Blind Melon

Shortly after singer Shannon Hoon died of a drug overdose, Blind Melon essentially disbanded, ending a promising group that had just broken through big time, thanks to an instantly beloved single, “No Rain.” Perhaps because of the ongoing demand for Blind Melon’s brand of poppy, southern-rock-inspired jam music, or perhaps because of VH1-induced nostalgia for that tap-dancing bumble-bee girl, the band decided to give it another go in 2006, recruiting a new vocalist, Travis Warren (who sounds like an unfortunate hybrid between Hoon and Perry Farrell) and trying their luck with a new album, slated for release this April. Although many will be rightly skeptical of any line-up of the band that doesn’t involve Hoon, new tracks posted to the band’s Myspace page are as tuneful as anything the group recorded in their heyday. The new Blind Melon stops by the Rave tonight for an 8 p.m. show.