COOL LABEL FEATURE – Ray Paul of Permanent Press Records

Posted on 23 September 2020

 

So, was there ‘a moment’, an epiphany when you realized that you absolutely were going to work in music? Along with that, if I went back and talked to your friends in high school or college/university and asked them what kind of work that you would have ended up doing, what they would they say?

RP:     I would have to say “the epiphany” came when I saw The Beatles on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on Feb. 9, 1964. Right after their second appearance a week later on the Sullivan show, I was convinced what I wanted to be. Over the next 3 weeks at school, The Beatles were all that the kids were talking about. In February 1964, I told my cousin Bob, who was a drummer, 17 years old and three & 1/2 years older than I was, that I wanted to learn to play the drums and could he teach me the basics.  Bob used to let me fool around on his kit when I came over to his house, so I had a little bit of experience, but really not much at all. I knew two guys who played guitar who were a year older than me from grammar school. They were now in 9th grade high school and were starting a band and looking for a drummer. They said they had a potential booking for the end of March at our parish church teen dance. But they needed a drummer. Now mind you, I didn’t own a drum kit and my cousin was playing gigs pretty regularly. So I asked him if I could borrow his kit to do this church dance. He agreed and I was now the drummer for The Centurymen. Very few people know that I started out as a drummer. We did the dance and the kids seemed to be really enjoying us play mostly Beatles, Dave Clark Five and some instrumental hits. I don’t know to this day how or if I pulled it off, but I wasn’t very good and faked a lot of it. Hah! Hah! But they kept me in the band, and we continued to do mostly teen dances. But as nice as it was for my cousin to let me use his drums, it got to be an inconvenience to keep borrowing them with dates conflicting and me not having a drivers license to lug them around. So as 1965 rolled around, we had changed our name to The Most Ltd (trying to sound very British), and shortly afterwards I left the group, resolving the drum issue. I then feverishly learned how to play the guitar (after two failed attempts in the early 1960’s), studied everything, and learned mostly how to play by ear. And I loved to sing, and sing harmony. All this happened in my next chapter, the 1966 band The Regent Street V, where I became the lead/rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist.

          Because I was involved being in bands all through high school, collecting records and working in a well-known record store, my friends and classmates would more than likely say that I would end up doing something in music, probably as a performing musician and songwriter.  I remember a lot of them used to call me up, or stop me at school if they needed to know something about a certain record, song or musician, or a trivia question. When they were stuck for an answer, someone would usually say, “Ask Ray, he’ll know it.” My mind was entirely on music in the sixties. It’s not as sharp today as it used to be, but still pretty good at 70.

Tell us a bit about the time when you decided to start your label/company – walk us through the reason d’etre for doing this crazy kind of calling because you were a musician for many years before starting the label and normally musicians don’t go along ‘the path of the business of music’.

RP:     I started the Permanent Press label in the summer of 1981 while living in Boston. In 1978 & early 1979, I was getting a lot of press and radio airplay. My band, RAY PAUL & RPM, was doing TV, radio interviews, playing The Orpheum Theatre, and headlining our own shows at The Paradise, a major concert club venue. Major labels such as A&M, Capitol and Mercury came to Boston to see us. At the time, Boston was a hotbed of activity due to The Cars success and the labels were looking for more magic. However, nothing panned out. In the summer of 1979 I was offered a production deal by a local company who were signing artists to Mercury, RSO and MCA. But to make a long story short, I didn’t like the terms of the deal. They wanted me to sign my publishing away to them. So with some frustration over not getting to that “next level,” I decided I would start my own record label, releasing 45 rpm vinyl singles and eventually licensing album projects. My single “How Do You Know?”(number PRESS 1) was released in August 1981, as was the single “Complicated Girl” by the Puppet Rulers (PRESS 2), true first two releases on Permanent Press. I had looked into licensing some of the T.Rex albums for the U.S. that were not currently in print and not going through Reprise/WB, but it hit a dead end. I was trying to be what Rhino became at the very same time. But a few months after these first two singles were released, I left Boston and moved to Orange County in Southern California with my girlfriend who accepted a lucrative job offer and a free move cross-country for both of us. I could’ve stayed in Boston, lost my girl and continued my musical career there already known. I was ready for the next chapter. But I had to put my future label plans on hold for the time being, until I could get back on my feet and do it right. It wasn’t until 12 years later in 1994, that I reactivated Permanent Press and began licensing album projects for national and international release through major indie distributors. My goal was to release new albums and reissue projects that had never seen the light of day on CD, and to add unreleased bonus tracks if possible. Some of them were reissued albums by Klaatu, Bob Segarini, Badfinger and The Spongetones, plus brand new albums by Richard X. Heyman, Walter Clevenger & The Dairy Kings, Terry Draper, William Pears, The Supers, The Breetles, Chewy Marble and more. I wanted to establish the PP label before releasing any of my own music on it, which I didn’t until “The Charles Beat” CD in 2000.

