Guitar Prodigy Ray Goren Plays IBC Roots & Blues Showcase

ACCLAIMED GUITAR PRODIGY RAY GOREN PERFORMS AT ROOTS & BLUES SHOWCASE IN MEMPHIS DURING IBC WEEK Thurs, Feb. 2 - PURPLE HAZE NIGHT CLUB  - Set Time Approx. 4:00 PM

"Teen Phenom"  - Pasadena Weekly "Ray Goren is fast becoming the young hot guitar picker to watch in the blues world and beyond" - San Francisco Chronicle   (Memphis, TN) - Acclaimed SoCal-based guitar prodigy Ray Gorenperforms at the Roots & Blues Showcase taking  place at Purple Haze Night Club during 2017 International Blues Challenge Week, on Thursday, February 2. Set time: Approximately 4:00 pm. 140 Lt George W. Lee Ave. Info: (901) 577-1139 or http://www.purplehazenightclub.com/.    "No one rattles the place like Ray Goren, from the Los Angeles area. He plays electric guitar — and sings — with a fluency, ease and depth of expression that defy easy explanation”.”                             Howard Reich, CHICAGO TRIBUNE   Just a few years ago, after seeing Ray Goren play at the Golden State Theater in Monterey, California, reviewer Jason Debord wrote on Rocksubculture.com: “Ray is a real phenomenon, and you sit there not believing what you are seeing and hearing…It was really one of the most unbelievable moments I’ve experienced at any concert. Amazing.” Dazzled by his raw, intense live performances, Chicago Tribune critic Howard Reich once wrote, “No one rattles the place like Ray Goren.”   The NYC born, SoCal-raised singer, songwriter and trailblazing electric guitarist has been getting that kind of jaw-dropping attention since he first picked up the guitar at age eight. A purely indie self-release, Save My Soul EP title single, reached the Top 40 on the BDS (Billboard/Nielsen) Triple AAA radio chart.   Goren traces his musical trajectory back to when he and his parents lived in a small apartment on New York’s Upper West Side. He was noodling around on a toy keyboard at the age of three and by five the budding musician was listening to Oscar Peterson and Thelonious Monk, and playing jazz on his piano. Ray has said that "the soul of my music is tied to the blues. However, instead of growing and evolving from blues to rock, I listened to Stevie Wonder, D’Angelo, Amy Winehouse, Donny Hathaway, Prince and others. Later I listened to rock artists like, Jimi Hendrix, Maroon 5, Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead and Imagine Dragon. I have also always been inspired by lyrically-driven artists like Leon Russell, Bob Dylan and more recently by J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar and Drake. I want to be a unique artist and create my own sound."   As he continues to musically mature and grow his guitar prowess, Ray's sound has morphed into a vibrant amalgamation of the Blues, Rock, Alternative, Soul, and even some Hip-Hop (not unusual, considering he's all of sixteen years of age). Watch for 2017 to be the year that Ray Goren makes his presence felt on not only the national, but international, stage.         Ray Goren - Solo Show from The Mint, Los Angeles, Calif. Feb. 2 (Thur.)          ROOTS & BLUES SHOWCASE     Memphis, TN  Feb. 18 (Sat.)           GENGHIS COHEN                       Los Angeles, CA

New Blues Festival II, Labor Day Weekend, Continues Long Tradition

NEW BLUES FESTIVAL II ON LABOR DAY WEEKEND IN EL DORADO PARK  CONTINUES LONG TRADITION OF THE SOUTHLAND'S FIRST BLUES FESTIVAL - 2 DAYS, 2 STAGES, WITH OVER 30 BIG BLUES ACTS! Saturday, September 5 & Sunday, September 6 /Music Starts 10 a.m.                                     Visit the Vendor Village - Food Court, Beer Garden, & VIP Lounge Award-winning jazz/blues vocalist extraordinaire, Barbara Morrison, showcases her impressive talents on Saturday. Repping SoCal blues with style since 1995: guitarist Kid Ramos, who performs with The 44's on Sunday.

