New York-based writer, composer and producer T.J. Armand has released Happy Hour Blues – Volume 2 (Demo Sessions), the latest installment in a three-part recording project that explores queer identity, immigration and belonging through the lens of New York City nightlife.
The release continues Armand’s multidisciplinary Happy Hour Blues project, which is anchored by a developing musical centered on Adam, a queer immigrant navigating love, exile and self-discovery inside a country-themed gay bar in Hell’s Kitchen. First conceived during the isolation of the pandemic, the project blends theatrical storytelling with the emotional textures of blues rock, roots and Americana.
Volume 2 builds on the foundation introduced in the first release, deepening the musical and narrative scope while further defining the project’s sonic direction. The new recordings expand the emotional palette of the story, drawing listeners deeper into the world of Adam and the bar’s community — a cast of characters shaped by longing, resilience and chosen family.
The idea for Happy Hour Blues was born in Astoria, where Armand spent much of the pandemic writing late at night. What began as private lyrical sketches evolved into a broader narrative that fuses queer life with the storytelling traditions of country and Americana music. The result is a body of work that reflects both personal experience and the cultural rhythms of New York City.
Alongside the recordings, Armand has developed a companion book, Happy Hour Blues: Lyrics, Notes & Reflections, which includes more than 50 lyrics, notes and essays outlining the project’s characters and themes. The book explores queer nightlife culture, immigration, reinvention and the search for home, and is paired with street photography from Astoria and Manhattan that grounds the story in the visual life of the city.
The Happy Hour Blues recordings are unfolding as a trilogy of demo sessions. Volume 1 introduced the project’s musical and lyrical framework, while Volume 2, released this month, broadens its emotional reach and sharpens its blues-rock and roots identity. A third volume is planned for release in spring 2026, completing the demo-session arc and setting the stage for the next phase of the musical’s development.
Armand, a Turkish-American artist based in New York, brings a wide-ranging background to the project. A Berklee College of Music scholarship recipient and protégé of legendary producer Arif Mardin, his career spans songwriting, concert production and theatrical storytelling. He has produced concerts for Chaka Khan and The Manhattan Transfer, albums for The Queen’s Six and Tony Award nominee Mary Bridget Davies, and has served as an investing producer on Broadway productions including Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 and Merrily We Roll Along.
With Happy Hour Blues – Volume 2, Armand continues to shape a queer Americana universe rooted in the sounds and stories of New York nightlife — one that blends music, theater and lived experience into a growing portrait of identity, resilience and belonging.
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