Stacy Kray
San Francisco, California, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Gig recommended as "essential" in San Francisco Chronicle list of weekend picks: "Signature stark, dramatic and shadowy "rock noir"" - San Francisco Chronicle
"I stumbled upon Stacy Kray last November. Long story short she was rehearsing with her band in a studio where I was getting ready for a session the next day. Essentially I got my own private performance, and what a treat it was. I still remember how enthralled I was with the cover she did of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game." The band played a lovely arrangement and between her guitar player Yair Evnine's tasty lines and Stacy's vocal delivery I felt like I was being reeled into a beautiful musical web. Stacy brings a true sense of authenticity to the table as an artist, and the lyrical depth of her originals attests to this. . .
This is an artist who is not afraid to look deep within herself while at the same time taking that depth up on stage and "just rocking out" with it. So what are you waiting for? . . ."
- Rachel Allgood - The Deli Magazine, S.F.
"Stacy Kray is a many-faceted gem, an artistic treasure just hanging out in our own backyard in SF. As I sit down to write about her recent release My Last Eye, I am very humbled. How can I write a review for someone who has such a gift with words? . . . My Last Eye strikes me as a Tori Amos meets Joan Osborne type of package. The vocal performances on this album are exceptional with just the right mix of sultry emotion and gritty "tell it like it is" rock. The tracks are guitar-driven with an outstanding cast of characters filling out the band, including Jon Evans (Tori Amos) on bass, Todd Roper (Cake, Etienne de Rocher) on drums and Yair Evnine (Spencer Day, Rain of Frogs) on lead guitar and cello. . . Stacy holds her own on her first set of studio recordings, spanning a breadth of creativity on par with the pros. With organic instrumentation and thoughtful arrangements she takes a firm artistic stand, comfortable in her identity. . .
I was hooked on "Someday" from the first listen. It's not surprising this inventive little track caught the attention of KFOG, receiving repeat airplay and a spot on their Local Scene 4 compilation disc. . . .
"Someday" is rich with layers of meaning from start to finish while still leaving room for listeners to create their own meaning. . . . Pulsing rhythm guitars alternate back and forth to emulate a figurative tug-of-war on the verses, mirroring the disparities we so often find when our dreams come face to face with reality. The choruses open up with a hint of airy spaciousness in the arrangement to accompany the dreamer inherent in "Someday." . .
Stacy moves effortlessly between deep explorations of the darker side of life and examining somewhat lighter paradoxical situations. She brings Carl Jung into the rock arena and adeptly wields her poetic sword to slice life open for a good honest look at what's inside. . .
With this impressive debut studio effort under her belt, I hope this prolific young artist who is so willing to explore the inner contours of our society will settle even further into her creative skin and push the boundaries of where music and psychological mysteries meet. Don't miss the opportunity to get to know this SF treasure on your own. . . ."
-Rachel Allgood
- The Deli Magazine
"Serious, fun music with fascinating rhythms, thought promoting lyrics and intelligent arrangements. Great vocals too!" (Review of live radio performance)
- David Stafford, KKUP Radio
"Kray performs a musical hat trick: Accomplished musicianship, originality, and accessibility. Kray's voice is unique without being quirky and technically beautiful yet never showy. Think Portishead or Cowboy Junkies with more resonance. . . . Every song is strong, with vocals, musicianship and lyrics that feel perfectly balanced, yet have plenty of character. . . The songs are catchy, yet the lyrics tell stories via colorful metaphors that stop short of clever and often take a few listens to fully grasp. Think Dar Williams without the folk, Ani Difranco without the anger, or Tori Amos, only less elfin creature from another planet."
