Photo courtesy Clarion Call Media
A standard question that begs insight into an artist’s long term game plan is “Where do you see yourself in the five years?” Shilpa Ray’s response deflates the notion of careerist itineraries. “Ha ha! The very reason that I'm a musician is so I would never have to answer this question,” she says. “Save it for the IT nerds of Silicon Valley.”
Then again very few “How To Hit The Big Time” handbooks would feature a chapter on a singer who can move comfortably from cabaret to ’60s-style pop to raging punk-blues, and happens to play an Indian harmonium.
The young wallflower didn’t seem like a natural performer until she found her voice. “I was a shy quiet kid,” the Brooklyn songwriter says, “so being a performer was not on the top of my list of things to accomplish. All my teachers would get frustrated with me. It wasn't until I found music I felt emotionally connected to that I had a desire to play.”
After disbanding Her Happy Hookers in 2011 she toured as an opening act and backup singer with Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. That connection led to a collaborative recording of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s “Pirate Jenny” with Cave and violinist Warren Ellis.
Her visceral lyrics and cultural references to the likes of Johnny Thunders and Tammy Faye Baker are indicators of her lyrical depth. Ray’s pop smarts are evident in the girl-group/doo-wop details in “Morning Terrors and Nights of Dread,” her full-on NYC attitude is bared on “EMT Police and the Fire Department,” and her sense of blues history is revealed in her cover of Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind.”
For as much promise and depth as her songwriting suggests, she is down to earth about it. “I always have some kind of hook or sound in my head, though I wouldn't call myself a prolific writer. The sound and music part is actually really easy. Lyrics are hard,” she admits.
“I do take my time writing lyrics, which is kind of pointless since no one cares about the lyrics anyway,” she continues. “I don't think I've written my favorite song yet. There are definitely ones I'm sick of playing though.”
Considering the unconventional instrumentation Ray has employed (harmonium, pedal steel guitar, mini keyboard), one might guess the only rule is no rules. But Ray begs to differ. “Not true. I run a really tight ship and know exactly what I want to hear from the various instrumentations,” she says. “I also write with parts in mind to suit the style of the people I play with.”
Rock ’n’ roll has a long history of strong, talented, creative women fronting bands. Ray is well on her way to earning a spot as part of that lineage
Shilpa Ray and her band headline the Bay View Bash’s North Stage presented by WMSE and Rush-Mor Records on Saturday, Sept. 15, at 9 p.m.
