History
Blue Tag is a Punk and Progressive Rock band from Wake Forest, NC. The band started in 2019 under the name Blue Bottlestica by guitarist Phil Fuoco and drummer Mike Fiumara. Blue Bottlestica rehearsed and wrote songs for the latter half of 2019 and beginning half of 2020 before entering hiatus due to the beginning of the pandemic. Just before this hiatus, vocalist and pianist Johnny Hurd agreed to join the band. After the brunt of the pandemic, the three decided to reform the band in January of 2021 as Blue Tag. Their first real rehearsal took place on March 30th 2021, henceforth celebrated as Blue Tag Day. In their first rehearsals, the band cultivated a sound based off of the mix of Pop Punk, Post-Hardcore, and Progressive Rock they listened to throughout the early years of the band. This culminated in the band’s first song, Lamppost on the Moon, the leading single from their developing first album. Said developing album was their debut Songs for Rosa, a concept album the band wrote during the first handful of rehearsals. Songs for Rosa was initially meant to be recorded live and be ready for release by August 2021, but was delayed to January 2022 due to scheduling conflicts and technical difficulties with the band’s DIY recording process. To keep the momentum rolling for the album, Blue Tag released their second single, “Rosa”. In the time between this single and the album release, Blue Tag played their first ever live show at their school’s talent show, to much success aside from the fact they did not win the competition.
After a year-long recording process and nearly 2 year-long writing process, Blue Tag released Songs for Rosa as their first studio album. A coming-of-age concept album narrated by the band members as a tribute to the experiences they went through during the creation of the album. By the time the album was released, the band had begun writing the first few songs for their second album. During this, however, Johnny left the band due to creative and personal conflicts, leaving Phil and Mike to pick up lead vocal and piano parts for the upcoming album. Seeking another third member, the band recruited Shawn Sandfort as their bassist. This new lineup produced a more dark and technical sound visible in the second album’s leading single Paranoia. Over a much more brief span of 5 months, Blue Tag recorded their second album Sanity, released on Halloween Eve 2023. Sanity was a departure from the band’s Pop Punk side, veering more towards Progressive Metal and Alternative Rock sounds. The concept of the album, initially conceived by Michael & Johnny during the Rosa sessions, is a delve into mental illness and unhealthy relationships. After it’s release, the band played a couple of small shows as the trio of Mike, Phil, and Shawn before beginning a new project. In the time after the release of Sanity, the band got back into contact with Johnny, inviting him to rejoin the band again in October of 2024. As of now, they have begun the process of writing their upcoming third album, with the leading single “... And Other Maladies” releasing on March 30th 2025!!