(Long Beach, CA) - The place to be for Blues lovers this Labor Day Weekend is the New Blues Festival II, taking place over two big days, Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 6, in El Dorado Regional Park, 7550 E. Spring St. Gates open at 9 a.m., and music starts at 10 a.m. each day. Tickets $25, available now at http://www.newbluesfestival.com/. Tickets also available at six Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ locations, including Long Beach, Long Beach Towne Center, and the Cerritos Mall (Lucille's is the festival's Title Sponsor this year). Also available at the gate both days. Amenities include a huge Vendor Village; Food Court; Beer Garden; and all-new VIP Lounge. Bring the family and and settle in amidst the cooling Long Beach ocean breezes!  The festival has expanded due to the overwhelming success of last year's inaugural NBF, when over 2,000 music lovers of all ages filled POA Park in Long Beach. "Los Angeles and Orange Counties have responded very well to the (New Blues Festival) concept. We definitely hit on a pent-up demand for a long-running inter-generational tradition, and we are excited to once again share all this great music with the public", says William Grisolia, Producer of the New Blues Festival, whose own band, New Blues Revolution, is one of Sunday's Main Stage Headliners.        Master harmonicist-vocalist, James Harman, performs Saturday.                   Saturday, September 5 - Main Stage Headliners                        Youth is served: Teen guitar prodigy Ray Goren opens NBF II on Saturday.   Saturday's powerful lineup is headlined by harmonica master James Harman, who has been playing music since the 1960's and whose James Harman Band over the years has included such musical luminaries as Dave Alvin, Gene Taylor, Kid Ramos and the late Hollywood Fats, among countless others. Also topping the first day of music: jazz/blues singing great Barbara Morrison, who continues to maintain a full touring schedule well into her fourth decade of performing, and whose sparkling resume' includes a Who's-Who of musicians including Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell, Etta James, Dr. John, and more. Also: Long Beach legend, acoustic guitarist, Bernie Pearl; Southland staples 2000 Lbs of Blues, fronted by colorful Mike "Pink" Arguello, blues guitarist (and nephew of legendary John Lee Hooker), Teddy Lee Hooker; Americana-Roots artist, Sean Lane; blues-rock quarter, Union Hobos; and opening the show, fifteen-year-old SoCal guitar wunderkind, Ray Goren.   Guitar dynamo Laurie Morvan shows off her considerable chops, Sunday.              Sunday, September 6 - Main Stage Headliners    Sunday sees no letup with top headliners, the eleven-piece Caravan of All-Stars, a powerhouse R&B/Soul/Blues revue assembled to showcase some of the unsung heroes of West Coast Blues, representing the Bay Area Blues Society. Also: the Laurie Morvan Band, fronted by Red-Hot rockin' blues guitar ace, Laurie Morvan, who has entertained Southland audiences and toured nationally for the better part of two decades, and of whom has been written, "has all the soulfulness of Bonnie Raitt and the swaggering, muscular guitar tone of Stevie Ray Vaughan"; New Blues Revolution, leading Long Beach-based innovators of the New Blues movement; The 44's with Kid Ramos, an exciting pairing of the popular Johnny Main-fronted Roots/Blues ensemble with the legendary SoCal guitarist; another great pairing of talents, respected Inland Empire-based Latin blues group The Delgado Brothers with soulful chanteuse, Sherry Pruitt; San Pedro guitarist-vocalist, Dave Widow, whose "Waiting For The World To End" was voted a "Top 5 Best CD" in the IBC's; rising L.A. quartet, the George Foster Band; and opening Sunday's show, the Chase Walker Band, fronted by the prodigious teen prodigy of the same name. Eleven-piece R&B/Soul/Blues revue the Caravan of All-Stars from the Bay Area Blues Society, are Sunday's top Main Stage headliners. New Blues Revolution, leading Long Beach-based innovators of the New Blues movement, take center stage at the NBF II Main stage on Sunday.     More First-Class Blues Each Day On The Golden Groove Stage!   Saturday: Lil' A & the Allnighters; Kelly Chappue & The Soul Collectors; The Other Mules; Shadow Blue featuring Lady Faye; L.A. Parks & Wrecks; Kenny "Big Daddy" Williams and BLUESPOWER; South River Slim; The Arc Flash Blues Band.   Sunday: East Falsted Blues Project; Jack Roberts Harvey Band; Tracy Niles; Crooked Eye Tommy; Frankie and the Crew; Seatbelt; Matt Picarelli and Raul Watson.  Orange County's blues scene is ably represented by guitarist-vocalist Kenny "Big Daddy" Williams (center) and BLUESPOWER on the Golden Groove Stage, Sunday at New Blues Festival II.                                                     www.newbluesfestival.com                            https://www.facebook.com/theNewBluesFestival         Join us on Facebook       Follow us on Twitter       Send us an Email

