Abby Ray expands sound

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Abby Ray and Cory
Hillman of the band Abby Ray (Photo provided by Abby Ray)

Local singer Abby Ray is coming back following her 2010 CD "The Naked Truth" in full force.
While she started out as a solo singer, with an occasional assist. Now she’s fronting Abby Ray, a
four-piece band that includes her musical collaborator and boyfriend Cory Hillman.
They let the sparks fly on "Blue Ray," a three-song CD. The band, with Doug Summers on bass and
Jason Parrit on drums, will debut the new music at a Thursday show at the Cla-Zel.
The show will run from 9 p.m. until about 1 a.m. It includes guest artists Bruce Lillie and WorHead. Tim
Concannon will serve as host and also perform.
Ray and Hillman are regulars at the Hump Day Revue, which Concannon presents Wednesday nights at Grumpy
Dave’s in BG. Comedian Jake Dicky will also perform. Tickets are $4.
Ray is pleased with the new, bigger sound. "It’s more powerful. The songs come to life."
With the drums rocking behind here, she says, she feels like a "native dancer."
"I have my own shindig going on."
Her fans seem to appreciate it as well. "We get a better crowd response."
Hillman said that having a band also makes business sense. The band is able to give fuller renditions of
the covers that many venues want bands to include in their sets.
Still the originals are at the heart of the band’s repertoire. Ray’s sophomore release, "The Naked
Truth," was based on personal experience, and that confessional approach hasn’t changed.
"This one is just as bad," she said, laughing. "You know me, I just had to find
drama."
The songs concentrate on love and breakups, "country stuff," she said.
Working with Hillman means blending their musical preferences.
She is rooted in country, while Hillman’s specialty is alternative rock. The new sound retains some of
both.
Their covers cover the gamut from country through classic rock.
The CDs sell for $5, and Ray decided to donate 15 percent of the sales to the Toledo-area American Red
Cross.
They hope to expand the CD to full length in the fall.
The band has played throughout the area, and traveled to Nashville, Tenn., for the Nashville Songwriters
Festival. They hope that they can slowly expand into Michigan and further south in Ohio.

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