Ray Prim’s use of strings and hooks on new full-length Grey catches the ear and hauls in repeat listens with crisp pop corners, sharp songwriting, airtight backing, and a “singer-soulwriter” salve both urban and urbane, contemporary and classic. “Fighting for Air,” “Rose Colored Glasses,” and “Angela Polady” (“some days just come too soon”) all stick.
Austin Chronicle: Where are you sheltering and under what circumstances? Who else is there and how’s that going?
Ray Prim: I’m at my duplex hunkering down with my live-in Girlfriend Baby C. Nothing really changed on that front. Just working on music and watching Vampire Diaries.
AC: At what point did C-19 shut down operations for you, and what went down with the ship, so to speak, both personally & professionally?
“Now, I need to be the whole band on the guitar. Silver lining, I might come out of this a better guitarist. Fingers crossed.”
RP: My last show with the band was Feb 28. Luckily, I had songs written before then and started to work on my latest album, Grey. I was also on the backend of mixing and producing local artist Erica Michelle’s new EP.
So, for three months, I was busy.
Luckily, I kept my day job and money wasn’t an issue. Now that I’ve finished everything, I’m really starting to feel the effects of music not being a major part in my life. Just joined another songwriting group so hopefully that will fill the void.
AC: As a global culture, people employ music for every purpose imaginable, obviously spanning religion to entertainment and everything in between. What happens to communities like ours when people can no longer access it in person?
RP: You know that’s a good question. I think online shows are already starting to get old. It’s just not the same watching them or playing them. I’m afraid if things don’t return back to normal by at least January or February of next year, we may not have a scene to come back to. If we do, it definitely won’t be the same.
“I’m afraid if things don’t return back to normal by at least January or February of next year, we may not have a scene to come back to.”
AC: Everyone’s had to shift or drastically alter their work situation. What does that look like for you?
RP: Again, I had a day job and I chose to have one because I only wanted to play shows that had meaning or were worth me leaving my house. So typically, I played once or twice a month. I’m just now starting to really miss that, ’cause I was busy with those other projects.
I’m going to have to approach how I write and step up my guitar game, ’cause for the foreseeable future I’ll probably only be playing solo to duo shows. I’m used to writing with an eightpiece in mind. I just had to stay out of the way on guitar 🙂
Now, I need to be the whole band on the guitar. Silver lining, I might come out of this a better guitarist. Fingers crossed.
AC: What’s your soundtrack for the apocalypse and what role does music play for you as a fan and scholar of it in times of hardship?
RP: Rage Against the Machine’s Evil Empire has been my soundtrack and if it weren’t for the last two music projects, mine and Erica’s, I probably would have lost my mind. Reach back out to me in three months, I may be certifiable by then.
Check out the entire Checking In series.
This article appears in August 21 • 2020.