Michael Nesmith - Rays

Michael Nesmith - Rays - 2006

A cinematic journey of sound with elements of swing, jazz and instrumental funk that come together to form what Michael Nesmith calls "New Century Modern". “For a time I thought Rays had come together differently than any other project I had worked on, until it dawned on me all the various works I had been involved in had happened the same way and doing Rays was simply the first time I had seen it. Rays was my own personal Copernican Shift. 

For years Rays laid around in bits and pieces, and there were long periods when I would put them all away, like disparate parts of disparate building blocks. As if one was a recipe, another was a blueprint, another was a map. I couldn’t see how they fit together. I kept going, as much for not having anything else to do as for the curiosity of how it would all turn out, but I did keep going, and I’m glad I did. It was when I was putting on the horn parts, dreaming of Memphis and Stax Volt that it all came together. It was as if I had come into the garage one evening, and was looking at the detritus of a failed effort laying all over the floor, when suddenly there was this array, a kind! of order to it that I had never imagined. 

That was exciting. It felt new, and gave me the inspiration I needed to finish. This after four years of wandering in darkness --- which actually happened to be one of the lines from Rays. I had always imagined “emergence” as the gradual appearing of something that already exists but was just unseen. Rays was the first time I ever actually saw that happen. And now that I’ve seen it I am aware that all the past works have happened the same way.” 

Michael Nesmith March, 2006

Michael Nesmith – Vocals, Synthesizer, Guitar, Keyboards
John Hobbs – Keyboards, Keyboard Bass
Gregg Bisonette - Drums
Luis Conte – Percussion
Kurt Wagner – Vocals



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