Welcome to Gay in the City, this is Stephen Tlauda.
I'm here with my dear friend Ty Blue, local Houston superstar.
Local Houston superstar.
Bet you never heard that, huh?
Of course not.
Ty has been getting ready to release his first CD of some original music, what can we expect
from that?
We can expect, well it's only three tracks, it's not a full-length CD, just a little sample
platter.
There's one original song written and produced by my producer on the whole project, Sean
Smith.
The song is, I like to describe it as a hopeful power ballad situation, something that might
accompany a film score or President Obama's re-election moment, I don't know, it's a big
uplifting spiritual ballad.
So I took requests from the people who helped me fund this project via my Kickstarter campaign,
and a couple of the big players in the fundraising had requested that I do Over the Rainbow, which
is a version of it that I do similar to Eva Cassidy, who I don't know if you know Eva
Cassidy, but may she rest, I absolutely love her.
So I do kind of a spin on her acoustic version of Over the Rainbow that I think is pretty
good.
Is this moving as when you did it at this past year's Rainbow and the Green?
You know, it's a similar version, so I hope so.
This one is a little different, we've enhanced it with streams and an incredible guitar player
Rick Marcel, who has, I mean, he's Prince's lead guitarist, he's incredible, like I could
just sit and listen to the guitar part on it all day long, it's stunning.
So you left your former employer to pursue your singing career.
You've been out of the spotlight, the Houston spotlight for maybe two, three months now?
Going on that maybe?
Yeah.
Do you think there will still be an interest in your CD that people are still interested
in what Ty Blue is doing?
Yeah, I took an intentional break and I think it mystified a lot of people, but I really
had to because the CD has required so much of my attention, like more than anything here
has to date, and my voice really was tired.
I mean, and I feel like it still is, like I'm still kind of in repair mode, but I've
also been preparing and rehearsing privately for my engagement at Houston Grand Opera show
Boat in the spring and rehearsing here for the Rocky Horror Show.
So it's been a strange and difficult at times moment of change and hopefully growth.
I mean, I've definitely lost a couple fans by not being on stage every other night, but
I have also gained some and I know that there are people waiting to hear this music here,
New York, LA, you know, there are people interested to see what we can come up with.
Where can we get the CD?
Where can we get it?
Well, what I'm going to do, I think tomorrow, so when you guys have this ready, probably,
just go to my website, which I got to say, my mom, my mom, built, everybody loves my
mama, she built a website for me.
She built a website for me.
It's really nice.
And my cousin Ashley and I are going to go in tomorrow and we're going to put the store
place in there.
Is that what it is?
Marketplace?
Storefront?
I don't know.
I've never had a website.
I don't know.
But what you can do is go to tieblue.com and you can pre-order the CD.
They're going to be 10 bucks.
And what I will do, if you pre-order, the day they come in, the day they come in, which
will probably be in about two or three weeks, I will personally send you a note on the CD
and a signature and mail it to you that day.
So you'll get it before anyone else.
So is there anything else you'd like to add, Ty, any other information, any other?
Oh, I brought you something.
You brought me something.
I brought you a present.
So you said you want to have a top show, so I thought what they do is a guest always brings
a little gift.
So.
A little gift is like a new car.
Let's just say you're the first person to see them officially.
Oh.
Okay.
Sort of.
Excited.
Exciting.
Okay.
Sort of.
Exciting.
When you go to the website and you pre-order the CD, you can also pre-order a tie blue
t-shirt.
Now, this is a little embarrassing because I've never had a shirt with my face or name
on it, and this one has both, but some good friends of mine.
Like a Wham Bam.
It's a Wham Bam.
It's a name and face.
Name and face.
We got to get this brand going, so this one is for you.
Oh, okay.
It's a gift.
This is your gift from me, but we had these cute shirts made.
I think it's going to look wonderful on you.
Oh, yeah.
I can totally see that.
This is great, little tie blue.
Size is small through extra large.
They're 20 bucks.
You can get them on the website.
Well, I'm definitely going to wear this out.
I think you should.
Okay.
As a friend, you should.
Okay.
People use that word very loosely, friend.
I'm not above helping you and tell you what, I'm going to wear this shirt for you.
Appreciate it.
At some point in my career.
You know, even though it's weird to be selling a shirt with my name on it, I do like the
shirt.
I do think it's a nice shirt, actually.
Yeah, it is.
I mean, you know, it's very artistically done, it's creative.
Thank you.
I love the electricity.
You ever thought about changing your name to BL, you know, the other way, B-L-E-U?
The French way?
Yeah, it's like the Montage.
I'm not French.
Okay.
Okay.
Just a five.
I'm sorry about that.
Okay.
I love it.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
This is for you, camera man.
Okay.
Okay.
So this is Steven Tlotta signing off with Tie Blue, who we wish nothing but the best on
your upward climb, your little chug-a-chug-a-chug-a little gate engine that could.
Good luck to you with your little CD.
I hope it works out for you, because I hate to see you homeless on a couple years, you
know, going down Montra, it's a little grocery cart, favorite, you're sad.
Goodbye.
Thanks, guys.
Tieblue.com pre-order.
Okay.
You got a plug.
Clearly.
I'm learning.
Clearly.
I'm learning.
I'm learning.
