Album Notes

Booze Monkey is the current musical vehicle for long-time independent recording artist Blue Ajay. The band's first 3 albums were very raw acoustic-duo endeavors (featuring extraordinary-bassist Joel Ludwig who has since moved on) with an overwhelming blues flavor and rockabilly undertones. 4th St. throws Blue's eclectic history of musical detours and diversions into the proverbial blender. The result is a genre-blending rock music CD with a chewy blues-guitar center.

Prior to forming Booze Monkey with Joel, Blue released eight independent solo records as BLUE, as well as two modern rock records under the moniker METAL MACHINE with DiRTY DEAL founder/front-man Terry Miller and two industrial-dance albums with his multi-media creation Church Of Chaos. He also produced, engineered and performed on a collection of records with rockabilly & punk artist Erik Mielzarek – a collaboration that resulted in the recording of a single (two songs) with the legendary Sun records icon Billy Lee Riley.

Blue formed Sanity Check Musec, Inc. (SCM) in 1989. SCM is an independent record label, publishing company and “catch-all” corporation for satisfying the legal requirements of Blue’s artistic endeavors. He has been releasing independent records since his debut with Welcome to the Nineties in February of 1990. He received attention in 1991/92 with the underground release of The Lion’s Den which was nominated for an Independent Music Award (“Indie Award”) by the now defunct National Association of Independent Record Distributors (NAIRD) for best Alternative album. This was the first time the alternative category was used. Smashing Pumpkins took the honor.

He formed a band named Blue & the Jaded with which he performed live in support of his records. In 2002 he disbanded the Jaded for the final time and formed Booze Monkey with former Jaded bassist Joel Ludwig. New songs and songs from throughout Blue’s now lengthy catalog were arranged specifically with this acoustic duo in mind. The debut Booze Monkey (AKA BMo) CD, “Good Luck Mr. Gorsky” was, for the most part, recorded live in the studio and featured an immediate and unpolished production value. The second and third official BMo albums were live recordings.

Blue formed Naked Acre Compound Films (a subsidiary of SCM) to operate as a vehicle for his work producing and directing short films. His film FLAT won the Best Dramatic Short Film award in the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival Festival (NYIIF&VF) in 2001, and was represented by the NYIIF&VF at Cannes, AFM and Mifest.

Blue has written numerous soundtracks over the years (and continues to pursue new scoring endeavors) to include the documentary Project Face to Face, the TV movie Legends and most recently an elaborate quasi-orchestral TV movie score combining Appalachian and Native American instrumentations, entitled South Mountain Magic that has drawn comparisons to John Williams' score for the film Jurassic Park, Jerry Goldsmith's score for the original Planet of the Apes, Phillip Glass, Howard Shore, Ry Cooder and even Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother. Most recently he scored music for an independent dark-horror-comedy entitled Cowboy Killer.

Since 1989 Blue has built a large personal studio geared to support his eclectic inspirations. A large collection of acoustic instruments, to include many percussion instruments, and microphones combined with his notable comfort using computers, synthesizers, samplers and other electronic equipment facilitates the speedy realization of pretty much any sound he can conceive. The combination of acoustic and electronic instruments provides an organic quality distinct to Blue’s recordings.

A multi-instrumentalist and producer, the vast majority of Blue’s lengthy catalog was written and performed exclusively by Blue. However 4th St. features guest appearances by a group of excellent musicians from the VA boonies where Blue lives with his beloved Christina (who runs his label) and their furkids: HoundDog (a polydactyl cat named after Hound Dog Taylor), Christina’s Sheltie, Bourbon and Blue’s soul-pooch Sundance – an Australian Shepherd who is credited for performing on two tracks of the new album.

Blue brought his alternative and progressive musical sensibility to all of these disparate genres over the years. With 4th St. all of these endeavors mesh into an album of rock music that is difficult to describe while being simultaneously fresh, familiar and inviting to listen to.