So, What's This Mission All About?
Blurt went out on tour to promote the "Celebrating" album, with Steve Eagles added as second guitarist, playing wonderfull music to very small crowds. Pearls for swines; Ted, Steve and Paul had gotten used to it, but it might have proven too much of an offer for Jon Wygens, who went on to become a respected composer in the soundtrack and jazz milieus and founded jazz-rock band Limbo with Paul Wigens.
The beginning of the new
millenium saw a revived interest in all things "No Wave" and Ted saw
the times fit for retrospection. Two samplers were released on the
"Salamander" label, a quasi official offspring of the Bahia Music
label: "The Fish Needs A Bike: The Best Of Blurt, Volume 1" in 2003,
again followed by touring with Steve Eagles and Paul Wigens, and "The
Body That They Built To Fit The Car: The Best Of Blurt, Volume 2" in
2006, with the drumseat taken over by Bob Leith from "The Cardiacs".
Re-Blurt
Blurt found themselves
rediscovered by critics and new, young audiences, receiving
invitations to play major festivals like Glastonbury, Recontres
Transmusicales in Rennes and some exclusive one-off gigs.
Ted Milton finally seems to get some recognition for his art lately, as
proven by invitations for the Berlin International Literature Festival
and to join the series of concerts with "Odes", organised in the
framework of Patti Smith's art show at the Fondation Cartier in Paris
in june 2008.
"In Berlin" and their tracks off the "Factory Quartet"
got re-released on LTM Records and after nearly ten years they even
recorded a brand new album, "Cut It", also released on LTM Records.
Manning the drums now is Dave Aylward, who took over
from Bob Leith.
Blurt still finds new audiences as far abroad as China and Russia and remain a vital force in alternative music today.