Brian Ray

Hey everybody,

I have a little surprise for all of you on my website.

Please take a look at the new “music” section when you get a moment or so.

It's a great day today in Florida as we get ready to perform at the Super Bowl!

Stay tuned,

Rock on!

Brian

Comin' Up Roses

http://www.brian-ray.com/music/brianray_cominuproses.mp3

Замечательная, имхо, песенка.

From Brian Ray:

This song, "Comin' Up Roses", was written by me and Tonio K., a very cool lyricist who's been writing with many people through the years, including Burt Bacharach. The track was recorded by the amazing Joe Zook at Track Record in North Hollywood on Dec. 28th '04. So it is hot and fresh off the press. We recorded to 24-track analog tape machines using great classic gear. The great Marc Desisto did additional recording at Luke's Room in Sherman Oaks [thanks, Luke!].

Abe Laboriel Jr. is playing the drums, percussion and singing the very end [low] backing vocal bits long with Paul Bushnell, who plays bass and high bass on the song. The three of us played live, 2nd take. Davey Faragher and Scott Shriner are singing the other backing vocals throughout the song...

I played the electric guitars, electric baritone guitar, 12-string acoustics and the Lithuanian Toe Dulcimer. And I sang lead and the "French bit", right before the "Dirt Brothers" vocal at the end.

"Где-то между Томом Петти и Soundgarden, The Stones и STP..."
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/0/brianray.htm

Hello everyone,

As you all know by now we will be touring again this fall! I can't wait to see you out there and I hope that those of you who live far away can get to a show... If not, maybe we will come closer to you at some point.. you never know!

I wanted to let you all in on the latest with my upcoming CD, Mondo Magneto. It'll be finished this Sunday night and am very pleased with it. I have had some great meetings with PR folks and managers recently and they have all said that I would do well to consider some of the offers from distributors and record companies who would like to help with the CD's release. Without these folks involved I won't have CD's in stores for you to buy. For that reason I will be holding back on the release for a bit to consider some of these cool offers.
I appreciate your continued support and patience and hope you like the record.. I did it for you all!

And in the meantime.... I will be doing an interview on my website with and for you all. So you can begin to submit your questions about my record and my fab new band through my forum www.brian-ray.com/phpBB to any of the moderators, Caroline, Diana, Ronna and Miho, or by email to fiona@brian-ray.com. The moderators will gather them up and we'll rock it!

L O V E !
All my best,

Brian

PAUL McCARTNEY'S GUITARIST-BASSIST BRIAN RAY TO RELEASE SOLO ALBUM IN NOVEMBER

Brian Ray, the blond guitarist and sometime bassist in Paul McCartney's band, will release a solo album on November 1st called Mondo Magneto. The project features guest appearances by Ray's McCartney band mates -- guitarist Rusty Anderson, keyboardist Wix Wickens, and drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr. -- as well as bassist Davey Faragher from Elvis Costello's band the Imposters, bassist Scott Shriner from the group Weezer, and blues icon Etta James, who said, "I'll do anything for Brian."

Ray said, "What was really fun for me about making this album was that every person involved came into the studio and brought their own personality to the sessions. And that shows on the CD."

Ray is currently in Miami, rehearsing with McCartney and the rest of the band for the start of their tour on September 16th.

Before joining McCartney's band, Ray was the guitarist and musical director for Etta James, and he wrote Smokey Robinson's 1987 hit "One Heartbeat."

Ray returned the guest favor by appearing on Undressing Underwater, the solo album from McCartney's other guitarist, Rusty Anderson.

October 1, 2005 -- Message From Brian

Hello my friends,

It's been a long road, that's for sure!

I've been waiting to release my CD, Mondo Magneto, to get the tour with Paul going strong, hoping you would be there to listen when I was ready. Well, I'm ready!! Are you ready? How about releasing it a week early for you? Oct. 25th it is, then!! It will be available to order from CD Baby and Amazon, and also on iTunes on Nov the 8th.

I am also offering it on my website as a special pre-release from Oct. 11th, as a thank you to you all for your support. The first 50 people to order it from my website will receive a copy signed by me!

How about another song in the meantime? This is called "Good for Nothing" http://www.brian-ray.com/postcard/goodfornothing.html and it leads off my new CD. My friend Oliver Leiber co-produced this track with me.

Please.... enjoy!

