Rockin the Region with Ray Boston – The Mountain Times

By DJ Dave Hoffenberg

Don’t miss the debut of Ray Boston at The Foundry this Friday, Might 20 at 6 p.m. I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside Boston on the Killington block events the previous few years. He performs such a large mixture of songs, there’s one thing for everybody. I simply noticed him play at Nonetheless on the Mountain, the Killington Distillery, and it was an ideal present. He had this younger millennials group there from Puerto Rico they usually had been actually having fun with the present — he’s good at studying the group and ensuring everyone seems to be completely happy. He shocked me when he performed “Feliz Navidad” for them, because it was April, however all of us loved it. He’ll be again on the Nonetheless on Sunday Might 29 6 p.m.

In Billy Joel’s “The Piano Man,” the lyrics are: “It’s a reasonably good crowd for a Saturday and the supervisor provides me a smile.” These phrases rang true as a result of it was a great crowd, it was a Saturday and Boston mentioned the supervisor had a smile all evening. The one distinction is Boston is the guitar man however he does it like Billy Joel. Boston mentioned the evening was a blast.

Ray Boston began enjoying music his junior 12 months together with his brother John in Misty Souls, a highschool band and they’d play the dances within the space each Friday and Saturday evening. Rising up, he favored the sound of Linda Ronstadt, Warren Zevon and The Beatles.

Boston grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts and went to varsity at Northeastern. He mentioned, “Once I went to varsity, I put the guitar within the closet as a result of I knew if I took it out I would depart faculty and go have enjoyable.”

A couple of month earlier than commencement, he took the guitar out of the closet, headed to Cape Cod for the summer season then up right here and that’s when he began enjoying full-time.

He began at Snowshed Lodge at Killington and did it for about three years. He mentioned, “The primary 12 months they instructed me to finish at 3 however the crowd was nonetheless there so I performed ‘til 4. The following 12 months I performed ‘til 5 and the subsequent ‘til 6. It was nice.”

Boston began doing faculty exhibits and that’s the place he actually made a reputation for himself. He’s performed all around the nation. He mentioned after they launch the bracket for the NCAA March Insanity basketball match, he’s most likely performed 80% of these faculties.

“It was plenty of enjoyable they usually favored what I did. I performed from right here to there and again once more,” he mentioned.

He was touring lots and driving everywhere so he determined to learn to fly, figuring it will be simpler. The primary time was in a two-seater airplane. They flew round a bit and proper after they touched down, Boston threw up.

“The pilot mentioned I assume you’re not going to be doing this and I mentioned oh ya, I’m going to be doing this,” he remembered. He was making respectable cash with the school exhibits which allowed him to afford classes. By the tip of the 12 months, he had his pilot’s license, his instrument score and his twin engine score. He purchased a small Piper Aztec airplane and for the subsequent 5 years he flew solo to his exhibits throughout the nation.

He put collectively this huge manufacturing Seashore Celebration for some faculty exhibits. There have been swimming pools, umbrellas, sand. He performed from a lifeguard chair. There can be 1,200-1,500 college students at every present. Apart from the children, he made exercise administrators fairly completely happy.

“It went on for some time and it was a blast,” he mentioned.

He additionally took that fashion to the Air Drive Academy.

Boston described the factors he makes use of for the songs he performs. “The important thing to no matter I did was first I needed to just like the music. Second of all it needed to be one thing I might interact the group with. I wouldn’t be taught a music if I didn’t assume there was one thing in that music that I might pull out and if the group was for it, I might interact them with. If not, I’d let it slide and proceed with the subsequent music. There was by no means a cease. It went one music after one other. It was a celebration. If I broke a string, I didn’t cease. Once I did, I might sing, “Oh Lord received’t you purchase me a Mercedes Benz ” whereas I used to be altering the string and tuning it up. OK I’m performed and I’d go proper again to the place we had been. It was wild.”

He performed out at Babe’s Bar in Bethel not too long ago and the bar was crammed with 20-somethings they usually had been singing alongside to his “oldies” and dancing. He mentioned it’s a cool place. “I’m not nice, clearly, or I’d be in Vegas. I do what I do, I’ve a good time doing it and it really works,” he mentioned humbly.

Typically when he was enjoying at a university, he’d inform the scholars, “I’m not going to play any present music. I prefer to play the stuff I like. I’m going to have a good time tonight and if you wish to come alongside for the experience, you’re welcome to it.” By the third music, they’d be singing alongside, he mentioned.

Boston was nominated for “Entertainer of the 12 months” twice enjoying the school circuit.

He performs guitar as is. No looping, no reverb. He additionally doesn’t make a music listing. He mentioned, “I do not know what I’m going to play till I step up there.”

It undoubtedly works as a result of he’s produced an ideal sound with nice songs I do know you’ll take pleasure in. Boston has a tipping coverage that goes each methods. He mentioned, “If you happen to like a music, put a tip in. If you happen to don’t prefer it, take some cash out, have your self a beer and possibly I’ll sound higher and also you’ll put the tip again in.”

However he mentioned the perfect half about enjoying is it energizes you. “If you happen to’re feeling crummy, you get on that stage and you are feeling good. If you’re performed, there’s a little bit euphoria left over and you continue to really feel good. I knew that instantly in highschool and that’s why I needed to cover the guitar via faculty. Once I took it out, I believed I might make a dwelling doing this. I mentioned that is it, I’m performed. There was simply that nice feeling of reduction that you realize what you’re going to do for the remainder of your life.”

You may hear samples of Boston’s music at: rayboston.com.