Contact Cruz
Artist Bio
Raised between the rugged lines of Tennessee and the long shadows of Michigan, Contreras has spent nearly thirty years forging his path through the Americana musical landscape. He’s a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, bandleader, producer, and storyteller whose voice cuts through noise like a well-honed blade.
He got his start at just 15, playing guitar behind his younger brother Billy Contreras at fiddle competitions—long before Billy became a world-renowned fiddler, known for his work with George Jones, Sierra Ferrell, Ricky Skaggs. But it was a moment in 1993 that sealed Cruz’s fate: finding himself in a room with the Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe. That room, that sound, that presence—it lit a fire that’s never gone out.
First with Robinella and the CCstringband, then as the fire at the heart of The Black Lillies, Cruz helped carve a sound that feels as old as the hills and as wild as the road. His songs have topped the Billboard and Americana charts, picked up Independent Music Awards, and earned him a nomination from the Americana Music Association as an emerging artist — though his music suggests he was never chasing trends to begin with.
He’s stood on stages from Conan O’Brien’s late-night set to the Grand Ole Opry — the latter over 40 times — and drawn praise from Rolling Stone, NPR, American Songwriter, and Vanity Fair. Contreras has toured with Robert Earl Keen and the Turnpike Troubadours, collaborated with John Oates, and shared stages with Old Crow Medicine Show, The Travelin’ McCourys, Tyler Childers, Mavis Staples, Elizabeth Cook and more. A festival veteran, Cruz and The Black Lillies have performed at Bonnaroo, Merle Fest, Jazz Fest, Red Ants Pants, Stagecoach, High Sierra, DelFest, Pickathon, Mile Zero, Cayamo, to name a few. But he doesn’t play for headlines, but for the quiet connection — the still moment in a crowded room when a lyric hits home like a memory you forgot you had.
Now touring behind his debut solo album Cosmico, Cruz is joined once more by a band of road-tested companions under the name Cruz Contreras and The Black Lillies. Together, they bring with them a catalog of songs that stretch across time — from the familiar past to the hopeful unknown.
The road is calling.
Publicity
Contreras To Launch First Solo Album
by Skip Anderson| No Depression
KNOXVILLE, TN -- Cruz Contreras, the founder of the hard-touring, award-winning band The Black Lillies, is putting that passion on pause to answer another: that of a solo artist.
Contreras, a country/rock-leaning Americana artist who spent the past decade performing in venues large and small across the country, has cultivated a fiercely loyal fan base. He instigated this new direction to facilitate growth, both artistically and personally.
“When I see a mountain, I want to climb it,” Contreras says. “And I felt like to continue touring as the Black Lillies for the time being would be playing it safe. This is me creating a vision for who I am artistically, which is vastly different than when I started the Black Lillies 10 years ago. I’m re-envisioning my dreams and committing myself to them.”
Cosmico represents a bold artistic growth for the East Tennessean. Musically, the record is ethereal and evocative. Lyrically it’s personal and introspective.
“It’s a trippy record from beginning to end,” Contreras says. “It sneaks up on you and transports you to somewhere else. And that’s not the result of a single song, it’s the effect of the collective.”
Cosmico is touchstone work, speaking to humanity’s need for growth and the price that sometimes comes with it. The record begins with an other-worldly guitar harmonic, foreshadowing the intensely satisfying, ethereal experience the nine-track record delivers.
“These songs are fresh, timely, and especially relatable during these strange times,” Contreras says. “Putting the Black Lillies on hold for a while has allowed me to really tap into a powerful new vein of creativity as a songwriter and performer.”
In Cosmico, Contreras deftly shifts from the smoke-tinged introspective opening track, “Stop Giving Your Heart Away,” to the blues-infused “Doin’ Time.” “Flashing Light,” a slow-dance masterwork that echoes Patsy Cline as much as it does the distinctive piano stylings of Floyd Cramer, firmly carries forward a distinctive soundscape that deliriously swirls above a lush, waltzing groove. The album’s centerpiece, “Breaking a Habit,” anchors the themes of change and evolution.
“Breaking a habit” is vital to the concept of the record,” Contreras says. “If you’re going to make changes, you’re going to have to break patterns and habits.”
Contreras expects to resume a robust touring schedule this spring. Audiences can expect intimate renditions of songs from Cosmico, as well as acoustic versions from the deep Black Lillies’ repertoire. Cosmico's release date is currently pending, please subscribe to Cruz's newsletter for all the latest updates and follow him on social media.