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A Musical Life: Helen Cruz

Heidi Cruz

Helen Cruz serves as bassist and vocalist in Mystery Blood alongside Matthew Clagg and Mason Monigold. She is a graduate of Wichita State University where she studied geology. She can be heard on Mystery Blood’s High On Death LP.

“I started experimenting with the banjo at first and was just teaching myself. Matthew Clagg asked me to be in one of his side projects. They were going record and they only had a month to find a bass player. They talked to me, I agreed and then I learned all these songs for the record. That’s how I started playing bass.

When we were recording I was taking calculus. I had to do both at the same time. I had a take home exam. But I did pass the class and we did a really good album. It was kind of a sink or swim ordeal. Sometimes I do work well under pressure and sometimes I don’t.

I’ve been going to shows since I was 15-16 and I’ve always loved live music. I’ve always thought about being in a band but I didn’t know how to play. This opportunity came and I took it.”

Jedd Beaudoin is host/producer of the nationally syndicated program Strange Currency. He has also served as an arts reporter, a producer of A Musical Life and a founding member of the KMUW Movie Club. As a music journalist, his work has appeared in Pop Matters, Vox, No Depression and Keyboard Magazine.