Band’s songwriters return to flight

MEMBERS of The Dead Salesmen and Epicure are releasing an album together under a new name, The Blue Lighters.

Justin ‘Hap’ Hayward, Justin ‘Ryda’ Charleson, and Heath McCurdy have been dripping out their record Come to Flight, track-by-track, this month.

Recorded within the last two years, it reflects “isolation, confusion, worry and fear,” with moments of great honesty, spontaneity, and playfulness.

“In the winter of 2020, after a 20-year song writing hiatus, we started to collaborate over the wire. Ryda would send one or two minutes of music, and I would respond back that night with lyrics and melody,” Hayward said.

“As the lockdowns continued, three or four songs, or pieces, became six or seven, and soon enough we had a dozen things to play with.

“I had recently worked on a podcast with Heath McCurdy, formerly of Epicure and Marc With The Sea… and thought it would be good to bring in a creative musician and producer who could play with these pieces, and add and subtract what he basically wanted to.”

Grove band’s Abby Ashmore has added their “uniquely wonderful vocals” to Come to Flight song August Can’t Remember Spring. Heart of The Rat records is assisting with the album’s release.

“We are looking forward to actually all being in the same room together for the first time in the very near future, to discuss playing this thing live,” Hayward said.

The cover artwork, The Bats, was painted by local visual artist Tim Sedgwick in 2020.

Since Tuesday, 14 December, a new song of the album has released at thebluelighters.bandcamp.com. New clips are also on their YouTube channel at bit.ly/3dXS7Yd.