JOHN COMMON sometimes wishes he were a filmmaker or a painter.  But due to a run-in with his older brother's record collection at an impressionable age, he ended up with an obsession for making music instead. John writes a lot of songs -- mostly because if he didn't write them, they'd clog his mind and his heart, create a log jam of sorts and then he'd get stuck at stop lights and in coffee shop lines, mumbling incoherently to himself. He does those things less when he writes songs.John makes records -- mostly because as fun as the architecture of songwriting can be, it closes a kind of karmic loop to actually build the house too.  You can sleep in those records.  They'll hold you, if you let them.  And even though making a record is very hard work, when it's done, you get to stand alone in your front yard with the door open and the record playing loudly and your neighbors pissed off but mostly understanding. That's when you look up at the stars through your cold breath and think to yourself, "God damn. We did it... this sounds lovely."John plays shows with his friends -- mostly because, on a good night, he leaves his body down there on stage and just floats around with everyone else in the air.  And that makes all of the loading of gear and winding of strings worth it.BLINDING FLASHES OF LIGHTBlinding Flashes of Light stretch the traditional definition of a band.  It's more like a collaborative crash pad where musicians, artists and friends cycle through, making music, films, written and visual art.  Current mainstays include the talented multi-instrumentalist Wes Michaels and the heart-breakingly soulful singer Jess De Nicola.  The band includes a long list of luminous Colorado musicians including Jimmy Stofer, Adam Revell, Carl Sorensen, Jon Wirtz, Jed Marrs, Kevin Meyer, Tom Germain, Scott Davies and others. Each musician in Blinding Flashes of Light is an artistic force in their own right. Come to any show -- you'll hear it.  See their individual bios below. BEAUTIFUL EMPTYJohn Common & Blinding Flashes of Light are releasing a new record in 2010.  Beautiful Empty is a stunning collection of cinematic songs, lush orchestrations and gorgeous harmonies. Written and directed by Common, the new record comes from those stories and films that play in our head when we're finally quiet and empty enough to pay attention. Beautiful Empty was born in Prague, written in front of a piano, and recorded in a wooden room.  These songs will pin you to the wall, break your heart or send you off to think for a while.Hope you like it.