I came across Ray Williams at a Swyndle night at Harvard & Stone. If you love your country folk music being presented with pristine vocals, Williams is your person. I was captivated from the start. There is something special when listening to the minimalism of a person on stage with just an acoustic guitar -- if they have solid vocals.
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| Ray Williams at Harvard & Stone |
I decided to search for her music as I enjoyed it so much.
First, finding her music on Spotify was an effort as her Instagram account links to her band Smack Champion instead of her individual music. As for that band, it appears to have launched in July 2023 and they've already put out an 8 song album. On the album, Williams shares vocals, depending on the song, with a band mate. When I did a Spotify search on her name, the first person that popped up was someone else with the same name. Anyways, I finally found her Spotify page. Unfortunately, she only has one song up from 2022.
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| Ray Williams at Harvard & Stone |
Second, it is easier to find her music on YouTube though she stopped posting new videos four years ago.
That doesn't mean she's stop making solo music. In fact, she introduced her latest song called "Fantasy" at Harvard & Stone, "I wrote it at Joshua Tree very recently. It's called 'Fantasy.' It's about that unattainable crush situation." The music reminds me of another Los Angeles based singer, Emily Rose & the Rounders. Anyone who follows me knows I love Emily Rose & the Rounders. I've covered her sets for both US Rocker Music and Buzzbands (photo). That basically guarantees that I loved "Fantasy."
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| Ray Williams at Harvard & Stone |
Other than the music, what was fun about the set? She kept noticing friends that had shown up for her set. I was at the front of the stage doing my normal photography / videography. To my left, I noticed someone using her phone to record pretty much the full set. It wasn't until the end of the set that Williams looked over in that direction and was pleasantly surprised to see another familiar face.
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| Ray Williams at Harvard & Stone |
What am I hoping happens in 2025? To catch a Smack Champion set and another Ray Williams set.
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