Love,
Brian

Hello,

It's me.. Brian.. Ok, you have been the very best friends, patient and supportive through the recording process. So, I have decided it would be nice to reward your kindness in kind. Here it is, Mondo Magneto, a week earlier then planned.. just for you!

www.brian-ray.com/bmain.html

Turn it up!

love,
Brian

"MONDO MAGNETO" - A ROCK RECORD THAT POPS

When Brian Ray decided to record his first solo CD, he didn't have to look far for a supporting cast. The award winning songwriter for Smokey Robinson, guitarist and musical director for Etta James, now on tour as guitarist and bassist with Paul McCartney simply asked some of his mentors and friends to help him out.

When he asked the legendary blues singer Etta James if she would sing with him on the CD her answer was simple - and immediate - "I'll do anything for Brian." Not surprising considering the bond the two had developed over the years Brian had spent as her musical director and guitarist. "She's family to me, really," he explains. The rest of the players were a few more of his best friends - Scott Shriner from Weezer, Davey Faragher from Elvis Costello's band, Abe Laboriel, Jr., Wix Wickens and Rusty Anderson from Paul McCartney's band all appear on the album with Brian. The collaborators? Oliver Lieber, Adam Cohen, Tonio K.

The resulting album, Mondo Magneto, is filled with fresh, stylish songs, lyrics and catchy melodies that stay with you long after your first listening. It's a pop record that rocks and a rock record with pop radio sensibility. "What was really fun for me about making this album," Brian explains, "was that every person involved came into the studio and brought their own personality to the sessions. And that shows on the CD."

Mondo Magneto is available now on Whooray Records.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/brianray

January 17, 2006

Brian Ray's Record Release Party this Saturday!

Just a reminder that I will be doing a BIG fun record release party for my new CD, Mondo Magneto, at The Mint, here in LA on the 21st of January. I would love to see all of you out there rockin' and shakin' your money makers!

Love,
Brian

Online Brian Ray interview features unpublished photos and unpublished interview

Read the entire Brian Ray interview published in December's "20th Century Guitar Magazine" online at www.mwe3.com.

The online version features photos and more of the interview by Robert Silverstein that was not published in the magazine.

http://www.mwe3.com/

Brian Ray's new video of "I Liked You Better"

Hello,

It's me, Brian. Yes... after a summer of hot fun shows with my band, Black Unicorn I've been hard at work on a new video that I'd love for you to see. It features live footage of my band at the Viper Room and some dolls acting badly. Well, you'll see what I mean.

Visit http://www.brian-ray.com/ecard.html to view my eCard and watch the video. (requires flashplayer)

It was a blast to make this video... hope you dig it. If you do, there's a cool little 'email to a friend' feature on the eCard, so you can pass it on to all your friends!

Cheers!
Brian

6th Jan 2007 Happy New Year!
All good things to my dear friends in 2007!

My New Years Eve....

It was all about being invited to Mike Campbell's [guitarist for Tom Petty] house by him for Mike and Marci's NY party.. So, there I was hanging with some of the Heartbreakers and it's 11:50. I had heard that Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers played a set there last year.. but so far, no TP...

THEN, he walks in... Tom Petty.. and I notice the whole band is there now.. so, we all toast in the new year and I thought maybe they were just gonna hang and party.. so cool!! Then I see Mike motion the bass player and drummer to the living room, where they have a set up for a band.

So I walk into the next room.. I'm standing there talking to a woman and Tom walks by me.... stops, turns and says, "hi I'm Tom... I just wanted to introduce myself to you and tell I you I'm a big fan.. I've watched your work and you're a great player"... I'm freakin! So, I say "Man, I've been listening to you for a long time.. I got into this thing where I put on your new CD every morning... If it were made of vinyl, I would have worn that sucker out!!" He let out a big laugh... then he walks straight over, puts on a guitar and they played for 1 and a half hours straight! SO ****'in cool!!

They played all the songs that influenced them, not the hits.. All Mike's son's friends crowded and screamed, danced and fell over as I watched from the big winding stairwell in his giant living room. He was telling the kids to back up or he couldn't keep playin'.. just like they did at Woodstock! It was heaven.

Then after, Mike asked me back into his studio to show me his new guitars.. As we're talking, Tom Petty comes in and says it all again!! Wow.. what a great way to bring in the NY! I'm still all glowing from it.

You know, it's really surprising to me whenever a star tells me he's been watching me and is a fan of my playing/writing. I guess I don't go around thinking about my exposure to the world, being in this cool band with Paul McCartney. I never consider that all the other great artists look to him just as I did, and that they all notice me too.. it feels really good to be considered a peer.. It's such a cool side benefit to the music... just amazing.. I'll never forget it.

All the best to you in 2007.
May all of your dreams come true.

