Cruz Contreras & The Black Lillies

https://youtu.be/GjFDBeLZhnw?si=cbvJbd1I-sqDY2Rs

There are musicians who chase the spotlight, and then there are those who carry it with them — steady, quiet, and burning deep. Cruz Contreras is the latter.

Raised between the rugged lines of Tennessee and the long shadows of Michigan, Contreras has spent nearly thirty years forging his path through the American musical landscape. He’s a multi-instrumentalist, a songwriter, a bandleader, and a storyteller whose voice cuts through noise like a well-honed blade.

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…