Cari Minor and Ray Smith are musicians from Rollinsville who have been performing together for 21 years, 11 of those years under the band name Strangebyrds. Ray started his own recording studio, Byrd Nest Recording, over 20 years ago when he started recording himself playing all of his instruments in his home. Once he met Cari, they started combining their efforts and building upon the studio in Gilpin County.
What they feel is most unique about their studio is that they can “accompany [their] clients with multiple instruments and vocals.” They have an isolation booth specifically meant for singer-songwriters to be able to play while a drummer plays in another room. The recording booth is accessible outside, so you do not even have to walk into their house to record in it. During the pandemic, three projects were able to utilize the recording studio without ever having to come into the house. The studio has a relaxed and creative vibe where artists are inspired to let their imaginations run wild. In turn, they can inspire us with music that is true and that comes from the heart and mind of the artist themselves.
Out of their home studio in Rollinsville, Strangebyrds as a duo has been insanely productive, working with various singer-songwriters, writing and producing their five Strangebyrds albums and five albums before they were Strangebyrds. They have also been working on soundtracks for films, with original music of theirs being featured in the 2013 documentary Muscle Shoals and in the 2020 documentary The Alpinist. They are currently working on soundtracking a documentary that discusses “global warming from the perspective of a child” and “how it affects children,” demonstrating that they are always creating and working with music.
Smith was inspired by musicians such as Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney to play all of the instruments in the recording studio himself, so he started accumulating instruments and working with musicians who appreciated his patient producing and mixing demeanor. He always gives the musicians complete creative freedom, much like he is able to give himself with the recording studio, and because of his versatility on many different instruments, he is able to help accompany musicians who don’t have a band of their own.
As a band, Strangebyrds lost income from not being able to perform live shows during the pandemic. In response to this, they launched a Kickstarter to support their fifth album release. Of the initial $10,000 goal, they were able to raise over $14,000 during the 30-day lifespan of the Kickstarter and were thus able to support the release of their album. This story demonstrates the support that Strangebyrds have behind them as a band and that Byrd Nest Recording has as a recording studio, and they hope to continue performing and recording music for a long time.
The Strangebyrds contribute to the cultural climate of Gilpin County and to all the places their music is heard and performed. Minor and Smith’s honest lyrics and beautiful harmonies bring a song to our hearts. Their music is folksy or Americana in style, citing Mark Knopfler, Patty Griffin, Lucinda Williams, Foo Fighters, and Emmylou Harris as influences for their current sound. Their Byrd Nest Recording studio in Rollinsville gives musicians of all genres a place to be heard and recorded so they can then share their music and thus their soul.
Be sure to check out Strangebyrds performing live at the Gold Hill Inn, 401 Main Street in Gold Hill, on Sunday, May 29, 2022, at 5 p.m.
Also be sure to attend the launch event of their brand new album Highway Islands, which will take place on May 15, 2022, at the Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th Street in Boulder, at 6 p.m. The Mark Oblinger Duo will be opening for the duo, and Smith will be giving out a free copy of an instrumental album he recently finished in addition to the brand new Strangebyrds album at the event. You can read more about the Strangebyrds and get tickets for the album launch on their website at www.strangebyrds.com.
For information on recording, check out the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/gulchgroover/.
Sponsored by Gilpin County Commissioners, with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
