Jeff Ray & The Stakes

Americana, Roots, Blues, World Official Site Musicians from the Midwest have a knack for reinventing tradition. Jeff Ray is no exception. Go to any one of his performances and you’ll hear his fans say the same thing, “his music sounds old and new at the same time”. Born and raised in Minnesota, Ray left home at the age of 17 to cut his teeth in Memphis. It was through those travels that he developed his unmistakable “East-meets-West” Bluesy Americana sound. Watch closely and you’ll see Jeff Ray’s thumb keep the bass note thumping while he glides a glass slide seamlessly across the fret board. At the same time, his foot drives a heavy backbeat on a homemade portable front porch while an electronic tanpura drones at his side. Ray’s new effort and fourth release, BLUE MARA, has received critical acclaim across Europe and North America. Blues Matters (UK) says, “the overall result is impressive, with the dozen songs bearing traces of the darker side of Americana, though far bluesier than is usually encompassed by such a de nition”. The CD was recorded on an old- fashioned reel-to-reel with the emphasis placed on capturing the energy of a live performance. When asked about the overall feel of BLUE MARA, Jeff describes it as “early 60’s Chicago-blues and 1920’s pre- war blues, accented with the pervasive rhythms of Appalachia and the loftiness of East-Indian melodies.” If that description sounds hard to pigeonhole, it’s because it is.