RJ Ray Entertainment, Inc., artist: Ray Goren - Save My Soul - New release Review

I just received the newest release, Save My Soul, from Ray Goren and it's quite good. Opening with Stop, Goren on lead vocal and guitar steps up with a poppy blues rocker and a really soulful voice. I need to compare his vocals to someone? OK...Stevie Wonder. Yeah, the kid can sing and has nice phrasing. Matching his solid vocals with a mean streak on the guitar gives Goran the double whammy, swacking this track right at the radio hard! Save My Soul is a bit rockier with solid drum works from Rob Humphreys and an explosive guitar solo by Goren showing his chops. On ballad, Can't Live Like This, Goren stretches out vocally, showing his soul roots. Real nice radio track. I Need You Here To Stay is my favorite track on the release with a modern R&B feel and traces of D'Angelo syncopation in vocal delivery. Masterful guitar riffs flow giving weight to the instrumentation. Excellent! Wrapping the release is Rise Together actually has the feel of an earlier era of Wonder and his pop/soul mastery with a modern polish. Can't argue with success. This release has a lot of strengths and not many weaknesses. Goren is proving to be a tasteful guitarist with good song writing capabilities and a strong voice. Nice job!

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R. Music, Inc artists: Generation Blues Experience - Private Angel - New release review

I just received the newest release, Private Angel, from Generation Blues Experience and it's hot! Opening with Little Mama, a cool blues track with a Latin feel features Sammy Lee on vocal and the crisp guitar style of Ray Goren. Lester Lands lays out a really nice bass rhythm joined by Albert Trepagnier Jr on drums and Tadg Galleran on keys. Dan Weinstein (coronet and trombone) and Bobby Hurricane Spencer (tenor sax) add some depth on horn. Goren opens the second track, the title track, Private Angel, with soulful BB King like riffs and takes lead on vocals. A young but solid voice, Goren does a really nice job. Crazy slows it down for a deeper blues and Jamie Powell on vocals. Powell has a great blues voice and he hits it here! Lee adds a nice harp backing on the vocals and Goren really rips it loose on guitar on this track. I like his feel of texture and reckless abandon. Not saying he sounds like Buddy Guy, but Guy is one player who has made reckless abandon his trademark and Goren seems to be exploring this avenue. Excellent! R&B track Rainin' features Goren on lead vocal with solid horn backing. A cool radio player, this track is the lead single for the release. Sammy Lee is back on lead vocal on Katrina and BB King like guitar attack by Goren shows strong composure. A cool swinger, Goren tackles this blues like an old pro developing some nice chops. Sugar Momma is one of my favorite tracks on the release with a really nice harp intro from Lee on the intro. Lee's rich voice resonates nicely on this track and Goren trades guitar riffs with lee on harp for a solid set. Very nice! Lester Lands steps up to the mic for Put Love On Your Guest List. He has an exceptional voice more along the lines of Curtis Mayfield or some of the better R&B singers and I really like it. Goren plays a tasty swing guitar solo backed nicely by Powell and Lands on rhythm guitar. Weinstein and Spencer add warmth to this already smooth track on horns. Swingin'! On Bill Withers', Ain't No Sunshine, Goren takes the lead on vocal and the track has a bit more of a "Thrill Is Gone" rhythm allowing Goren the chance to really stretch it out a bit. With really nice bends and and double stops, this is absolutely Gorens chance to lay it all out there. Taking the volume down for some dynamic range Goren works the crowd. Nice job!

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