Sometimes when a musician's described as versatile, it just means they're a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. But the thing about Clark Blomquist is that whatever genre he works in -- honky-tonk, indie pop, hardcore or electronic -- he does it well. His country work as C. Albert Blomquist boasts some of the cleverest rhymes and conceits this side of Roger Miller, his rocking pop with partner Kelly Reidy in ENTREZ VOUS is catchy and endearing, while work with The Kingsbury Manx and Tegucigalpan shows he can get spacy and/or danceable when the situation requires. Check out the entirety of his prolific discography via his website. But without further ado, read Clark's gracious answers to the Come Hear NC Artist Questionnaire below:
How long have you been in North Carolina, and what's your relationship with the state?
I moved to Chapel Hill, NC from the Tampa Bay area of Florida in 1998. I was born in Durham NC in 1972 but grew up in Florida.
What North Carolina artists do you listen to most?
in my life I've probably listened to those first few C.O.C. albums and the Polvo albums more than anything else that's come out of NC. Seeing C.O.C. open for the Ramones in St.Petersburg as a teenager in the '80s and seeing Polvo play in Tampa and Orlando in the 90's made a big impression on me at a couple pivotal times in my development. NC bands and musicians in rotation lately - Public Acid, Scarecrow, Pollute, Geeked, DE()T, Charles Latham And The Borrowed Band, Carolina Cutups, Secret Boyfriend (and other stuff Ryan Martin puts out on his Hot Releases label), Wetness, Nathan Bowles Trio, Max Roach, Magic Tuber Stringband, Shelles, Ex-Iguana, Kai Bishop, Randy Travis, Little Chair, Hex Files, Kelly Reidy, Mystery Ranch, Flat Duo Jets (Dexter Romweber - RIP). It's tough to keep up with music in North Carolina because we have so much currently, and also such a rich history to dig into. Love it.
Most slept-on, underrated North Carolina artist?
* Ashrae Fax from Greensboro is one of my all time faves. They came and went in the early 2000s then resurfaced like 10 years ago and disappeared again.
* Open Field, which is Kenneth from The Kingsbury Manx's other band. Evening Pines, which is Paul from The Kingsbury Manx's other band.
* Little Chair and Hex Files (see links above) are my favorite newish bands to see live. Little Chair are on hiatus right now but will be back this Summer.
* I always say my all-time favorite NC band is Work Clothes. While they existed in the early 2000s I played drums and keys with them for some shows, but the recordings were done entirely by Lee and Jenny Waters. Their albums are on bandcamp. Highly recommended. Really beautiful stuff.
Favorite North Carolina musical memory/moment?
I will always cherish my experiences at Nightlight Bar and Club in Chapel Hill. I played at Nightlight a ton and saw more great shows there than I could count. The Savage Weekend festival was a high point of every year it convened there. Sorry State and Bunker Punks brought the best local and touring punk bands to Nightlight. My buddy Charlie Hearon - one of the owners and the primary booker and sound engineer - was such a gracious host to everyone who came to shows and played. He really set the tone. His tastes and booking instincts were always on point, which made it the best place to discover bands I've ever been. Absolutely the best dance parties there, too. They had to leave that location in Chapel Hill a couple years ago but hopefully they will return when they can find a new spot.
Has North Carolina been a good place to be a musician?
When i moved to Chapel Hill people were very welcoming and supportive right off the bat. I found people to play music with right away, found it pretty easy to book shows, and was able to get music played on the college radio stations. In Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and the Triangle in general, I've always found people to be mostly pretty mellow and nice. it's a special place. Feels like a community.
When did you know you wanted to be a musician?
in the fourth grade I started playing guitar and spent a lot of time listening to records, really studying them and trying to imagine how the music was played and recorded. I started my first band with some friends when I was 12, covering Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath etc as best we could with our limited chops at that age. We played other kids birthday parties, the school talent show, the city rec center battle of the bands, wherever we could. It was all I really wanted to do after that. i was obsessed. By the time I was a teenager I had gotten way into Punk. DIY culture was a revelation - the idea that you can make art without formal instruction or highly developed technical skills, and be creative outside the bounds of the conventional ways of doing things. Nothing against the skilled, naturally talented or disciplined, but for me personally it was a big relief to figure out it was ok to just go for it, to make stuff how I want, from the heart, and put it out there. Being a musician and music fan could feel fairly isolated in Florida in the '80's and '90's (pre-internet access, at least for me and people I knew), but lots of great stuff was happening in underground music there.
One of my bands in High School self-released a tape, then No Idea Records in Gainesville put out our 7" record. After that we got some great opportunities to play with more established bands in the area and open for bigger bands coming through Florida on tour. Ever since then I've always been in at least one band, but usually two or three at a time, and always working on my own recording projects at home, so I can spend as much of my time playing music as possible. If one group slows down or is dormant for a while I've always got other things to do. I'm happiest when I can work on something every day.
Since High School I've become a fan of lots of different styles of music, so I always try to follow my creative whims and do what I want, when it comes to writing, recording and performing. I've traveled all over the country playing in straight-up Rock & Roll bands, I spend hours at a time tinkering around and experimenting with drums machines, samplers and synths, I absolutely adore singing Country Music with my Honky-tonk band (especially when people dance), and I still love playing Punk Rock (dancing is also always encouraged and appreciated).
Hopes and schemes for 2025 and beyond?
My partner Kelly Reidy and I released our second album as ENTREZ VOUS in March (reviews), and a new EP is coming out later this summer. Writing and playing music with Kelly has been a great experience. We complement each other especially well. Our musical backgrounds, inclinations, preferences, sensibilities diverge in certain ways, but I think that helps make the final product feel like more than the sum of the parts we each contribute.
C. Albert Blomquist Band has some new recordings in progress. I'd like to play with the full band outside the Triangle more often this year. I'd done a lot of solo shows around North Carolina and Tennessee the last few years because it's more convenient to travel that way, but it's always better with the band. The Kingsbury Manx took about a ten-year hiatus then came back in 2023 for a few shows. We plan to play a few shows this year and possibly do some recording.