As it relates to your label, what is your favorite artist that you worked with who you felt should have been huge/was deserving a larger audience/who you still listen to and say to yourself…”Wow!”? (your platform to evangelize them is open…step up!)

RP:    That’s kind of like asking who your favorite child is. Heh-heh! But I’ll do it anyway and hopefully no one will take offense. Walter Clevenger & The Dairy Kings. Not only great guys, but excellent musicians as well. They did two albums for Permanent Press. One in 1997 and the second in 1999. I may record and cover one of Walter’s songs soon. The other is Richard X. Heyman.

While Richard X already had a deal with WB and Cypress/A&M, his 1998 “Cornerstone” album on my PP label remains one of his best works. An amazing songwriter. Richard X continues to release new albums and each one seems to be better than the previous album! One of the most under appreciated songwriters. His name should be a household word. Love both of these artists and continue to listen to their music and still be amazed.

We need to smile and laugh more in these crazy times, share a funny artist or business-related story at any time in your career that when you think of it even in the present, it makes you laugh.

RP:      Looking all the way back to March 1973, I was in a popular band called Ragamuffin. We were based in Rochester, NY and began 1973 with new management. Our manager was also becoming a promoter and booked us to open for The Raspberries at the 2500 seat Auditorium Theatre here in Rochester, NY. The Raspberries had just released a second single, “Let’s Pretend,” from their second album and were now on tour promoting it. He also booked us the same month opening for Tommy James & The Shondells in Elmira, NY. Quite a nice month for us. Anyway, getting back to The Raspberries show. Shortly after the show was over, a security guard came over to both of our groups backstage and asked us to wait a little longer to leave because there were about 20-25 girls pressed up against the backstage door exit, waiting to hopefully meet The Raspberries. That’s what I thought anyway. Some of The Raspberries looked a little impatient about having to wait longer. All of a sudden, Raspberries’ guitarist Wally Bryson starts walking towards the exit door. He begins to open it with a look on his face like, “Hello girls, here I am.” To his surprise and to ours, most of the girls ran right by Wally and came over to us where my group was standing. Needless to say, The Raspberries didn’t look too pleased about my band getting more attention.

 

Along the same lines, share a story that fills you with pride, maybe an artist you championed, a record that came out at a level of achievement that you feel stands the tests of time.

RP:          When I released my career CD compilation “The Charles Beat” in 2000, a number of reviewers said that “the music sounded as fresh today as when it was recorded.” The 18 songs were all recorded from 1977-1981 with one exception. To me, that was about the highest complement one could be paid. I felt good that the songs and the recordings held up. It was some sort of validation and a bit of vindication. A song I recorded in 1981 on a single, “How Do You Know?” still gets quite a bit of radio airplay and remains my most popular recording/song to this day. Just before I left Boston in Nov. 1981, “How Do You Know?” was the #1 Local song on WBCN-FM. I still have that chart they published in the Boston Phoenix.

What made you decide to become a musician again and to record and release new music?

