Sometimes you run across a musician who has phenomenal natural talents.  They seem to have such an ability with their instrument that it cuts to the deepest crevices of our souls and physically moves us to dance, to laugh, to cry. 

There are many talented artists out there, and Ray Prim is among the best of them.  As a talented vocalist, he has lead Austin's own 7 Stones since 1994 at their inception; when they broke up 7 years later, he started Primm which you can find frequently around town with many appearances at Lucky Lounge down on 5th and Lavaca.  As of late, Ray is working with Kelly Doze, Alex Henley and Tim Dyer to put together an amazing group, Venus Is Falling.  When I asked Ray how he classified Venus' sound, all he could tell me was everyone in the band writes and sings which brings an eclectic and evolving sound for a spectacular audible odyssey.

Even though 7 Stones broke up in 2001, they have 2 shows a year in Austin.  With 7 Stones members working on their other projects they wanted to do something with 7 Stones that fans, old and new, could come together and just jam to the music.  These 2 shows can't really be called shows, they are events.  The term "shows" implies that you might not be missing anything you couldn't catch any other Saturday night.  It all makes sense when you consider Ray's philosophy about being in a band and creating music, which is to "just have fun".  These events are nights filled with bad ass music and quality friends. 

While Ray could take Primm to a major label and get them signed, he chooses not to.  Primm's Vultures is about a time when 7 Stones was offered a deal by MCA, but MCA wanted to keep the rights to all of the songs.  The best lyrics in the song is "sicker the better, cheaper the thrill", referring to the Label's Executives and their vulture-istic ways to take music and bastardize it into a money machine for themselves while cutting out the musicians who are providing them with their art.

Ray is probably one of the most modest artists in town saying things like "I'm pretty generic, nothing really exciting about me" and "even when I write poppy ass shit, it ain't gonna get played on the radio".  The second Primm starts playing you know that couldn't be further from the truth.  Even being good friends with Ray and listening to him over and over again, I get moved.  My brother and I, both veterans, were sitting at Flipnotics at the Triangle watching an acoustic show Ray was doing by himself.  He started playing Before I Make a Mistake which is a song from the Soldier' point of view of being in Iraq.  As his acoustic guitar starting strumming the notes and started finding it's way through my heart and into the core of my being, he began to sing.  The passion and pain that he conveys in his voice locked my brother and I into an emotional trance. 

We looked at each other with tears in our eyes and thought, how the hell could someone who hasn't seen the war or even been in the military, someone who was watching the news and was moved enough to write a song, possibly know what it is to feel that, much less be able to recreate it for anyone to experience? I don't really care how, the fact is that he can and he does.

Aside from 7 Stones, Primm, Venus is Falling and his newest side project Haizel, Ray also makes hip-hop beats. 

Be sure to check Ray out at his next solo show on July 18 at 6pm, El Arroyo Bee Caves. 
I recommend being there if you want some quality soul rejuvenation.  I promise you will be rocked, rolled, and moved. 

For more dates be sure to check out his MySpace.

Links:
7 Stones MySpace: http://myspace.com/7stones06
Primm MySpace: http://myspace.com/primminfo
Venus Is Falling: http://myspace.com/venusisfalling
Pookie Ray Beats: http://www.myspace.com/pookieray77

Kelly Doze MySpace: http://myspace.com/thekellydozeband
Alex Henley MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/thealexhenleyband
Tim Dyer MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/timdyermusic