Blue Cactus, the North Carolina duo of Steph Stewart and Mario Arnez, make Dream Country: a blend of grit, glitz, groove, and twang that evokes a celestial soundscape of mid-century heartbreak and harkens comparisons eclectic and iconic as Bobbie Gentry, Fleetwood Mac, and David Bowie.
Their sophomore album, Stranger Again, released in 2021 on Sleepy Cat Records, nabbed enthusiastic attention from tastemakers including No Depression, American Songwriter, FLOOD Magazine, Talkhouse, and INDY Week among others. Following their critically acclaimed 2017 debut and a string of singles in 2020, Stranger Again saw the band taking their sound to an ambitious new plane, where country-rock and light psychedelia mingle, vocals soaring over twangy slide guitars and propulsive basslines.
The North Carolina duo were official showcase artists for the 2022 SERFA Conference and have performed at several beloved festivals including Nelsonville, Red Wing Roots, Rooster Walk, Muddy Roots and Hopscotch and shared the stage as support for an array of artists from The War & Treaty, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, and Lilly Hiatt and Town Mountain.
Between the comfort of classic country and the glamor of 70s rock, Blue Cactus resuscitate a fleeting style of honest-to-goodness country m usic considered valueless to a “new” country music where songwriting is officiated by financial analysts and teams of marketing plutocrats instead of woebegone troubadours. With a high lonesome twang, an Emmylou-like southern drawl, and blistering guitar techniques, Blue Cactus exercises the honky-tonk muscles to firmly bear the flag for a new generation of country music.
LINKS:
Tour Dates: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/13077360-blue-cactus
Website: https://www.bluecactusmusic.com
EPK:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gLzREnLHgrYKJ4W5SHRVbDMy4WbB8dOS/view?usp=sharing
Smart URL: https://smarturl.it/StrangerAgainLP
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/6rouro6xhJxK6NxCHLp26n?si=hpAZcAhwQla5v3ETV7UDMg
Apple Music: https://apple.co/3JPw0ns
Bandcamp: https://bluecactusmusic.bandcamp.com/music
SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/uGQ98
Press: https://www.bluecactusmusic.com/press
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blu.cactus/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluecactusband
VIDEO:
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXnohMbcLSb-jUtksgvuoiA
Red Barn Radio- “Bite My Tongue”: https://youtu.be/iOwNSd2dFew
Red Barn Radio- “Come Clean”: https://youtu.be/wgH9SpKBgsw
This Kind of Rain: https://youtu.be/otaypqPVQ5E
Heartache (Nelsonville main stage) : https://youtu.be/3Ns9ieUXsjo
NPR Live Session (duo): https://livesessions.npr.org/playlists/blue-cactus-wunc-music-session
Nelsonville Fest’s Sycamore Sessions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5OJBxn4AqI
Music Videos: https://www.bluecactusmusic.com/video