Gemma Ray

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Gemma Ray (2014)

Gemma Ray (* 1980 in Basildon , Essex ) is a British songwriter, guitarist, singer, film composer and music producer.

To date, Gemma Ray has released six albums on the Bronze Rat Records label and worked with artists such as Sparks and Alan Vega . Her music is often ascribed to genres such as "pop-noir", "sideways blues" or "gothic folk".

Life

Ray was born in Basildon , Essex and raised not far from it. Gemma Ray lives in Berlin.

Studio albums

The leader

Gemma Ray's debut album The Leader was produced with the assistance of Micheal J. Sheehy. Released on June 2, 2008, it is distinguished by the single release Hard Shoulder / Name Your Lord . Due to illness, she could not go on tour with the album, but used the time to write on her next album.

Lights Out Zoltar!

The second studio album, Lights out Zoltar! , was released on September 7, 2009. It received consistently positive reviews. Already on August 23, she released the single 100mph (In 2nd Gear) . For Lights of Zoltar! Gemma Ray was awarded the Independent Music Award in 2010 .

Jimmy Page, lead guitarist of the legendary rock group Led Zeppelin , said after one of their performances, during which she was on stage as a supporting act for Mott the Hoople , that “she shouldn't be missed”.

It's a Shame About Gemma Ray

The album It's a Shame About Gemma Ray was recorded in just a few days at NY HED Studios in New York. Produced by Heavy Trash's Matt Verta-Ray, it was released on June 1, 2010. The album includes a total of 16 cover versions of more or less well-known artists such as Ella Fitzgerald , Mudhoney , The Cookies , Sonic Youth , Buddy Holly and George Gershwin .

Island Fire

In April 2010 she was stranded in Australia after her flight home was killed by an erupting Icelandic volcano. She used the forced break to record the basics of her next album in the Alberts Studios in Sydney. After further studio stays on the island of Giske in Northern Norway and on the Isle of Dogs in London, she returned to Sydney once more to complete Island Fire . Island Fire is an "exciting vintage work of art" and "untouchable, aloof, cool and sensual".

Island Fire was released on March 12, 2012 and received consistently very good reviews and reached number 19 on the CMJ album chart. The pre- release mini album Runaway contributes two songs to this album and the present CD version contains the two songs from the already released 7 ”single Gemma Ray sings Sparks (with Sparks) as a bonus.

Down baby down

Less than twelve months later, the instrumental album Down Baby Down followed . Ray aptly describes this half-hour noir-jazz-folk excursion as a "Fantasy Soundtrack". Together with Rory More on the organ, Wilhelm Stegmeier on the bass and Thomas Wydler ( Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds ) on the drums, Ray commutes "between calm and unexcited, gloomy and lively worlds".

The album was performed in its entirety with Thomas Wydler, Andy Zammit and the choir ensemble in the Berlin Imperial Club on December 3, 2013.

Milk for Your Motors

Milk For Your Motors is “like its strong predecessor, an album without filler material or failures, it lives from the quality of individual songs”. In Milk for Your engine also many sizes can be heard the music world, including Alan Vega ( Suicide ), Howe Gelb ( Giant Sand ) and Fiona Brice ( John Grant , placebo ) and the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg . The album was released on August 22, 2014.

Gemma Ray toured Milk for Your Motors extensively through 2015. In the same year, she performed at two special events at London's Barbican and Lead Belly at the Royal Albert Hall to pay tribute to the work and musical legacy of Lee Hazlewood .

The Exodus Suite

The release of The Exodus Suite was announced on March 16, 2016. Described as a 52-minute odyssey through its unique style "epic torch song psychedelia", the album was recorded in just seven days at the Candy Bomber Studios in Berlin. The album was released on May 20, 2016.

In February 2016 Ray toured Europe with The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion .

Working as a film composer

Gemma Ray has contributed to several films and television series with her music. In 2015 she wrote, arranged and recorded the score for the German film Vorstadtrocker by The Plura Sisters. Also in 2015, Wim Wenders brought Ray into his short documentary Restoring Time . Ray also sang at Wenders Berlinale party in Clärchens Ballhaus . Her music has also appeared in series such as The Killing , What Remains and Switch and Ringer .

Gemma has also appeared on several television shows, including Rockwiz, Spicks & Specks, Jam Sandwich, and Top of the Pops 2.

Participation in projects / collaborations / participation

Gemma Ray has worked with several well-known artists in the course of her career to date. A chance meeting in Los Angeles with Ron and Russell Mael of the band Sparks led to a collaboration between the artists. Together they released the 7 ”single Gemma Ray sings Sparks (With Sparks) , two interpretations of the Sparks How Do I Get to Carnegie Hall and Eaten by the Monster of Love . The cover for the record was designed by Rick Froberg of the bands Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes and Obits.

Her most consistent partner / colleague is Andy Zammit, who accompanies her live on drums and is also involved in the production of many of her albums.

Discography

  • 2008: The Leader
  • 2010: Lights Out Zoltar!
  • 2010: It's a Shame About Gemma Ray
  • 2012: Island Fire
  • 2013: Down Baby Down
  • 2014: Milk for Your Motors
  • 2016: The Exodus Suite
  • 2019: Psychogeology

Web links

Commons : Gemma Ray  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Noir-Folk, a pinch of Fifties-Retro and a handful of Rococo-Pop. In: laut.de. Retrieved April 12, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Ox-Fanzine: Reviews: GEMMA RAY / Island Fire :: ox-fanzine.de. In: www.ox-fanzine.de. Retrieved April 12, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Album Review: Gemma Ray - Island Fire. In: Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 12, 2016 (American English).
  4. ↑ Noir-Folk, a pinch of Fifties-Retro and a handful of Rococo-Pop. In: laut.de. Retrieved April 12, 2016 .
  5. ↑ Deeply relaxed, unobtrusive and calming. In: laut.de. Retrieved April 12, 2016 .
  6. ↑ FOCUS Online: Better than Lana: Big Pop by Gemma Ray. In: FOCUS Online. Retrieved April 12, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME Ray, Gemma
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British songwriter, guitarist, singer, film composer and music producer
DATE OF BIRTH 1980
PLACE OF BIRTH Basildon , Essex