website=concertarchives.org |publisher=Concert Archives |access-date=23 January 2022}} and has played Edenfest{{cite web |title=Eden Festival 1996 |url=https://www.concertarchives.org/concerts/eden-festival-1996 |website=concertarchives.org |publisher=Concert Archives |access-date=23 January 2022}} and the North by Northeast festival.{{cite web |title=BLINKER THE STAR - SEPTEMBER ALREADY - DUNDAS SQUARE - NXNE 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4OZaCY10Mg |website=youtube.com | date=24 June 2013 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=23 January 2022}} He last appeared at the Horseshoe Tavern in 2019.{{cite web |title=Blinker The Star - September Already (live) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JHiXc8EfSU |website=youtube.com | date=3 October 2019 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=23 January 2022}}

In November 2021, Buckingham gave Zadorozny and Brad Laner retroactive song-writing credit after it was found that he accidentally plagiarized their song "Swan Song".{{cite web |last1=Helman |first1=Peter |title=Lindsey Buckingham Gives Retroactive Credit...Nov 2021 |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2168471/lindsey-buckingham-gives-retroactive-credit-to-blinker-the-star-and-medicine-songwriters/news/ |website=stereogum.com |date=23 November 2021 |publisher=Stereogum |access-date=23 January 2022}}

Discography

Blinker the Star (Treat & Release 1993, Vibra Cobra Records 1995), with Reg Wick.{{cite web |title=Reg Wick |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/3323765-Reg-Wick |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=23 January 2022}} and Phil.

A Bourgeois Kitten (A&M Records 1996), with Colin Wylie, Peder Jakobsen Chris Pitman Kelli Scott Ken Andrews and Greg Edwards

August Everywhere (Dreamworks Records 1999), with Brad Laner, Greg Wells, Leland Sklar, Kellii Scott,{{cite web |title=Kellii Scott |url=https://remo.com/team/member/kellii-scott/bio/ |website=remo.com |publisher=Remo Inc. |access-date=23 January 2022}} Ken Andrews, Pete Frolander,{{cite web |title=Pete Frolander |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/3323885-Pete-Frolander |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=23 January 2022}} Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Charlie Bisharat, Vinnie Colaiuta, Joel Derouin, John Parish and Chris Pitman.

Still in Rome (Maple Nationwide Records 2003), with Kellii Scott.

We Draw Lines (Nile River Records 2012), with Brad Laner, Sofia Silva{{cite web |title=Sofia Silva |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/1265849-Sofia-Silva |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=23 January 2022}} and Gilden Tunador.{{cite web |title=Gilden Tunador |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/410577-Gilden-Tunador |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=23 January 2022}}

Songs From Laniakea Beach (Nile River Records 2013), with Kellii Scott, Sofia Silva, Tony Rabalao,{{cite web |title=Tony Rabalao |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/312633-Tony-Rabalao |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=23 January 2022}} Stella Panacci, Matt Mahaffey, Lindsey Buckingham and Brad Laner.

11235 (Independent, 2015), solo

8 of Hearts (Independent, 2017), solo

Careful With Your Magic (Nile River Records 2019), with Bob Wilcox{{cite web |title=Bob Wilcox |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/1965272-Bob-Wilcox |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=23 January 2022}} and Stella Panacci

Juvenile Universe (2020), with Bob Wilcox, Filippo Gaetani, Ken Stringfellow, Paul D'Amour, Jarek Leskiewicz,{{cite web |title=Jarek Leskiewicz |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/2206347-Jarek-Leskiewicz |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=23 January 2022}} Chris Church,{{cite web |title=Chris Church |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/953133-Chris-Church |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=23 January 2022}} Lexi Stern, John Fields, Gregory Macdonald,{{cite web |title=Gregory Macdonald |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/1235257-Gregory-Macdonald |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=23 January 2022}} Joni Fuller, and Stella Panacci.