RICK RAY BAND

Rick Ray is a truly unique presence on the Cleveland rock scene. Although heavily influenced by the bands he grew up listening to in the sixties and seventies, nothing about his music sounds dated to these ears. “My main influences in music are Frank Marino, Robin Trower, The Beatles, E.L.P. (especially Emerson, Lake and Powell), The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Captain Beyond, Focus, The Dregs, Return To Forever, ’72 to ’75 Blue Oyster Cult, ’69 to’75 King Crimson, Gustav Holtz, The Four Freshman and I really like some of the Big Band stuff,” Rick says. He also has some strong opinions, and he’s not afraid to express them through his music. Rick knew he wanted to be a guitar player after seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964. “I was only four when I watched it,” he remembers, “but it had a big impact on me.” Soon after that his brother taught him a few six string basics, and while playing the trumpet in school he learned to read music. By 11, Rick was performing in public. “The school music teacher (I forget her name) and I played the musical score to a play that actually toured a little bit,” Rick told me. “She played piano with me on guitar. I started playing my own original stuff with a band at the age of 13 in 1972.” Between 1973 and 1996 Rick played in Neurotic, The Rick Ray Band, and Riot Act. In 1999 he released his first solo CD before putting his eponymous band back together at the end of 2000. Considering how prolific his recorded output has been (the catalog included with his latest CD boasts about 20 other full length releases), I wondered if he was recording a lot of his older material. “My main focus with the CD releases is new material,” he explained. “I have thrown in quite a few from my Neurotic and Riot Act days, but re-recorded by myself.” Although Rick does a lot of work purely as a solo artist (with assistance from Rick Schultz on clarinet), playing with a band has its rewards as well. “Maybe with the band, the intensity level is higher,” he says. “Playing live becomes a reality, and having other people to write with is always a good thing.” Currently, The Rick Ray Band is John Cek on Drums and Vocals, Gary Wood on Bass and Vocals, Rick Schultz on Reeds, and Rick on the Guitar, Guitar Synthesizer, and Vocals. “Right now the whole band is writing together and working on a new CD, but the process is slower than working solo,” Rick reveals. As long as he’s been around, Rick says his musical vision hasn’t really changed all that much. “It’s the same goal anyway,” he says. “The goal is for the most part good music and now, since my eyes were opened back in ’93, good music with a message.” Rick covers a wide range of social and political issues in his songs, all heavily influenced by his Christian faith. “It isn’t just a huge influence on my lyrical content, but my whole life,” Rick explains. “Although I’m a sinner as long as I’m in this flesh body, that won’t keep me from trying to do what’s right even though sometimes I fail miserably.” As for the Christian rock tag, he’d prefer to avoid it. “No, I don’t consider myself a part of that. Most of that stuff is fluff, sugar coated crap that’s only designed to make money with nothing new musically to say and no real message in its lyrics. My lyrical content has to do with Jesus Christ’s prophecies of the end of this age.” Rick continues, “He tells of a world government, the New World Order/United Nations, and how the whole world is under the threat of the atomic bomb until the end when there will be a limited nuclear happening. Also, mind control on a scale never before seen, the prophecy of the television, of drugs and the huge part they play in the end time scenario, of the Freemasons and how they work for Lucifer to bring all this evil onto the world, and quite a lot of suffering that goes on when people ally themselves with the antichrist. I could go on with this subject for quite a while, but it’s all covered in the lyrical content of songs on my CD’s and releases to come.” One nice fringe benefit of Rick’s career is that it has allowed him to perform on the same stage as some of his favorite musicians. “Opening for Frank Marino and Robin Trower was a phenomenal experience,” Rick says. “These two guys are my musical mentors. I’ve been going to see them play live since about 1975. Not only are they two of the best musicians to grace this planet but their writing ability is unbelievable too. To me, what really makes a good musician is his or her writing ability.” As for the future, Rick plans to pretty much keep doing what he’s been doing and has no desires or expectations of signing with a record company. “I do all these CD releases on my own because I can’t play by someone else’s rules like only releasing one album a year, cutting down the length of a solo, changing my image, or being told that I can’t write about certain things because they might anger someone,” he explains. About the only change Rick sees in the near future is playing out more. As a final note, Rick advises, “Keep your eyes and ears open, read the Bible and ask God, in the name of Jesus Christ, for understanding and protection. Don’t be fearful. Know your enemy, they reside in Washington D.C.”