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Name: Ray Angry
Occupation: Pianist, producer, composer
Nationality: American
Current release: Public Domain, Ray Angry's collaborative project with writer Katherine McMahon, has just released the videos to their first two singles: "#AlcoholicBlues" and+ "#Toyland".

If you enjoyed this interview with Ray Angry and would like to find out more, visit his official homepage. Stay connected with him via Instagram, Facebook, and twitter.  



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you?

The Impulse to create can come from a conversation, something I might be experiencing at the time or channeling ideas that come through me from the universe.

Either way, I’m extremely present and focused when I create anything.

What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

They all play an important role for me, because at the end of day to create music is about telling a story. Everything I experience in life comes through the music I create.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

The most important ritual I like to do everyday is drink water as soon as I wake up. After that I work out in the gym with my trainer Mark Jenkins and then I like to spend time meditating for about 30 mins. After all that I’m ready to start creating music.

What do you start with?

I start my creative process at the piano. Once I sit down at the piano, the music just pours out of me.

How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

I have the pleasure of working with Katherine McMahon, who is an incredible writer and artist. As Katherine shared the narrative for Metamorphosis I was creating the music in real time. So you can say the story / lyrics really dictate where the music goes.

Most of the time creating the first note isn’t difficult.

When do the lyrics enter the picture? Where do they come from? Do lyrics need to grow together with the music or can they emerge from a place of their own?

My collaborator Katherine McMahon helped me to shape the music for our project Public Domain. She did a ton of research finding songs that are in Public Domain.

Our new single “Metamorphosis”, currently in public domain, was written by Franz Kaflka in 1915. “Metamorphosis” is about a man who mysteriously turns into a large insect. Kafka’s original story is an absurdist tale about how appearance changes and the outside world changes in kind.

‘#TheMetamorphosis’ retools those themes of absurdity, transformation, and mind/body disconnection to create a contemporary commentary that to the alienation experienced in an appearance-driven world.

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

With me being the creative type ideas come really fast sometimes. The way I deal with balancing the direction of the ideas is by just going with the flow and most of the time something really amazing happens.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

My creative state is about being in the moment and trusting myself to create something authentic.

Music to me is very spiritual. I'd like the music I create to inspire mankind at large. Music can heal the world ... Music is my world …