Memphis Music's Mighty Rae-Ray

I sat down with the two founding members of Memphis' most delightfully and irreverently graceful band, Rae-Ray, for a few drinks. Rae-Ray is an eccentric funk-pop ensemble, and their works are verging on the cult classic in the coffee shop and bar scene in Memphis, Tennessee. Rae-Ray is currently recording an album with Jeff Powell, producer of Grammy award winning and nominated ablums here in Memphis.

Misti Rae Warren, the female voice of the group, orders a chicken salad telling the waiter, "I need protein," then looking at Davy Ray Bennett and says, "That wasn't a come on."

Davy Ray seems to take this in stride, as he looks at Misti Rae rather mystified by her humor. Davy Ray is the classically trained guitarist that contributes much of the complicated yet simple tunes backing the vocals. This little interchange between the two original members of Rae-Ray is reflective of the dynamics often found in the lyrics of Rae-Ray.

At their performances, Rae-Ray will treat the audience to a comedy routine as well as a complex, harmony oriented selection of music. They might play with a kazoo, a dobro, or a hollow body electric guitar, but no matter what Rae-Ray plays with, their music is sure to be "like candy for your ears." Rae-Ray will offer hints of early country music laced in with Spanish guitar riffs and folksy sounds with rock and roll lyrics that make you think and betray the truly modern world with all of its struggles while encouraging you to laugh at said struggles. Ecclectic really is an understatement here, and these musicians make it work like butter on bread.

"Hold Your Tongue" is a song that speaks of the nature of love and the complications of time combined with love. Starting out with the lyrics, "Start the engine to your motor mouth and tell me everything, I'm all ears and eye to eye pretending I'm listening." The music behind it is peaceful, serene, soothing, and the lyrics are ironic through their display of frustration with lots of talking. The work is needless to say compelling, fun, humorous, and interesting, which is the common finding of the music of Rae-Ray.

Misti Rae Warren and Davy Ray Bennett write all of the songs, and create a powerful duo of genius between the nutty antics of Misti and her classically trained counterpart, Davy. Their work reflects a thoughtfulness and humor that is both rare and intriguing.

Rae-Ray is also a couple in the romantic sense. They've been an item romantically for four years now. One of their songs, "Amnesty," is a thoughtful examination of the strains of pettiness in relationships. This song is what brought them together. Six years ago Misti Rae Warren was hosting an open mike with her then boyfriend when Davy Ray came in and performed the song.

Misti says she was so enamored with Davy that even though she was involved with another man at the time, she searched play lists all over Memphis trying to find a repeat performance of the moving song that she was introduced to Davy through. The lyrics suggest, "If I was always right and you were never wrong there would be less fighting and we could get along." Simple to say, but complex in thought, this is an example of the kind of impression the music of Rae-Ray provides.

Misti didn't find Davy for two years, and by this time, he was the one who noticed her at a local eatery known as the Bayou. After two long years, Davy still remembered Misti, and I have to say, the lady is rather unforgettable for her humor and kindness not to mention stunning good looks. Of their meeting at the Bayou, Misti says, "I tried to keep him sober long enough to hit on him before he left." She waited two years for her chance, so it seems she wasn't about to give up easily. Her ploy worked and the two have been together ever since that day.

I was first interested in Rae-Ray when I heard their song titled, "Candy Wrappers and Clothes," which is a piece that expresses the feelings of anxiety surrounding a messy apartment. When I asked Rae-Ray to tell me a little about the song, Misti Rae shares with me that she wrote the song one day when she was trying to make herself clean the apartment that had sunk into levels of filth and debris that she found overwhelming. Her response was to write a song about it rather than clean.

I've always been impressed with the way that Misti's lyrics seem to toss aside any preconceived notions of womanhood, or the role of women. She is a woman defined by her own standards, and not the ones laid out before her. She wears makeup and works as a model. She also has a song about her lady parts that is well loved by the masses here in Memphis. Her refusal to either play a traditional role of mother and wife, as well as her refusal to completely abandon any sense of that role is quite interesting to me. Misti proposed to Davy on Splash Mountain at Disneyland. She is the embodiment of the New Woman of the 21st century post-Gloria Steinem generation.

I asked Misti and Davy both about how they feel about this assessment, and Misti explained that she feels free to break or embrace any tradition she feels inclined. Davy said he wouldn't know what to do with a woman who didn't feel that way. Misti also confessed that she loved Madonna as a little girl, and perhaps that is where she gets the attitude that she can be sexy, independent, and in the moment.

Misti is also dancing in her brother, Burney's, cover band "Stop Stop and the Go-Go's." She likes to stay busy.

Rae-Ray is a combination of the Misty and Davy's middle names. They explain to me that they feel that their name is a bit of a reflection of their attitude about tradition. They say that Rae or Ray is something of a backwoods Southern stereotypical name, and their uses of their middle names reflects their roots as well as their decision to use their upbringings in the hills of Tennessee and the flatlands in East Arkansas as they choose. Though there is very little backwoods about their talent, the fact that they are not afraid to embrace their roots is similar to their embrace of womanhood. It is what it is, and it is what we make it seems to be their motto.

Today, Rae-Ray is a four piece with the occasional five or six piece including Roy Brewer, a symphont musician on a mandolin and violin, has toured with Catpower. Richard Ford is on banjo. He is a professional bluegrass musician. Permanent new members of the band are Andrew Simons on the upright bass, and Jesse Williams on the drums. Simons, like Davy, has also been classically trained and holds a BA in music from the University Of Memphis. This kind of creative work is hard to find even in a town as musically prolific as Memphis.

Davy Ray Bennett explained that some of his influences include Nick Drake, Chet Baker, and Robert Poulliard from Guided by Voices, but if you listen to his music you will hear that he has truly created something original and separate from his influences.

Rae-Ray is a reason to come to the city of Memphis and battle the crime riddled streets of the city of death. They'll be playing in April on the 7th (NOT 9TH) at Anne Digg's art opening and on FRIDAY APRIL 20TH HEADLINING @ OTHERLANDS W/OPENING ACTS RICHARD FORD & CIBELLA, AND April 21 at the Harbor Town Amphitheatre with Amy Laverne and Vending Machine. For other future listings, visit their website listed below.

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/IHEARTRAERAY