Features : ‘Blurred Vizion’ takes out anger through music while supporting research for the blind

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Brandon and Eli Olbeter have never had it easy. Losing their eyesight at ages 9 and 20 respectively, the two have had to struggle through life in ways that most people take for granted. But they haven’t let their genetic disability keep them down. In fact, they’ve excelled in many ways far beyond what most people would have expected from them. This is especially true when it comes to music.

While looking for a vehicle to channel their anger and frustration, the young Olbeter brothers found an outlet through music – specifically, Hard Rock. That sound and style became something through which they could release their anger. And though learning to play instruments was extremely difficult (Eli plays drums and Brandon plays guitar and bass), they overcame those obstacles and have now been creating music for more than a decade. Most recently they’ve been doing that alongside their friend, Joe Enlow, a vocalist and rapper who they met while in high school. Today the three of them make up the band Blurred Vizion, and their Hard Rock sound is about to come front-and-center with the release of their new EP “My Guardian Demon.”

The first single from the project, “Torture,” is slated for a June 6 release. It’s a song that sets the stage for a project the explores emotions of depression and self-doubt and anxiety – all things the brothers have dealt with while learning to live with their disability. Each of the six singles on the project will deal with those emotions and anger in some way or another. Following “Torture,” the other five singles will come out on all streaming platforms on the sixth of each month until Nov. 6, when the entire album will drop.

“We kind of look at ourselves as a less political kind of Rage Against the Machine,” Eli said. “Kind of that hard rock with a little bit of a rap mixture, but we try to stay away from the political stuff as much as possible. We’re more about real life – more our own personal lives rather than the life in the world.”

Though the Olbeters’ battle with the genetic disease Retinitis Pigmentosa is unique to them, the feelings of frustration and anger and depression and anxiety are universal emotions that many people will connect with. And hard rock is the perfect vehicle through which to emit those emotions, Brandon said. And as they are able to connect with other people through music, their hope is to bring an increased awareness to blindness and the various avenues through which efforts are being made to help people dealing with disabilities like their own.

“Our disease starts with night blindness,” Brandon said. “It takes your night vision away first, then it starts to take your peripheral vision. Then it slowly takes that away until you have nothing. At some point, unless there’s a cure, we are going to be 100 percent blind.”

To help advance the chances of finding a cure, Blurred Vizion works with The Foundation Fighting Blindness. The Olbeters have participated in medical studies to try to help find a cure or treatment, and they also plan to sell T-shirts and donate the proceeds to that charity. But their biggest platform for awareness is the stage. And every time Blurred Vizion gets to perform live in front of a crowd, they’re showing the world that losing one’s eyesight doesn’t mean life stops.

“That’s the goal that Brandon and I always had,” Eli said. “To help come up with a cure so future generations won’t have to deal with this. It’s very tough to deal with, but we try not to let it affect us. That’s the whole point in the story behind what we’re trying to do. We won’t let this beat us down. There is hope that with the right mindset and the right attitude. Anything is possible. A cure can happen.”

Make sure to stay connected to “Blurred Vizion” on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.

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