RP:     They say timing is everything. It was and it still is. After I had moved back east from L.A. to western NY in mid-2002, I was doing radio promotion for a number of artists. But once a musician, always a musician. I wasn’t writing much. just trying to fit into the latest chapter. In early 2006, I ran into Frank Verget, a guitarist who I played with in the band The Raile from 1967-1969. He said he was putting together a new band to do mostly Beatles and ’60’s songs. He asked if I was interested in playing bass. At that point, I was just itching to play out again, and especially to do the music I loved so much and grew up on. Sounded like fun. While we were putting it together, Frank bailed out leaving drummer Joey Cintorino and myself. We found a new guitarist, Bob Janneck, and renamed the band 28IF, after the license plate on the “Abbey Road” album and the Beatles PID myth about Paul. That band lasted about 4 years. It wasn’t meant to last that long. We were only supposed to do a few gigs, but everyone kept hiring us! And paying us good too! Then I met a guy who was doing a Beatles night at a local club every other Tuesday, and I started to be one of his “special guests” to do the entire night about twice a year. In the meantime, I started writing more and was waiting for the right time to start recording an album. But I wanted to record it at different studios with some of my friends and other known musicians guesting. Well, the stars seemed to be aligned and the time was right in 2014 and 2015 for me to schedule everyone’s availability over a 14 month period. It began in June 2014, recording three tracks with and at Terry Draper’s (Klaatu) studio north of Toronto; one at Walter Clevenger’s Costa Mesa, CA studio in Jan. 2015, and another at Skylab in Encino that same month with Clem Burke (Blondie, Empty Hearts) on drums. The final three tracks were completed in June & July 2015 at Kurt Reil’s HOV studio in NJ. With two tracks in the can, my 2016 album “Whimsicality” was now complete and released on Permanent Press in May 2016. While I was in the middle of recording the album, I put a whole new Ray Paul & RPM band together to play my original music. Not only had I missed the audiences, I had really missed the camaraderie and feeling one gets when everything seems to jell just right.

What is on the docket with your plans for the rest of 2020 and going into 2021?  What has you particularly excited and geek to bring into the world?

RP:         I’ll be excited if we can find a covid-19 vaccine sooner than later that’ll actually work, and hoping that we will soon get back to normal living conditions. I’m not getting any younger! My band hasn’t performed live since June 2019, and I’m really looking forward to the day when we can get back onstage and perform again. As far as 2020 goes, I’m going to continue to write songs and finish some others, in hopes of starting to record a brand new album of songs sometime in 2021.

Was there a particular artist(s) that inspired you to work in music as a vocation?  What was it about them that flowed into the marrow of your bones that changed your DNA?

RP:       There were three actually. First, the Everly Brothers. I learned how to sing harmony from listening to Phil’s high vocal parts. For some reason, I gravitated to picking up on doing the high harmonies. On a Sunday afternoon in the fall of 1958, my dad took me to a local radio station to meet the Everly Brothers while they were in town for a concert that night. I wasn’t able to go to the concert, but I went home with their first album signed by both Don & Phil and got to shake their hands. For the next 3 weeks, I listened to that album every morning before breakfast and getting ready to go to school. Even though I did not yet play an instrument, I sang a lot and learned how to harmonize from constantly listening to their album. Next came The Beatles. What more can I say about them that hasn’t been said? I had been buying records since 1956, and eight years later I had never heard anything like them before! As I said earlier, they were the ones that inspired me the most to become a musician, especially McCartney and his magical bass lines. And lastly, The Kinks. The songwriting of Ray Davies was a big influence on me as I started to write songs. The music of The Kinks went from the rocking “You Really Got Me” to the quaintness of the “Village Green” selections. In that respect, The Kinks were very similar to The Beatles in covering so many styles of music.

You’ve been friends with Emitt Rhodes for many years. With his recent, sad passing, share anything you think people should know about the man, his music – and, of course, a favorite story(or stories) that you’d like share.