Love,
Brian

Ну а я с недавнего фестиваля в Коачелло фото Брайана с Полом и коллегами добавлю!

Brian Ray on Playing with Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Etta James and His Upcoming Album

Brian Ray calls himself a “Reluctant Rock God and Guitarist” on his MySpace, but what’s perhaps even more impressive is that he’s scored one of the best gigs around: since 2002 he has been Paul McCartney’s bass player and yes, that’s The Beatles‘ Sir Paul McCartney. However, Brian Ray’s extensive career is not to be undermined. He’s accomplished many great musical feats and in the past has played with greats such as Bobby Pickett, Etta James and Smokey Robinson and, more recently, played on Chris Cornell’s solo album. He’s even released his own solo record, Mondo Magneto, and has a second in the works. Brian recently agreed to honor The Rock and Roll Report with an exclusive interview.

Q: You just finished a tour with Paul McCartney, how was it?

A: BR: Yes, we finished a recent big stadium tour in the US [11 dates] and it was a fabulous time, including the new Citifield Stadium [home of the NY Mets] and the outdoor concert on the rooftop marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theatre [home of David Letterman's Show].

Q: Going back to the beginning, how did you get selected for Paul’s touring band?

A: BR: Well, it started seven years ago in France [where] a drummer friend of mine, Abe Laboriel Jr., was working with French artist Johnny Hallyday and Mylene Framer. It was my birthday and I knew he had a gig with Paul McCartney. I asked him “When are you guys gonna start touring?” and he said “In about 6 weeks.” So I said “Wow, so who’s gonna play bass when Paul switches to rhythm guitar? You know, and who’s gonna play rhythm when he’s on piano?” and he said, “Well you know, we are looking for somebody: a guitar player who can play bass,” and I put my hand in the air – “I’d love a shot at that!” It was that simple.
Then I got a call about 2 weeks later with an invitation to meet with David Kahne [McCartney's producer for Driving Rain and Memory Almost Full.] We had a chat, he gave me a guitar to play and a bass to play and he watched my hands. After an hour he says, “I have a good feeling about this, I’ll put your name forward. There are other names, but we’ll see what happens.” I got a call the very next day, took a plane to New Orleans to play with McCartney for Super Bowl XXXVI [...] and that’s how it started.

Q: Just curious, are you social with Paul after the touring is through or is it all business with him?

A: BR: No, it’s very social actually. After every show we drive out of the arena together and toast and talk. We stay in the same hotel and we travel with Paul on a chartered jet. We hang out a lot together.

Q: So you definitely have quite a bit of social time.

A: BR: Yeah, we are a real band.

Q: Now, I know there are a few other guitarists there, so how do you work out who plays what?

A: BR: 90% of time it’s intuitive with Rusty [Anderson] and I. We got these roles when we got this job. His role happens to be lead guitar, mine happens mostly to be rhythm guitar with some lead, some bass and acoustic 12 string. Of course Paul plays acoustic, bass, piano and all that. You can listen to any one of Paul’s tracks and hear that’s what the lead guitar does, and this is what the rhythm guitar player does. We come prepared with that, but there are other songs where Rusty will say “Hey Brian, you play lead on All My Loving or Get Back.” We may reverse the roles there but usually Rusty and I have a few days to rehearse before Paul comes in as a band [a four piece]. We’ll work out details and continue to work out details literally, until the lights go down.

Q: You’re planning a follow up to Mondo Magneto, can you tell us about that?

A: BR: It’s such a wonderful process: getting together with musicians I really respect and adore, who happen to be my best friends. Guys like Abe Laboriel Jr., Matt Laug, Paul Bushnell, and all these great players. Now, on this new record, I assembled some of the same guys and added a few more like the drummer from Elvis Costello, Pete Thomas, along with Davey Faragher [also from Elvis Costello's band], and a great keyboard player named Adam MacDougall [The Black Crowes]. We got together, much like the first album, and worked on arrangements together as a four piece, getting a lot of interplay between musicians because I have a feeling that’s what is missing in a lot of pop now: a lot of these pop songs we hear are constructed by one guy with a few guest players. It doesn’t have that wonderful exchange that we know and love from all the records that influenced us. So that’s the deal. We’re in the studio at the same time, laughing, and scratching, and coming up with arrangements, and grabbing our performances as a unit.

Q: What will be the album title?

A: BR: This Way Up. I’m looking forward to a January or February release. I’m 60% done with it right now and I’m lovin’ it. There’s more up-tempo numbers than the last record, if that matters. And lots of fun and colors.

