Singled Out: Blue McSaws' Big Night in Byzantium

10-13-2024

Blue McSaws recently released "Big Night in Byzantium", the lead single and title track of their new album, and to celebrate we asked Charlie Midnight to tell us about the track. Here is the story:

Marc Swersky and I wrote and produced 'Big Night in Byzantium' in the studio no idea of where it was going or where it would end. I wrote the lyrics and melody in a non-stop, free association, burst of madness, inspired by Marc's haunting guitar riff.

'Big Night in Byzantium', takes you on a raw journey through an emotional landscape of magical realism and relentless hope. It is an odyssey embarked upon by the narrator with God and an Apostle to the mystical town of Byzantium, where a strong wind is blowing the tumbleweed through town and a big night to end all big nights awaits.

The name Blue McSaws, derives from combining the names Solomon Blue and Kerry McSaws, two itinerant musicians on the run for a crime they didn't commit, created and written by me in a series of Vignettes that will accompany the album.

The music of Blue McSaws inhabits the iconoclastic spirit of those mythical, itinerant troubadours, Solomon Blue and Kerry McSaws, traveling and performing to anyone or no one since almost the beginning of time. Together with friends and lovers and the kindness of strangers, they recorded 'Big Night in Byzantium, with a little help from those friends, in whatever studio would let them, on whatever on 2" tape they could beg, borrow or re-purpose.

The 2" tapes were found in boxes in the basement of an apartment building in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, in a rusted, dust-covered cabinet on which the words Bkue McSaws were scrawled. On one of the boxes was printed: Artist: Solomon Blue and Kerry McSaws. Producers: Charlie Midnight & Marc Swersky. Date: Whenever.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more here