Local country-folk duo Blue Cactus prepares to release album

Chapel Hill country-folk duo Blue Cactus is uniting generations of music lovers with honest lyricism and a blend of Americana, folk and indie twang on their newest album, "Believer." The album is set to release on April 25; in the meantime, they’ve been performing on live stages and as part of PBS’s new show "Shaped by Sound." 

Blue Cactus is made up of musicians Steph Stewart and Mario Arnez. Stewart and Arnez have been making music together since the 2010s, starting in a group called Steph Stewart and the Boyfriends. As life went on, some of the band members went in different directions, but Stewart and Arnez never stopped making music together. They officially formed Blue Cactus in 2016 when they started to record their self-titled album.

It’s been four years since the release of their last album, "Stranger Again," and they’re gearing up for their upcoming tour, including a South by Southwest music festival performance in March. The group will host an album release show for "Believer" at Cat’s Cradle on May 3.

They recorded "Believer" in both Nashville and Pittsboro. For Blue Cactus, the difference between the two cities is pace. In Nashville — the beating heart of American country music — a 10 a.m. call time means unpacked, in the studio and ready to hit record by 10 a.m. In Pittsboro, closer to where Blue Cactus calls home, a 10 a.m. call time is much more laid back, Stewart said. 

On Friday, Blue Cactus opened for Town Mountain at Cat’s Cradle. They performed music from their 2021 album "Stranger Again," their newest single “This Kind of Rain” and a few unreleased songs from "Believer." The crowd was full of country lovers, young and old. Some audience members took to their feet to dance and others sang along even when they didn’t know the words.

UNC first-year and Town Mountain fan Noah Mclauchlin had never heard of Blue Cactus before Friday’s show. But after their performance, he looked them up on Spotify to check out some more of their music, and particularly enjoyed their song “Kings.”

“Both [Stewart and Arnez] were really skilled on the guitar, and they had some really good songs,” he said. 

“Kings” is an unreleased song from “Believer” written about Stewart’s brother who was a firefighter and is now in the Air Force. This song encapsulates Blue Cactus’ dedication to maintaining the honest and personal aspects of traditional folk music. Their lyrics speak to their own experiences while also saying something about the state of the world.  

They also performed their single “Finger on the Button,” written by Arnez in 2020 about President Donald Trump, with lyrics like “you got your creamsicle complexion” and “boy we oughta just deport you.” Arnez introduced the song with the sentiment that he didn’t expect it to still be relevant five years after he had written it and encouraged the audience to support each other and their communities now more than ever. 

Stewart and Arnez have been making country music for more than 10 years, and they’ve seen the genre change over time.

“So many great artists were excluded from the genre for years, because they weren't white or straight, and it's been refreshing and inspiring to see so many queer country and Black and Brown county/folk artists making music," Stewart said. 

On March 27, the duo will be featured on a new PBS series called "Shaped By Sound." The show highlights North Carolina musicians by weaving together performances at the PBS studio and talks with the artists about who they are and their creative processes. Each artist works with PBS to ideate their set design, and Blue Cactus brings a dream-like atmosphere to the show, James Mieczkowski, the program development producer and host of "Shaped by Sound," said. 

Mieczkowski worked closely with Blue Cactus on the design of their set and during the filming of their episode.

“I think they really owned the concept of the show, and just took it to the next level,” he said. 

Their set features floating clouds, twinkling tinsel and sunset-like lighting that was inspired by having their heads in the clouds and looking for silver linings. Stewart had a clear vision for their performance and worked with a costume designer to further personalize the atmosphere on set. 

“They are able to create their own interpretation of what they're influenced by and what they really love and create something new and beautiful with that, which is really cool and it makes it appetizing for all of us,” Mieczkowski said. 

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