Q: When you go on the road after playing with Paul, and the crowds aren’t as big, what do you think?

A: BR: What’s wrong with playing for 29 people?

Q: Nothing at all. In fact a lot of artists love that intimacy …

A: BR: I do love it. I love playing for 60 people in a small club. It’s a rush. Honestly, I don’t get nervous playing in stadiums with Paul for 50,000, it just makes me feel happy. But when I’m playing my own gig in front of 60 people, I’m very nervous before I go on. I’m nervous until the second song or so, and then I’m okay. It’s a weird thing about intimacy, and also when it’s your voice, and you’re the frontman, it’s a very different thing. It was a lot easier when I had Etta James or Paul McCartney to hide behind [laughs].

Q: What are your most memorable stories from that time in your life, when you were playing with legendary Etta James?

A: BR: Oh yeah, I have so many stories. The first time I went to Europe was with Etta and I was 19 years old. We were having a band being put together for us by Claude Nobs, the guy who puts together Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. It was just Etta, her dysfunctional husband Sam, and I traveling.

When I get there the band they got together was Rick Wakeman [Yes] on keyboards, John Paul Jones [Led Zeppelin] on bass, David “Fathead” Newman and “Pony” Poindexter on horns. I go to rehearsal and I’m just a kid, I didn’t know what I needed to do. I knew the material so I’m teaching them what I know and it’s coming together well, and in walks Jimmy Page and Robert Plant [Led Zeppelin]. They listened to a few songs and then Jimmy Page says “I feel like I’ve known you before, man. Like maybe in another life,” so I’m having an Aleister Crowley discussion with Jimmy Page, and they took me out to dinner in a chalet up in the Alps near Montreux.

The experience was just indelible in my mind. Being on stage with Etta telling me when we’re going to the bridge, when we’re going to the outro, the solo, etc. and you have to be ready ‘cause she could change her mind, and it would be different every time we played it. So you get to be in front of a big audience in Montreux, with Led Zeppelin’s bass player, and I turned around and missed a cue and she’d throw her wet towel at my face [laughs].

Q: With that in mind, have you had any embarrassing moments with Paul on stage?

A: BR: Let me see, well anytime you play a bad note or a wrong note on stage, he’s really nice. He’s got great ears and he hears everything, but he’s got enough taste and class to not stare at you or make a skunk-eyed face at you. He’ll just act like he didn’t hear the mistake, just smiling along. And then a bar or two later, he’ll look over at you and he’ll crack up, as if he had done it. He’ll laugh, recover, and finish the lyric he’s singing. That kind of thing puts you at ease because you know we’re a real live band, we don’t put on taped vocals. We don’t play to a click; it’s a human experience man. We’ve had to start over again, because someone messed up the intro.

Q: And it’s probably no big deal to anyone to start over…

A: BR: It’s endearing. People feel like they caught something special.

Q: Awesome. So, This Way Up comes out this year, How many songs?

A: BR: Eleven [Slips into an impromptu Nigel Tufnel impersonation from Spinal Tap]. It goes to eleven. If people want to reach me, they can certainly do that by joining my mailing list. I promise never to spam, we don’t share information at all!

http://rockandrollreport.com/brian-ray-on-playing-with-paul-mccartney-jimmy-page-etta-j...

Сегодня в 7 pm (время UK), то есть 2 часа назад, Брайан открыл свой обновлённый сайт. Он доступен по адресу
http://www.brianray.com/

Брайан Рэй как соло-гитарист посильнее будет чем Расти Андерсен (тот чистой воды риффовщик) но техники все равно маловато! Робби Маккинтош смотрелся бы на его месте лучше!

Behind the scenes w/Orianthi and Rick Nielson for Les Paul Tribute
http://www.brianray.com/index.php/blog
Видео

2Alice Cooper:

>Брайан Рэй как соло-гитарист посильнее будет
>чем Расти Андерсен (тот чистой воды риффовщик)
>но техники все равно маловато! Робби Маккинтош
>смотрелся бы на его месте лучше!

Робби, помнится, даже пел сольно на акустическом концерте Пола. Хэмиш Стюарт классно передал "привет" Чету Аткинсу на Paul is Live (1993). Без шуток, всегда, когда слушаю этот альбом не забываю и про эту инструментальную песенку. У этих гитаристов акустический материал здорово звучит.

А нынешние гитаристы, на мой взгляд, тоже весьма техничные. Какая связка гитаристов из двух последних составов бэнда Маккартни лучше - даже не знаю. Обе нравятся.