Kayla Ray with Mando Saenz

Waco, Texas born singer-songwriter Kayla Ray wipes clean the dust of nostalgia and can bring even the hardest heart to a place of reflection and understanding. All this while remaining feverishly reverent to the roots of country music, greeting current day affairs head on, and chasing whiskey shots with the rowdiest banter one can muster.

Currently touring both the US as well as Internationally Kayla Ray is a quick rising favorite of the independent scene. Kayla’s latest studio single, “The Jameson Waltz” (2019) more than quadrupled it’s projected numbers in it’s first quarter. Kayla’s most recent full album release, “Yesterday & Me” (2018) received high praise in both the United States as well as the UK earning Ray the number 1 spot on Kelly Gregory of, “Country Music People” Magazine’s, top albums list of 2018.

Despite a recent surge, Kayla Ray is far from new to the scene. Interested in the long game, Kayla has been at this pursuit the majority of her young life. Kayla’s pedigree comes as an almost novella type story. That of a budding classic. Despite growing up rather hard, as a child Ray often entered herself into local talent contests and variety shows. Because of these efforts, Ray was lucky enough to find herself playing often around the Legendary Gimble Family in the Waco, Texas area. The talent, kindness, and class of the Gimble Family remain a large influence for Kayla Ray.

She, then underage and, in a charge of independence, booked her first headlining gig at Papa Joes of Lorena, Texas. Where as she puts it, “Billy Joe Shaver shot that guy in the face and got away with it.” Kayla built a band and spent a few years touring Texas and taking necessary knocks before making her entry into the national touring scene. She made this entry employed as tour manager for accomplished songwriter Jason Eady. During this time in addition to her tour managing duties, Kayla opened shows, sang duets and, “kept the boys in line”.

Kayla eventually grew from this position and left the job in 2014 to tour independently. Although, remaining a close confidant, Jason Eady had a large hand in producing both of Kayla’s full length albums.

Over the last decade Kayla has received many awards and accolades. And, in addition to touring with Eady, Ray has shared stages with artists like Cody Jinks, Erin Enderlin, Jo Dee Messina, Jamie Lin Wilson, Whiskey Myers, Mo Pitney, Marcia Ball, Reckless Kelly, Jason Bolen, The Turnpike Troubadors, Shane Smith and the Saints, Ray Wylie Hubbard and countless others.

From honky tonk dance tempos, to sit you down and contemplate life ballads, Kayla Ray’s music does not disappoint. Her feverish reverence to country music, an indisputable work ethic, stoic beauty, and massive personality, make Kayla Ray an embodiment of what country music should be.

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Hailing from Texas, Mando Saenz has become one of the most notable songwriters in country and americana music, and has established a sound uniquely his own. He has received over 50 cuts from some of today’s biggest artists – including Lee Ann Womack, Miranda Lambert, and Midland. He has contributed to 5 Texas #1s (via Stoney LaRue and Wade Bowen), as well as platinum selling, ACM award winning , and Grammy nominated records (via Lee Ann Womack and Miranda Lambert). Though Mando has contributed to the success of so many artists, he has also been lauded for his personal projects. Mando’s new album All My Shame, produced by former Wilco member Ken Coomer, is an extenuation of his treasured catalog that proves his ability to expand his sound while sticking close to those deep-cutting songs we know Mando best for.

For this project, Saenz, who was one of Carnival Music’s first artists to land a recording and publishing deal, has worked with several Music City songwriters, penning tunes for the likes of Miranda Lambert, Lee Ann Womack and Aubrie Sellers, among others. Regarding his choice of producer, Saenz had worked with the Grammy-nominated Coomer before on various side projects. He knew Coomer had a knack for taking a song, tweaking it, and then catapulting it to another level. Such is the case with standout track “Cautionary Tale,” a tune Saenz co-wrote with acclaimed singer/songwriter Zach DuBois. “Ken turned the bridge into an unexpected post-chorus towards the end, and it might be my favorite moment of the record,” Saenz says of the song, which warns about the hard knocks that often attend the musician’s life this day in age (“I’m just another part of a big machine/ Where lights are bright the streets are mean/ And the talk is smooth when it wants to be/ It’s a cautionary tale”) he sings with unapologetic sincerity.

All My Shame sounds like a synthesis of everything Saenz has learned and loved throughout his musical journey. It merges the old and new, and gives us a fresh, green blast of infectious, melodic rock wedded to his ever-thoughtful songwriting. “I think this record is more reflective of those influential [pop and rock] artists than my past records, which leaned more to my Texas roots,” he says. “But at the end of the day, I like to think that there’s more of me in there than anything. A Texas folky at the heart of it all.” With one foot in tradition and one in the future, Saenz’s career is a testament to perseverance. And in his case, he just keeps getting better.

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