Beach recently answered some questions about the follow-up to 2017’s “Two Kinds of Worry” and the sad demise of Manray.
Why end the band now?
We felt like it was time. We were getting tired of feeling like we weren’t going anywhere and we couldn’t put forth the effort to create new opportunities for ourselves. People might not realize that being in a low-level band is a lot more than writing songs and playing shows. You’ve got to do everything, and we had some outside help here and there, but it always came back to our ability to manage ourselves. That gets difficult when everyone has a job and a couple other things they’re working on outside the band. We also became a little disillusioned after “Two Kinds of Worry” because we really put a lot of work into that and got our hopes up only to feel like we were back at square one after the initial buzz had worn off. No one really wanted to do that again.
How active was Manray this year?
The last official Manray show before this one was for Blind Bob’s 10th anniversary on Aug. 25, though we played a house show festival called Deff Jam in September as well. The past year hasn’t been busy as far as playing shows, but we did spend a lot of time working on the album earlier this year.
How was this material recorded?
The album was recorded in the basement of the house Simon, Matt and I lived in at the time. It was a sweet setup. We tracked drums and bass live to quarter-inch tape, bounced those tracks into Pro Tools and finished everything else on the computer. Ethan Wurli helped engineer and provided the Tascam 388 tape machine, and I mixed and mastered the record.
Is there anything fans can do to keep this band together?
Our fans have been great and super supportive, and we’re very humbled by and grateful for the enthusiasm they bring to our shows. Without them it’s hard to say we would have lasted this long.
HOW TO GO
Who: Manray with Speaking Suns, Pseudo and Coastal Club
Where: Yellow Cab Tavern, 700 E. Fourth St., Dayton
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19
Cost: $7 in advance, $10 at the door
More info: 937-424-3870 or www.yellowcabtavern.com
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