Cari Ray’s songs sound authentic because they are. Born into a musical family and raised on a rural Indiana farm, her musical roots were planted in bluegrass, blues & southern gospel. And while her style lands solidly in the Roots/Americana category, flavors of her early influences peek through in her songs. The Cash-esque “Red Line” will take you rattling down the tracks with a jilted lover while the ballad “Lighting” will stir you with a story about passionate love with poor timing. Whether relaying triumph or tragedy, her songs have a universal quality that allows the listener to effortlessly drop into the story and live it for him or herself.
As a writer, reviewers have mentioned her alongside the likes of Jamey Johnson, Lucinda Williams and Willie Nelson. “Often a song will show up and pester me until I write it. When I plan a write, alone or with a co-writer, I usually just ask what story needs telling.” says Ray. And while critics and fans alike praise her writing skill, it’s that talent coupled with a rich, smokey voice that has people convinced she's going places.
Recently gaining momentum touring, co-writing with Travis Howard, a friend and favorite collaborator of Miranda Lambert, and by appearing with artists such as Terri Clark, Sonia Leigh and Gretchen Wilson, she is definitely an artist to watch.
In short, if you have a pulse, her music will speak to you.
An Interview with Cari Ray
Writer Jennifer Hershberger sat down recently with CariRay to learn a little about the person behind the music. Here’s what came up.
What got you started? As far as the singing goes, this undeniable drive to perform I guess—from a very young age. Sang my first solo in church when I was 3—daddy played the guitar. Since then it seems like I’ve always found a way to turn whatever I’m doing into an opportunity to perform.
Songwriting was a little different path. I started writing poetry when I was about 11—as I look back now the poems are really more like song lyrics anyhow. I picked up the guitar, taught myself some chords and wrote my first official song in college—I was crazy in love and had to get it out.
Who or what inspires your music? The human condition. Get too specific and the song is self-indulgent. Boil your own experience down to a common denominator of the human experience and the listener can put his or herself in the story. I like to keep my songs simple but tell broad stories—to do so I have to used the phrase that will best bring the listener along with me.
What kinds of music do you listen to? Roots & Alt Country (AKA what country used to sound like), blues, bluegrass, indie rock (as long as it doesn’t rock to hard), some current country but not much. And my guilty pleasure is listening to obnoxious, synth-laden bubblegum pop from the 80s. Madonna, Wham, Prince, Run DMC, The Bangles, Eurythmics, Tears For Fears, The Human League, etc. when I work out. Don’t judge me.
What have you sacrificed for your music? Mainly my judgements. Like the judgement that pursuing a career in music is definitely not responsible. Or the one that is certain that I’m way to old to start this now. Oh, and this vision often asks me to let go of fear. Mind you, I haven’t given up my fear—like a smoker who just can’t quite let go I still give it a toke from time to time—especially when moving forward requires a certain level of risk. So I don’t really give it up, I just have it and move forward anyway.
Tangibly speaking, the main sacrifice is that of my time. And some money—getting started as a singer/songwriter trying to make a splash without label support is easier than it used to be, but still takes a lot of both.
Do you enjoy writing or singing more and why? Wow, that’s like asking a mother to admit to a favorite child—in public. I really get juiced when a new song concept comes—or a clever turn of phrase. If you MADE ME pick one, though, I’d have to say singing—or, in typical Cari Ray fashion, I’d try to bend the rules and change singing to performing. I think it’s because performing is a team sport.—I’m co-creating an experience with everyone else there—the band—the audience—the bartender in the back—we’re all contributing something. I feel really connected when I perform.
Where's the most interesting place you've conceived the idea for or written a song? Interesting, hmmm—not sure if this is that interesting, but ideas often come early in the morning when I’m in that funny place between asleep and awake. It’s like I wake up singing part of a song and then realize it’s not a song I’ve ever heard. In my “dream” I know the whole song but usually wake up with only a piece and have to work to coax the rest out.
Have you ever forgotten the words while performing? (What then?) Yep, more often than you might think—and usually with one of my own songs (how embarrassing). I usually just keep playing the guitar until I can bring things back around. It used to be no big deal but now that many of the folks in the audience know my songs it’s harder to get by with a mistake. Fortunately I make less of them than I used to on stage. Life is an entirely different matter.
Is there an art form you don't relate to? Not really. I graduated college with a degree in graphic design so visual art has always been a part of the mix for me. Though it’s been a while, I’ve also spent lots of time on stage acting in plays and musicals. I just like creative expression in general...visual and performing. I even enjoy applying the creative process to non-artistic endeavors—critical thinking, problem-solving and the like.
Do you sing in the shower? All the time. In the car too. Doesn’t everyone?
Do you have a pre-performance routine? (A lucky shirt? Only green M&Ms? Water through a straw?) Not really pre-performance so much, but I do like my little rituals—like drinking Coca-Cola with a little spiced rum (just a little, really!) when I’m on stage. My story is that it’s good for my throat—I don’t know if it’s really true, but I like to think it is so I keep doing it.
If you were on the road, where would you like to perform most?
No place in particular, but I love to perform outside and I love dark old theaters with musty red carpet, squeaky upholstered seats with popcorn hulls wedged in the crevices and worn-down, beer-stained hardwood floors.
What's the best advice anyone ever gave you? That there’s no such thing as indecision. You choose to decide or you choose not to decide. Either way you’ve made a decision. So I try to remember that at some level I am always at choice regardless of what is going on around me. I get to choose who I’m being and what I’m up to every minute of every day. Period. Doesn’t even matter if it’s true—even the illusion that I am at choice in every moment empowers me to create what I might not otherwise even attempt. Feels like a lot sometimes, but it’s just how it is for me.
