Biography

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. Following their critically acclaimed 2017 debut and a string of singles in 2020 their evolution is made plain on their sophomore LP, Stranger Again, released on Sleepy Cat Records. The album has received enthusiastic attention from tastemakers including No Depression, American Songwriter, FLOOD Magazine, Talkhouse and INDY Week among others. Stranger Again is a deep dive into Cosmic American music, with the band taking their sound into ambitious new planes, where country-rock meets psychedelia as the soaring vocals meet twangy slide-guitars and propulsive bass-lines. The otherworldliness of the music is a perfect contrast to their distinctly grounded, human storytelling lyrics that explore loss, longing, self-love, and reckoning with personal, political and human struggles. With a high lonesome twang, an Emmylou-like southern drawl, and blistering guitar techniques, Blue Cactus’ new record exercises the honky-tonk muscles to firmly bear the flag for a new generation of Country and Americana. They have graced festival stages and shared stages with the likes of The War and Treaty, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, Lilly Hiatt, and Junior Brown among others--building a fanbase that cherishes their singular, but familiarly rewarding take on Country music.