In January we introduced you to Ray Little shortly before her “coming out” party/show at The Echo in Los Angeles: a show that turned into a beautiful collision of the past, the present, the future and the many friends amassed along the way. With three women on the bill that night (Little, Aja Volkman and GROZ), the energy – while distinctly feminine – was also welcoming and inclusive. GROZ was a new voice to many in the room while a very pregnant Volkman (Nico Vega) played her first show as a solo artist. Basically, it was night to file away in your memory banks and pull out down the line so that you can say, “I was there when…”
And how inclusive did things get? Little’s father, Michael, and GROZ took turns joining her for a song and the show closer turned out to be the Nico Vega favorite, “Protest Song” which saw Little joined by Volkman, GROZ and whomever else could fit on the Echo’s stage turning a simple sing-a-long into statement of power laced with nostalgia.
While you check out these photos from the evening, Little put it all into perspective for us…
Ray Little
Memories…
“The Echo show was a blur to me. I mean that in a really good way. This was the first show that I’ve really organized completely alone and I had so many ideas for the event. I actually had too many ideas! I was like a six year old laying in their pillow fort with their best friend talking about, ‘We could have 15 women come up and sing a protest song’ and ‘We can have Jenny and Taryn of GROZ play and do harmonies on all our songs…I have to call Aja right now! I need to hear her voice!”, etc. Dan [Marcellus] was the best friend in my fort scenario and he was so positive and supportive. The fact that all my exploding ideas came to fruition, makes me feel both emotional and capable. It was a dream to play with the my friends both old and new. Talk about a nostalgia bomb! There were so many faces I hadn’t seen in years from the Queen Caveat and Nico Vega camp. It was such a lovely convergence of timelines.”
Aja Volkman
Girl Power
“The all female line-up was simply a matter-of-course. I have cozied up to a lot of amazing female artists over the past year. My life and music has changed for the better because of all the women around me. I’m not just talking about musicians but many more art forms and just determined, world changing gals. The acts revealed themselves in a natural way and that’s how we got an all lady queue. Our show was about connection not alienation. It was nice to have the feminine energy ruminating in the venue all night. The audience and the bartenders and everyone working at The Echo that night were all SO POSITIVE. You could feel a strong sense of belonging. It was so beautiful.”
GROZ
The Future
“The future! I love talking about the future because I still hope shiny, metallic clothes are a thing everyone wears. As far as my music, it’s all coming together both naturally and surprisingly. GROZ, Taryn Lounsbury, and Dan Marcellus are an unconventional band. Taryn and GROZ both have individual projects just like mine. Dan and I plan on helping write and produce their material as single artists. We all work together in a wall-less, title-less way. We help each other on our music, play different roles and I truly believe that work style isn’t just my future, but the future of music. It’s heaven, it’s honest, and it causes us to grow into our potential. I am excited for what’s to come.”