For Immediate Release

Former Frontman & Founder of Hostages Ray Vaughn to Release New Full-Length Solo Album
Wounded Bird

San Francisco – The newest album from San Francisco-based rocker Ray Vaughn may be called Wounded Bird, but he’s really more like a phoenix rising from the ashes of a forgotten San Francisco music scene. Wounded Bird picks up where his last solo album left off, and now Ray Vaughn’s songs have grown from the more stripped down singer/songwriter arrangements of Way Down Low to full-band productions. Ray’s new album will be released worldwide both physically and digitally on November 4, 2016, through his own independent record label, Rayoso Music.

Ray Vaughn founded the punk/art rock band Hostages in 1979, and later the avant-garde Die Bossa Nova in 1984, leaving his mark on the then-thriving SF music scene, until disappearing from the public eye in 1992. Now over 20 years later, Ray has returned as someone tempered by time and experience–with many new stories to tell. He has found a niche for his music on both college and community radio, and in press and media outlets in the USA and across Europe.

Ray Vaughn’s presence has never gone unnoticed. Before founding Hostages, he spent six years in England–first in London and later in Birmingham–soaking up the in-your-face punk rock ethos of the late 1970s, until his ultimate return to his native San Francisco. In the early ‘80s, BAM Magazine described Ray’s lead vocals while performing with Hostages as “powerful and crisp,” adding that “he sang with deliberate emphasis on the lyrics, which were decidedly political… moving onstage much like a Jellyfish with rhythmic jerks and a smooth underlying sexuality in his vocal tones and in his eyes.”

Ray Vaughn marked his return to music in 2013 with his first full length solo album Way Down Low, teaming up with Grammy Award-winning producer Michael Rosen (Tesla/Rancid/Papa Roach), former Hostages member Ed Rawlings, drummer Michael Urbano (Smash Mouth, Third Eye Blind, John Hiatt, Cracker, Paul Westerberg and Sheryl Crow), ex-Die Bossa Nova bassist Stephen Winkle, and keyboardist Phil Bennett (The Starship) on Hammond B3.

A personal exploration of a life hard-lived, Ray’s debut solo album Way Down Low brings forth echoes of his punk rock past while looking forward to the world he’s yet to encounter. A review of the album on Critical Jazz reported, “if that singer / songwriter vibe is what you dig, Ray Vaughn is easily the best kept secret in music today” and a review by AJ Garcia on Shakefire noted that “the album just reads like a well thought out book of shorts from someone who’s not only lived, but understood their plight every step of the way”.

Now, just three years later, Ray is back to his old prolific tricks with the release of his second full-length solo album, Wounded Bird. Both producer Michael Rosen and Ed Rawlings returned to the project, and new additions include James DePrato (Chuck Prophet) on electric, slide and acoustic guitars, baritone guitar, dobro and mandolin, Kevin T White (Chuck Prophet) on bass, and Prairie Prince (The Tubes, Todd Rundgren) on drums. A response to and extension of Way Down Low, Ray Vaughn’s new album Wounded Bird features eight powerful tracks that leave the audience in a cathartic and contemplative state—wondering, “where has he been for all these years?”

Wounded Bird releases worldwide on November 4, 2016. Ray will be traveling in the UK in late September and early October 2016, before returning to perform a few shows with his band in and around the Bay Area before the end of the year, while gearing up for larger scale touring in 2017 and beyond.

