The Halyards joke their debut CD "Fortune Smiles" has been 35 years in the making.
Well, half joke.
Carl Funk and Larry Mason trace their friendship to grade school. For the last decade they have written and performed around the Pacific Northwest as Funk Mason. Approached by old friend and Grammy award winning musician Eric Tingstad to "do a little recording," no one expected a 12-track CD--let alone a new band. But, sometimes, with luck, timing, and hard work, ingredients become larger than the sum of the parts.
This is The Halyards.
Combining superbly blended harmonies, with driving guitars, the band delivers it's take on life, love and the splendor of it all. In "Welcome Home," Funk writes "There's a splendid chaos in this life." Chaos as the engine of creation--the friend of the unplanned.
Moving through the songs, a theme emerges: what fate gives us, and how we respond. The heroes, the villains, and all of it in-between. With the release of "Fortune Smiles," The Halyards bring a new voice to the Americana music scene.
Thirty-five years in the making. Not a moment too soon.
Carl Funk—Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin
Larry Mason—Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Eric Tingstad—Electric Guitars,
Garey Shelton—Bass
Chris Middaugh—Pedal Steel Guitar
Ben Smith—Drums, Percussion
