Mind’s Eye (1995-97)

“Mind’s Eye mixes a psychedelic soup of hard rock,
adding in a tight, rhythmic skeleton
by which the meat is supported.”
—Toledo Underground, August 1995

Formed in Toledo in the Fall of 1994, Mind’s Eye quickly became an area favorite and opened for national act Slaughter in Toledo. The band was involved in the Crossover Alliance, a Northwest Ohio organization devoted to promoting the Toledo-area original music scene. Local bands participating in the Alliance included Uncle Knucklefunk, all HAIL me, the Mark Mikel Hallucination, and others. Mind’s Eye organized a Crossover Showcase at Franklin Park Mall in Toledo to create media awareness of Toledo’s music, which featured acoustic performances by all eight of the bands involved in the Crossover Alliance.

Bio
It’s easier to say what Mind’s Eye isn’t rather than what they are. Their brand of aggressive, atmospheric modern rock appeals to an ever-growing legion of fans. Commercial without being overly trendy, heavy without being grunge, melodic and intense—these are the hallmarks of the Mind’s Eye sound.

Mind’s Eye fuses a myriad of influences into a unique, commercially-appealing sound. Thought-provoking lyrics concentrate on themes of self-introspection, delve into the human psyche and explore our response to the world around us. Powerful vocals are interwoven with moody, complex melodies built on an aggressive, groove foundation.

The band balanced regional touring with recording songs. Five of these songs are featured on this website (on the Jams page). They opened for national act Slaughter, and although the musical styles of the two bands were vastly different, Mind’s Eye was well-received.

The band arose from the ashes of Wire & Wood, an original instrumental project created by Scott and Chris. Jason recruited the duo to form an all-original band stylistically different fromW&W. The direction of the music moved towards a vocally-oriented style falling somewhere between the Beatles and Stone Temple Pilots. After meeting Jaytee at a music store, they asked her to audition. They liked what they heard and the lineup was complete. Their individual influences blended into a combination that was fresh and innovative.

Jaytee studied voice at VIT, the vocal performance program at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA. She was a bassist/vocalist in cover bands prior to Mind’s Eye and has been playing guitar and singing since age six. She holds a BFA in Graphic Design from Bowling Green State University and is responsible for the band’s promotional materials and graphics. She is the primary lyricist for the band.

Jason is a veteran of many popular local bands, including Malakai, which opened locally for Tora Tora, Steelheart, and Faster Pussycat. He holds the distinction of being the only musician to play bass in the Toledo Guitar Wars competition, placing 8th in a field of 63 guitarists. In addition to holding up the bottom end, he was the band’s main musical contributer and recording engineer.

Chris is a career musician. An accomplished guitarist and former instructor, he devotes all of his time to practicing the guitar and writing songs.

Scott pursued percussion at Bowling Green State University and graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Studies. As an award-winning percussionist throughout his early academic career, Scott received the Outstanding Soloist Award at the Northview Jazz Festival as well as the Louis Armstrong Award.