Way back when in 1998 Blue States emerged from the idyll of the Sussex Downs on the new Memphis Industries label. Using his multi-instrumental talents, Andy Dragazis blended Guitars, Bass, Drums, Fender Rhodes, Bouzuki, the Hammond Organ and anything that sounded good when it was hit. And the 12"s kept coming, including the classics "Your Girl", and "Walkabout", all becoming rare and sought after collectors items. The debut album ‘Nothing Changes Under the Sun’, was released in September 2000. Taking in influences as disparate as Vangelis and The Shadows, "Nothing Changes" drew favourable comparisons with anybody from Air to Tortoise to, bizarrely, The Cure.
"Nothing Changes..." also attracted the attention of Stateside loungecore legends The Thievery Corporation, who decided they liked it so much they'd sign it up to their own imprint, Eighteenth Street Lounge for release in the USA.
Andy got together the Blue States live show including Jon Chandler on drums and Chris Carr on guitar. They took in a 6 week tour of the US including an appearance at South by South West, a jaunt around Spain on the 2002 Wintercase Festival, Glastonbury, and shows as far a field as Moscow and Serbia.
For the second album, 2002's "Man Mountain", Andy enlisted Ty Bulmer on vocals, Jon on drums, horns, a string section and a school choir. The results was grand sweeping string soaked record which drew the attention of XL Recordings to whom it was licensed for worldwide release. Cult UK director Danny Boyle picked up stand out track Season Song for the title track on his film 28 Days Later.
And now it gets interesting. Andy moves from his rural idyll to grimy London town, buys a flat/studio with the XL money and enlists Chris and Jon to become fully paid up members of the Blue States. Work began on their third album in autumn 2003. With Chris taking on lyrical and vocal duties the new album "The Soundings" sees Blue States once again morph into something new. The layers of strings and brass are stripped back to reveal something darker and more personal. The album is set for a UK release in June.