RP:   A month after moving to Southern California in Nov. 1981, I was looking for a reasonably priced 8 or 16-track recording studio. A friend in L.A. recommended that I pick up a copy of the Music Connection magazine, a bi-weekly publication for musicians that had articles and interviews with people who worked in the music and recording industry, as well as ads for musicians wanted or looking, equipment for sale and recording studios. On the back inside page, were 10 rows of ads in small boxes 5 across. The first ad I called didn’t answer. I called another in the last square on the top row. All it said was “16 Track Recording, $50 Hour and a phone number.” No name, just those words. I dialed it and a fellow answered the phone, “Emitt Rhodes Recorder.” I thought I’d heard wrong. I said, “What was that?” He replied again, “Emitt Rhodes Recorder.” I told him I had just moved here from Boston and was looking for a studio to record a few songs. Long story short, Emitt asked me if I’d like to come see the studio. To myself I said, “are you kidding? of course I would!” Even just to meet Emitt Rhodes. I was a big fan of his music. So we set up a meeting and that’s how I first met Emitt Rhodes. Two other quick stories. One day in the ’90’s, I saw that he had three cassette cases sitting on top of the piano.  Each held 12 tapes. I asked him about the cassettes. He said, “Oh, they’re just tapes with songs I’ve never recorded, and demos of songs I’ve never finished.” I heard some of them. They were brilliant. Emitt did an amazing job remastering the tracks on my CD “The Charles Beat.” What was so amazing was that he had to work with so many different source tapes. From 2 track masters and 4, 8 & 16 track recordings, Emitt made sure that the audio levels remained consistent throughout the entire CD. You couldn’t tell the difference. Emitt & I were so much alike, yet so different too. Emitt being only three months older. In late 1996, I was approached by a guy who heard I had been working with Emitt. He asked if Emitt & I would like to play at his festival in L.A. in Feb. 1997. I brought it up to Emitt. He said he wasn’t interested. I let it go by. Tony, the Poptopia festival promoter, kept trying to get an answer from me if we’d do it. When nearing his deadline and without Emitt’s consent, I told Tony we would do it. Now all I had to do was convince Emitt. I put a band together behind the scenes and we rehearsed three of Emitt’s songs and three of mine. I kept nudging Emitt and he kept saying no. But one day, I told him I’d been putting a band together and here’s the songs of yours we know. I said “why don’t you just come down to rehearsal, see what you think, and then make a decision.” Finally, he agreed to doing that. I felt that if the band knew Emitt’s songs well, he’d be more comfortable in agreeing to do the show. After the rehearsal, I told Emitt to think about it more.  A few days went by and we were in his studio. Emitt agreed to do the show. I was so relieved. After we did the show at The Alligator Lounge in Santa Monica, CA (as part of the Poptopia Fest), I said to Emitt backstage, “So, are you glad you did it?” He replied with a big smile, “Yes. And thank you.” I could see a part of him he lost had come back to life again. I’ll miss him dearly, but mostly as a dear friend.

Four Quick Questions In One Line:  Favorite Concert Ever? First Concert/show attended?  Last show you went to?   Cool famous person you’ve met or hung out with?

RP:  Favorite Concert: Paul McCartney @ The Forum, L.A. (Nov. 1989); First Concert: Rolling Stones (1965); Last show: Burton Cummings (July 2019); Famous Persons I’ve met:

I’ve met many but meeting Paul, George & Ringo have to top it.

State of your Music Collection by Percentages of LPs/CDs/7”singles and, if applicable, cassette and 8-track tapes?  Feel free to share estimated amounts, if so inclined.

RP:    Estimated at 44% LPS/ 45% CDs/ 10% 7″ singles/1% cassettes.

So, embracing the streaming world – or resisting?

RP:  It took me awhile, but my music has been streaming on iTunes, Spotify and Amazon (maybe others too) and available online since 2016. I’ve embraced it.

Final Words of Wisdom to those still rocking in the free world.

RP:  Let it be. 😉 There I go. Speaking words of wisdom. But seriously…to musicians and songwriters, be true to yourself when making music. Write songs and record them so that you’ll be proud of what you created and satisfied when finished. Please yourself first. Then go out and perform them live and make sure you promote your songs to the internet world. You’ll find there are people who will really like your music and what you’ve created. And that’s a good feeling.

=====================================================================

Click HERE for Ray Paul’s website

Click HERE for Facebook

Click HERE for Ray’s You Tube Channel

CHECK OUT “BLOODY RUBBISH”(click on image below)

CKUCJ

CLICK ON IMAGES TO READ REVIEWS

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments are closed.