For Music Samples, or to pre-order Wounded Bird or order Way Down Low, please visit: https://rayvaughn.bandcamp.com/

For more information and touring schedule please visit Ray Vaughn’s website: http://rayosomusic.com/

For Media Interview requests please contact Billy James at Glass Onyon PR:
Email: glassonyonpr@gmail.com Phone: 828-350-8158

For Live Performance Bookings and Management please contact Rayoso Music: rayvaughn2011@gmail.com

For Immediate Release

Hostages Frontman and Founder Ray Vaughn Readies New Album Featuring Some Name Brand Players and Produced By Grammy Winner Michael Rosen

San Francisco, CA – Ray Vaughn has written songs and performed in dives and on street corners for a very, very long time. He was a founding member of San Francisco based Punk/Art Rock band Hostages, then Die Bossa Nova, until disappearing in 1992. Ray Vaughn resurfaced in 2010 as a solo acoustic act. After traveling back and forth between New York City and San Francisco, road testing new material, and playing and writing new songs, Vaughn eventually headed back into the studio with Grammy award winning producer Michael Rosen (Tesla/Rancid/Papa Roach) in December of 2011. The result of their efforts is the new 10-track full-length album Way Down Low. Way Down Low features longtime friend and guitarist from the Hostages Ed Rawlings, Drummer Michael Urbano (Smash Mouth, Third Eye Blind, John Hiatt, Cracker, Paul Westerberg and Sheryl Crow), ex-Die Bossa Nova bassist Stephen Winkle, and keyboardist Phil Bennett on Hammond B3.

The album’s producer Michael Rosen commented “Sometimes if you are lucky life and art comes full circle. I began my career working with Ray Vaughn while he was in Hostages and I was a wet behind the ears aspiring Producer and Engineer. Now 25 years later, we finally got to make the record we were supposed to make. Working with Ray was a wonderful experience artistically and personally. I feel we were able to combine the heart and spirit of what we started back then with the wisdom and perspective of a lifetime. I ‘m very proud of Ray and this record.”

In the fall of 1979, Ray Vaughn formed the Hostages. Having previously spent 6 years in England, first in London and then Birmingham, Vaughn was broadsided and inspired by the exploding music scene around him in the UK at the time, and he brought those influences back home.

He moved back to his native San Francisco in late 1978. The music scene he stumbled into upon his return was the antithesis of the scene that drove him away years earlier. In its place were The Mabuhay Gardens, the Deaf Club, and later Club Foot, Valencia Tool and Die, Sound of Music, and the 181 Club, to name just a few of the new and repurposed venues. “What could a poor boy do” but play in a band? The band eventually moved into a 3500-square foot warehouse space in the South of Market (SOMA) neighborhood in late 1980 and created their own venue, throwing monthly rent parties to get by. The space was christened Crab Palace.

BAM Magazine said of Ray’s performance with Hostages… “Ray Vaughn’s lead vocals are powerful and crisp and he sang with deliberate emphasis on the lyrics, which were decidedly political, especially in songs like “Sucking the Life From the City” and Now. Vaughn moved onstage much like a Jellyfish with rhythmic jerks and a smooth underlying sexuality in his vocal tones and in his eyes.”

Hostages released their first 45 single, Inside Houses/Now in 1983, followed by the Inside Houses video. Hostages disbanded in 1984 with their final performance at Graffiti on Valencia Street in San Francisco. A live recording of that show remains in the Hostages vault.

Vaughn and guitarist Ed Rawlings continued as a duo playing under the name Part Two, then Human Condition, before settling on Die Bossa Nova. Die Bossa Nova added keyboardist Mitzi Johnson, who was later replaced by Scott Davies, bass player Stephen Winkle and drummer Mark V and continued playing and recording until their break up in June of 1991.

June 25th, 2013 marks the release of his new full-length album Way Down Low, which will be available in stores and online. For more information please visit http://www.rayosomusic.com or on Facebook and on Twitter at twitter.com/rayosomusic. Ray Vaughn will be performing in San Francisco at Bottom of the Hill on June 6th and in the New York Tri-State Area in July of 2013.

For Physical Distribution please contact Steffen Franz or Ben Lang at Independent Distribution Collective at 415-292-7007 or via e-mail sales@independentdistro.com

For Digital Distribution please contact Jerome Forney at IDCDigital at 415-292-7007 or via e-mailjerome@independentdistro.com

Press inquires contact Billy James at Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com