WSLR Presents: Blue Cactus + Jobi Riccio

5500 Saint Elmo Avenue,Chattanooga TN 37409

26 May, 2023

Description

The Woodshop Listening Room Presents: Blue Cactus + Jobi Riccio May 26, 2023 $10 presale | $15 day of show Doors at 5pm | Music at 8pm (*no cover until 7pm*) BLUE CACTUS 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 have performed at several beloved festivals including Nelsonville, Red Wing Roots, 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 to Town Mountain and Junior Brown among others. Between the comfort of classic country and the glamour of 70s rock, Blue Cactus resuscitates a fleeting style of honest-to-goodness country music 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. JOBI RICCIO Jobi Riccio is a Nashville based songwriter and performer originally hailing from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Inspired by artists ranging from George Jones to Joni Mitchell, she writes songs that meld classic country sounds with modern sensibilities, aiming to turn classic tropes of the genre on its head. She has received acclaim for her writing, including winning the 2019 NewSong Music Competition, performing at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, receiving the 2019 Lee Villiare Scholarship from her alma mater Berklee College of Music, and being named a finalist in the 2018 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter's Showcase. An active member of the burgeoning queer country scene, Riccio opened for beloved pioneer Lavender Country this past spring and showcased at the 2022 Queerfest (formally known as Queerfolk fest) in Nashville in July. Her previous release, EP "Strawberry Wine" (2019), is an ode to the women of classic country and bluegrass she grew up learning to sing from. Her debut album, "Whiplash" (out 2023 on Yep Roc Records), follows in similar footsteps but introduces more modern influences, drawing from indie rock and Americana while still holding space for Riccio's love for all decades of country music.