Today we played on the radio in Watsonville, CA for a Sunday morning bluegrass show. Topics of conversation included: our unusually large member count (7), our eclectic collection of band member song-writers (6), and damn good coffee in Davenport (Yeah Alta!).
We may have liked to hear more from our background harmonies in the overall mix, but we really can't complain. The amazing sound quality the radio offers to a band like us- who has had trouble in the past achieving good balanced sound live- is like heaven to our ears.
Thank you, Sleepy John, for broadcasting to the world and beyond what the Bluetail Flies are doin' in Santa Cruz, CA! We hope to come back soon, and will listen for our studio track of "Barangan Blues" to play on KPIG!
It took us seven months from start to finish to produce our first studio album in our hometown of Santa Cruz, CA. Now we are counting weeks before we can touch it, caress it. Sleep with it under our pillows...
So come check it out at the Poet and Patriot bar on MAY 11 at 8pm. Buy the CD, and while you're there, stock up on the new tee's too (now in XXL).
Andy Snyder was our recording technichan and mixer, and we can't say enough good things about him. His ears are like snipers attacking missed notes and training us for studio battle- the battle against perfection. His fresh perspective offered us a world of insight into songs we have been playing for years. And his knoweldge of the field helped prepare us in ways we could have never learned from blogs or books.
Our album artwork was a group effort of two more amazing men, local photographer Mike Murrow, and artist Tim McCaffrey. Thanks for making us look good.
Thanks also to the lovely owner of The Over the Hill Gang Saloon in Santa [...]
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What happens when you put seven people in a small room for 30+ hours?
You make a rompin' good album!
We are so excited and relieved to have our first five tracks recorded in the studio. We owe a HUGE shout-out to Andy Snyder of Nomad Audio in Santa Cruz, for doing an incredible job capturing the essence of our romp sessions. He is not only a good friend of ours, but a brilliant sound technician.
We are hoping to go back into the studio January 2012 to finish what will be the Bluetail Flies' very first record. Pre-order CD's by sending us an email at thebluetailflies@gmail.com, and stay tuned for information on our CD release party!
(we posted earlier we would be releasing a c.d. by xmas, but we have decided since to go for a full-length record, thus pushing back our timeline. it will be worth it!)
The string players of the Bluetail Flies are now playing all-acoustic original and traditional bluegrass at the Santa Cruz Westside Farmer's Market.
With no amplification available on site, the all instrumental set features Ben Preston on banjo, Darlene Norman on fiddle, Trevor Bridge on guitar, and Devon Pierce on upright bass.
To learn more about the Santa Cruz Westside Farmers Markets, visit
http://www.santacruzfarmersmarket.org/category/westside/
Okay, so they spelt our name wrong, but can we just say how flippin' excited we all are about this gig?!!!*!
The San Gregorio General Store is far from "general". A local favorite among bikers, riders and bluegrass lovers, it is a bar/coffee house/bookshop/gift and western wear store that features live music EVERY weekend ALL day.
We are honored to be playing there and hope you can join us for the magic! We plan to record some video footage too (so overdue) so please make the short ride North and be part of this special afternoon with us from 11am-1pm.
Check out the venue here...
http://www.sangregoriostore.com/