Friend of Mine: Ray Flanagan

So… not that I quote folks a whole lot, but here’s a quote from Jay Farrar, “We quote each other/only when we’re wrong.” Such a great line… quotable —not to be ironic or anything— but it gets me thinking that I need to spend more time talking about people I know and what their music and art mean to me. Sometimes I’ll be a little technical… but largely I’ll point out what I like about their work and what it means to me.

The first person I’m telling you about is a guy we’ll be playing with tonight, 10.20.2022, at CODA and his name is Ray Flanagan.

I became acquainted with Ray about five or six years ago when I was touring through Cleveland and we was on the bill with June Star at the Happy Dog… where we got free hot dogs! I didn’t have the dogs but Dave and Kurt can give an account of their tummy woes after eating theirs.

Anyhow… Ray was a powerhouse… youthful, full of exuberant energy and an “anything is possible” disposition. Literally… that energy that propels him is rooted deep in an idealistic and passionate core that seemingly rotates at the same rate of the earth, but sometimes in the opposite direction.

A brilliant guitar player with a keen observational ear, Ray’s songs and performance left an impression. Through the years we’ve passed by each other at the odd show here and there… but I’m always glad to know that he his out there, pushing every button he knows in every conceivable way.

Recently he released a new single… “Be My Girl.” It’s a rocker in all the right ways… the “b-side” is “For the Love of You” which hearkens back to the sounds of great jazz pre R&B love laments. Really blown away by these tunes. You can find them on Spotify… but please go to his Bandcamp Page to Listen then Buy.