Bits and Bites From Spring 2015: The String Rays – Resonate
Deborah Grabien
Posted On May 27, 2015
Sitting in San Francisco, mid-spring and mid-drought and hoping for rain, I suddenly realised I had a sizeable pile of music that I’d either been sent in the hope of a review, or else had grabbed because I’d just seen the band live and the band had left an impression on my musical viscera. Since we’re a few weeks yet before the season officially changes and the solstice makes itself felt, having a look and a listen seems like the move.
I’m starting this off with a local band called The String Rays. I saw them at the Hopmonk Tavern in Novato, Marin County, California, about fifteen minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge. I’d actually gone to see, not them, but their opening act, the magnificent Lauren Murphy. I ended up discovering an excellent local band I’d been completely unaware of.
The CD on my desk is called Resonate, and it’s a great representation of why this band is so appealing. Influences run from the old Afro-Cuban klave (more familiar as Bo Diddley) to some kickass runs reminiscent of Lowell George (the opening track, Stony Point Road, evokes not only Little Feat but Delaney and Bonnie). “American Made” has touches of Springsteen and prime period Mellenkamp. The entire CD is seriously good, but the track that just grabbed me by the throat was the one that performed the same trick when I saw them live: “Coeur d’Alene”, a wonderful classic piece of Americana that left a lump in my throat. “Wrestling Dixie” is deeply rooted in the Delta, and “Devil Got No Home In Me” is a swampy hot throaty ode to a 1939 National guitar and a bargain Robert Johnson supposedly made down at the crossroads.
This one is likely to get into my regular rotation.
Band website: http://thestingrays.com
