Starting with just a mailing list to promote new song releases and local performances, Southern California based Rock band Tragic Bloody Fools’ fan club took on another life when an article titled “Foolish Ones” appeared on its website. The 756-word essay begins by expounding the band’s anarchist stance against pop culture and the establishment in general. From there, it untangles as a "how-to" on forming a cult and indoctrinating others in the band’s underlying premise of “transforming people's lives for the better” through evangelism, community outreach, and regular practice. 
 
Rebellion has always been a favorite theme amongst disenchanted youths, and that message alone will likely sell some t-shirts. But this might be more than just a gimmick. It’s not uncommon for cults to take birth with a small group of like-minded people who have polarized themselves from wider society. These kinds of factions often go undetected for years, hiding in plain sight and living harmoniously with the local population. The red flag went off for me when the article went so far as to suggest fans live together communally, begin dialogues with local politicians, and hold public debates as a way of introducing new members to the band’s concepts. Suddenly, I was reminded of the exact same scenario unravelling in Wasco County, Oregon with a group of heretic followers of an Indian mystic, documented in the Netflix movie “Wild Wild Country”. 
 
I might still be inclined to call this an elaborate PR stunt if it weren’t for the spooky image of four well-dressed men wearing featureless, white masks on the band’s homepage. Interestingly, this is also the only picture on the entire website. Despite their questionable marketing strategy, the band seems to be drinking its own Kool-Aid by living up to its promise to build a community amongst its fans. For its debut live performance in Orange County, CA., the band encouraged its social media followers who weren’t able to attend to “pay it forward” and purchase a ticket anyway. At the band’s discretion, the ticket was gifted to someone, and the payee was rewarded with other perks. 
 
Likewise, the song lyrics are unexpectedly positive, dealing with themes of isolation, angst, and the journey to self discovery. The debut single “Breathe” addresses the toxicity of being trapped in one’s own thoughts, and guides the listener on how to break from wrong perspectives by escaping into the moment. The driving riffs and solid drumming makes it easy to do just that, and you’ll find yourself turning up the volume almost involuntarily by the time the guitar solo starts soaring.
 
Tragic Bloody Fools was formed in 2021 from a collection of seasoned players who shared inspiration from the likes of Tool, Deftones, Alice In Chains, and other similar artists. Their unique brand of entertainment is an alchemy of syncopated rhythms, heavy spatial harmonics, and satirical themes, delivered with captivating, high energy performance. The band’s name is a twist on a quote from the novel “The Power Of The Dog” by author and activist, Don Winslow, which reads: Art can't decide whether the War on Drugs is an obscene absurdity or an absurd obscenity. In either case, it's a tragic, bloody farce.
 
Undoubtedly on the cusp of something big, the band’s show schedule is growing rapidly. While today, only three songs are released to the public, a catalog of song lyrics can be found on their website, indicating a mature body of work exists somewhere, possibly to insiders and its closest supporters. For everyone else, it seems the best way to satisfy our curiosity and become anointed in the way of the Foolish Ones is to experience the band lives. Show schedules can be found on their website, Bandsintown, and Facebook.
 
 
Homepage: https://TragicBloodyFools.com
Bandsintown: https://Bandsintown.com/TragicBloodyFools
Facebook: https://Facebook.com/TragicBloodyFools
 
By Vinay Kumar, Editor
Shomeetickets.com