Blue Duck Records | ARTISTS >> Ray&Co.

Raymond Nainggolan (aka Ray&Co) was raised in Irian Jaya, an Indonesian province also known today as "West Papua". His musical experience began at age six in a small mining town, where he would borrow his neighbor's guitar for days at a time to learn. Soon he began playing guitar for his mother's Sunday school class and revealing his servant's heart through his gift of playing music.

Ray&Co

Ray continued to pursue music throughout elementary school and into high school, developing a strong singing voice to match his exceptional guitar playing. He was always playing in a band of some sort, ranging from Ska to Hardcore, and taking on new roles and instruments as he went.

In 2000 Ray was really exposed to Ben Harper's music in college. It took on a lot of meaning and had a huge impact on him in terms of writing and performing:

"His songs began to be very personal for me. Playing them had turned to be more expression of myself rather than just singing great songs"

During college at Gordon in Massachusetts, Ray played with many musicians that pushed and enabled him to think broader and more serious about music. With encouragement from close friends and musicians, he decided to give music his all, beginning with investing in a good guitar, a Taylor RCE 410, which is still Ray's favorite guitar to date.

Ray quickly went from solo open mic shows to playing with a full band at churches, youth groups events, and popular pubs and bars. As things were getting more established in the music journey, Ray&Co was given the opportunity to relocate to Australia to further expand their fan base internationally. Ray&Co has since gone on to perform at Acer Arena, the Sydney Entertainment Center and the Hillsong Worship Conference. Ray&Co are often found rocking out at popular pubs, cafe's and hotels all over the Sydney area.

2010 Promises to be the biggest year yet for the band, signing to Blue Duck Records and releasing a new Ep entitled "Visions" in January. Look for Ray&Co's 15 song full length entitled "White Noise Visions" to be released June 29th on Blue Duck Records and a summer tour in the U.S. in June, July and August.

CURRENT SINGLE

mp3 | wav

RELEASES

	White Noise Visions Blue Duck Records [BD-0114] Release Date: July 27th, 2010 [INFO]
Tracks: 1. White Noise 2. God Reached 3. Stand Firm 4. That's Love 5. Beloved One 6. Midnight Carousel 7. Comfort You 8. End of Time 9. Mine Always 10. Lonely Paradise 11. Work It Out 12. Melody of Light 13. Don't Worry 14. It Is Done 15. Imperfections

	Vision Independent Release Date: 2009 [INFO]
Tracks: 1. That's Love 2. End of Time 3. Comfort You 4. Life Color 5. So Alone (Demo) 6. That's Love (Demo)

REVIEWS

"Ray&asmp;Co reaches out to the audience and bring them in with clear vocals, interesting lyrics and a strong instrumental style."
- Phantom Tollbooth

"Australia's Ray&Co lays down some very smooth grooves. With only hints of Jack Johnson and John Mayer, the singer songwriter still has a unique take on the pop he plays. If you need convincing, give the song “White Noise” 1 minute of your time. That should be enough to keep you listening to the track, when you're done there you can move onto 'Lonely Paradise'."
- The Album Project

"Ray's passion for music is contagious and he can't stop smiling because he's doing what he loves".
- The Noise, Boston

"It's often the acoustic singer/songwriter genre that ends up producing the most intimate and emotional songs. Blue Duck Records' latest signing, Ray Nainggolan from Australia, uses that sound as his template for writing his songs of love and worship."
- JesusFreakHideout

"I never would have imagined that this upbeat coffee shop rocking acoustic guitar led album would have been created by a dude who grew up in a small mining town in Indonesia. The important thing to note, however, is that good music can from anywhere, even when you're not expecting it."
- ChristianMusicZine

"Like his unusual background Ray&Co's music is a mixture of several different styles. You'll find a little bit of Indie rock and pop mixed with some funk and island sounds, along with even a few hints of an alt. country vibe thrown into the mix. If you're like me and haven't heard Ray&Co's music before then do yourself a favor and get ‘White Noise Visions.' This release is filled with a collection of fifteen very well done songs."
- WriterCWRoss