"when I'm alone and there's no one around / won't you please, won't you please be nice to me...."
Seattle's Forest Ray puts so much party, pathos and parlor tricks in their jam that it is goddamn life affirming. Listening to the lively, raucous "Please be Nice" (To Me) with it's 'raccoon eyes' guitar work, Mellotron-esque flute melodies, absolutely banging shuffle drum beat and a vocal countenance that figuratively charms the pants off you and you will want to dance in your shit kicker boots or Nikes (either way) while holding your drink.
Forest Ray crafts garden rock tunes, some deeply emotional and some maybe even deeply shallow but all with a ton of heart and musical brilliance. Listening to "Please be Nice" (To Me) and I couldn't help but think of an amalgam of bands like The Babies (featuring Kevin Morby and Cassie Ramone), Beachwood Sparks, Alex Bleeker & the Freaks, Cracker and other folk psyche / alt country rockers that are dancing on the tip of my tongue.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.tiktok.com/@forestrayrecords
https://soundcloud.com/forestray
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6aHS1ijoQqNunPy8K2zzAp
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNQuOl_9aKK-bMzpb4RVCuQ
https://forestray.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/forestrayrecords/
Forest Ray experiments in the analog and psychedelic, combining guitar driven psych rock with elements of raw synth-laced post-punk, americana, garage and organ-laden pop. Following in the footsteps of Pacific Northwest greats from The Sonics to The Kingsmen, the songs regularly explore diverse instrumentation, which have become staples of the band's brand of rock.
Their first two full length LPs, Musical Witchcraft and Laughing, were released to vinyl over 2016-18. They toured the US and played SXSW 2019 in support of their 7" split record with Lasso Spells, released Spring 2019 on Nashville's Cold Lunch Recordings label. In the fall of 2019, they released a new LP, Faded Reflection along with a collection of basement recorded analog tracks titled, the “Wedgwood Tapes”. Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck the group had also recorded their fourth studio album, “Black Pine”, during the winter of 2019 to be released in the fall of 2020. The album, which is an homage to lost loved ones, includes an array of twangy psychedelia, Americana influences and more of a diverse sound than previous records. During 2021, they released a follow up of home recorded favorites, in a sequel to "Wedgewood Tapes". In October 2022, they released their fifth full length album, “Always” with the title track being released as a single on January 21st, 2022. "Always" dives further into folk rock instrumentation and psychedelic folk rock influences, and features slide guitar much more prominently.
Forest Ray, alt country, freak folk, psychedelic, bohemian, folk rock, 60's 70's roots rock, Americana, jam band, "Please be Nice" (To Me),
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