--Sherry Sly - Performer Magazine
"To raise money for charities that benefit inner-city children and the arts in New York City, Stacy Kray sent out a call to her fellow California singer-songwriters and put together an engaging collection of songs inspired by the events of September 11, 2001. This compiliation captures the spectrum of emotions -- the sadness and apprehension as well as the hope and rejuvenation-- that came in the afternath of that day. . . . [T]he songwriters have turned a sorrowful subject into something comforting and cathartic." (Review of The Canvas Remembers September 11)
--Drew Pearce - Acoustic Guitar Magazine
"My Last Eye is killing me! The songs are cool and unusual, the lyrics weigh heavily with time, the arrangements are very creative, and the vocals are sooo evocative! An awesome record." - Grammy-nominated producer & songwriter Bonnie Hayes
The track "Someday was released on KFOG Radio's "Local Scene 4" CD, featuring tracks from "exceptional local musicians." (Stacy has appeared on the KFOG morning show, and also was the subject of a KFOG podcast in 2008.) - KFOG
"Nothing, and [I] mean nothing beats the power of seeing a gripping live performance of a band you're seeing for the first time. . . . I've seen dozens of great shows [at SXSW 2009], but I had a different musical experience yesterday when I got on the Wente Vineyards music bus yesterday and witnessed impromptu acoustic performances by Scissors for Lefty and Stacy Kray. Even after 15 years in the music business, raw musical talent still blows me away." (Panos Panay, Founder & CEO, Sonicbids) - Sonicbids - Panos' Brew
Discography
ACTION at a DISTANCE (EP) - release date 8.28.10
My Last Eye
KFOG Local Scene 4 (track #2, "Someday) (radio compilation of "exceptional" Bay Area musicians)
International Pop Overthrow Compilation CD
Broken Symmetry
The Canvas Remembers September 11
(compilation produced by Stacy Kray)
Photos
Bio
Picture PJ Harvey and Suzanne Vega collaborating with Jean-Paul Sartre and Franz Kafka and you'll get a good idea of the landscape unearthed on Stacy Kray’s My Last Eye. Hard-edged but melodic, Kray’s music is “perfectly balanced, yet has plenty of character” (Performer Magazine).
The music explores relationships, but not just human relationships. “We all have our relationships with the inanimate too –time, guilt, love, justice, etc. These connections frame our bonds with people-- in fact, if we are not careful, they can become the focal point. A missed appointment, a penny on the street, a slight turn of the head. All of these can cause love to rush in or flee, depending on circumstance. I like getting lost in this maze. Usually, I don’t find my way back out..”
My Last Eye features Stacy’s songs, vocals and guitars, with Jon Evans (Tori Amos) on bass, Todd Roper (Cake, Chuck Prophet, Sean Hayes) on drums and Yair Evnine (Spencer Day) on lead guitar and cello. It was recorded and engineered by former Warner Brothers artist, engineer and mixer Mikael Johnston (Smashmouth, the Sounds, Jane’s Addiction), and mastered by Emily Lazar and Sarah Register (David Bowie, Garbage, Natalie Merchant).
Stacy has released two music videos for "My Last Eye." The video for "Someday" was inspired by Hitchcock's "Vertigo." Filmed on the 50th anniversary of the movie’s release, it features some of the San Francisco landmarks Hitchcock used in his film. The video for "Big Bad Wolf" (which has been featured on Fuse TV) was filmed in a heart-stoppingly beautiful forest. It peers into the entwined fate of man and beast, and casts Stacy opposite an enchanted artic wolf.
Stacy is a KFOG Radio Local Scene Artist, and has performed live on radio, including on the KFOG morning show and podcast series. Her songs "Hot & Cold and "Someday" have received radio airplay.
Stacy is an award-winning member of the West Coast Songwriters Association, a voting member of NARAS, a member of the San Francisco Songwriters Coalition, and a past Sonicbids Spotlight Artist.
In 2010, Stacy formed the band ACTION at a DISTANCE with Yair Evnine, who lives in New York City. ACTION at a DISTANCE, which writes and records primarily via the spooky action of the internet, will release its first EP on August 28th, 2010. The band was featured in an artist spotlight in Billboard Magazine's August 7, 2010 issue. Two of the songs on the EP have won West Coast Songwriters awards. For more information, visit the ACTION at a DISTANCE website (link below.)
Stacy’s work also appears on a compilation album she produced. “They Traded The World,” a song about the events of September 11, won a West Coast Songwriter’s Association award, and inspired Stacy to organize The Canvas Remembers September 11, a benefit concert and CD underwritten by Discmakers and CD Baby. The benefit featured songs, poems and art by California artists inspired by the events of September 11. All proceeds from CD sales are donated to two charities in NYC that provide music education and therapy to children.
Links
