An Interview With The Rayes
The Rayes just gave us a wonderfully colorful and classic rock driven EP that touches on acoustic pop, soul, and so much more as it boasts a bright and refreshing set of songs.
The Two Legs EP is lush with gorgeous vocal harmonies that feel soothing and pure as acoustic guitars, harmonica, organs, and so much more fill the air around you with catchy melodies and feels like genuine classic rock at times.
The tracks on this release all have this ability to stick with you for hours or even days and for an EP with 3 songs onit, it also has a very satisfying aspect to it.
The songs sound like maybe you've heard them somewhere before as they have a warming tone to them and a familiarity that gets you attached straight away.
Two Legs is a showcase of The Rayes amazing knack for songwriting and really gives such a prime example of a youth in songwriters that utilize some incredible influences to create something that feels good to listen to.
Now, this isn't The Rayes first rodeo by any means. The duo have been dropping songs since 2016 and there is so much to check out that's exciting.
There is something a bit different about each release they have done and we suggest starting with Two Legs and working your way back through their outstanding library of original music.
With such a great release, we wanted to have a chat with The Rayes to find out where this all comes from.
TSWS: Okay so let's start with the Two Legs EP. This release has a ton of southern classic rock soul! Where did this record come from?
We originally planned on recording this EP at a studio in Brooklyn, in New York where we were living, but when the pandemic hit we had to change plans. We hadn't done much home recording before, but figured that was about our only option if we wanted the record to happen at all at that time. So we bought some home recording gear, and ultimately tracked the songs within a few months between our apartment in Brooklyn, and our mom's place in Seattle.
TSWS: I'm hearing some different vibes on this record. Who are your actual biggest influences musically? Who changed you guys?
Our deepest musical influences are bands and musicians from the 60's and 70's, like Fleetwood Mac, Simon and Garfunkel, and The Beatles, among others. The music from those eras are really what formed the roots of our sound.
TSWS: How did all of this actually start for you?
Well, Rebecca and I (Jordan) are sisters, and have been singing together for practically our entire lives. We started busking (street performing) for fun with my childhood friend at the end of High School in our hometown of Seattle, which sparked our passion for songwriting and desire to start a band and pursue a career in music.
TSWS: How do you guys write your songs? Is it lyrics first or guitar sections? How does it work for you?
Usually, one of us will start with a verse and a chorus, usually forming the melody first with "replacement lyrics" which essentially act as placeholders, although sometimes they survive the final cut! The idea behind the song is most often pretty solidly hashed out before we will come together and work on finishing, and fine-tuning it.
TSWS: What inspires you to write?
We find much of our inspiration from current events and social causes. Using our music and songwriting as a platform to inspire change is something very important to us. But we definitely find plenty of inspiration from personal dramas as well!
TSWS: What are you guys doing when you're NOT working on music?
We both work day jobs, and in most of our free time you'll usually find us with a guitar in hand. But, when we do find extra time we love being in nature, or cooking and baking! Rebecca has really perfected her bread and scone recipes during quarantine, and I'll admit, I can make a damn good chocolate chip cookie.
TSWS: Who are each of you listening to right now?
We both can't stop listening to Waxahatchee's album "Saint Cloud" that they released last year! This record has really been inspiring the new music we've been writing lately too.
TSWS: What's next for you as a band?
Lot's of changes coming for us in the next couple of months. And we actually don't really know yet what the coming year is going to look like for us. But we are working on a full-length album, and we are really excited about the new songs we have in the works. We can't wait to share them with everyone soon!
TSWS: Do you think you will be putting any focus on live shows when the time comes?
We are putting a lot of focus into our forthcoming album, and we haven't been planning much past that yet! But we miss playing live SO MUCH, and are eager to hit the stage again, so we will hopefully have the chance to start booking gigs again soon.
TSWS: You wake up in the middle of the night starving. What's your go to midnight snacks?
Oooh, we are both big snackies, especially late at night! And we're sweets junkies too, so we usually have cookies or brownies or candy lying around that would be our go-to.
TSWS: You've released quite a bit so far and had some great success. What advice would you give to up and coming bands trying to get heard?
Well thank you!! I think playing as many live shows as possible, and just simply working on writing great music, in my opinion are the best things you can do to help build your fanbase. But you really do have to be a business person as well. You have to know how to get your music out there, and promote yourself. So educating yourself on as many aspects of the industry as you can is extremely useful. As you become more and more steeped in the industry, you find that it's really helpful the more knowledge you have because most likely you'll be your own manager for a while!
TSWS: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
We hope you all find solace, happiness, and hope in our music, and can't thank you all enough for helping support us as independent artists!! We appreciate every stream, share, and purchase, and every act of support!
