Palm Springs, CA – I sat down with Ray Woods last Saturday night prior to his gig at the swanky Riviera Palm Springs to talk about his music – and elicit some of his musings on the art of making music.

I discovered Woods by perusing the lists of bands scheduled to perform at various venues throughout the Coachella Valley. I listened to his music and I was instantly hooked.

His vocal talent and musicianship are immediately evident on the videos of his performances posted on his website www.solidraywoods.com and on YouTube.

Woods was born into a military family and raised in 29 Palms. The 30-year-old musician now lives in Yucca Valley. Woods has traveled the world with bands. But the high desert is the place he plans to keep calling home.

Woods says he learned to love music in church. And, you can clearly hear the Gospel influence in his R&B folk music.

To me Woods’ music is reminiscent of the 1970s poets and balladeers who took to acoustic guitars to tell their stories. Not surprisingly, the musicians who Woods says have inspired him the most sprang from this era.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7oyYXPgcag[/youtube]

How did you get your start in music?
I grew up in the church where I was in a church choir and part of a music program. I was singing before I was playing drums.

Which church?
The Two Mile Apostolic Tabernacle in 29 Palms. It is still there but it has changed quite a bit.

When did you start playing outside of church?
When I was in high school I joined some garage bands, and those bands started playing in bars when I was16 or 17.

Where you singing or just playing drums?
I was just playing drums. I was still singing on my own. But a lot of the bands I was in only knew me as a drummer. I first started singing with drums after high school.

How did that happen? Did you say “Hey, I can sing too?”
No. It was just me woodshedding by myself when no one else was around. I tend to lean towards sad songs, especially when I am not thinking about entertaining a crowd. Like “Trouble In Mind.”

More soulful songs?
Yes. There was one in particular I sang a lot. Eric Clapton’s “Running On Faith.”

Can you explain what “woodshedding” means?
It is generally referred to as a way of practicing. But the way I look at it is a little more focused practicing a particular skill and combining skills. It goes on for hours. Woodshedding means you are in the back of the house in the woodshed!

Was it combining drumming with singing?
Not as a point, not purposefully. But that is what it led to for me.

Is it unusual to have lead vocalist on drums?
To a certain extent. But if you think about it long enough, there are quite a few. Karen Carpenter, I love, love everything Karen Carpenter did. Phil Collins. There are a few.

Who were your musical inspirations growing up?
Andre Crouch, James Cleveland and the Mississippi Mass choir. That’s the stuff I remember spinning on vinyl.

Currently, who do you follow or admire?
I go back and forth find. I will find someone and listen to that for weeks at a time. But I love Amos Lee, James Taylor. Anything and everything James Taylor. But I especially like what he did with Steve Jordan on drums at the Beacon Theatre, I think it was like ’96. That whole show was, like, amazing. He had Tom Arnold as one of the harmony vocals. But the whole sound, arrangements, it was just incredible. I got to see him at the Hollywood Bowl with Carol King.

What is appealing to you about those singers?
I like story songs. I like country-type, folky songs, that kind of take you somewhere.

Why do you think you are drawn to these types of songs?
Well, I guess it is some of the music I was raised on, the gospel music. It sort of the way some of those songs are written, where there’s a beginning, there’s something happening in the middle, and then there’s a conclusion. It’s like reading a book.

Is there a certain performance that has inspired you?
I love Bill Withers and what he did at his live show at Carnegie Hall. He had a great band and an acoustic guitar, and he sat there on a stool and delivered these beautiful songs that he wrote. Of course they were instant gems – but it was before every body heard them on car commercials. I think there is something really awesome about a song where you don’t have to jump around and have a dance routine. Music that can stand up on it’s own like that. It is pretty awesome.

How long have you been a working musician?
I guess I became a professional musician after high school

So you earn a living by performing and making music?
Well, at the beginning it was fits and starts. Right out of high school I had a job, full-time employment. But then I started playing more and more at the Beatnik Cafe in Joshua Tree. It’s not there anymore. The Red Arrow Gallery is there now. But it was kind of a cool spot where musicians ended up gathering. And there was an open mic that happened every Wednesday night that just kind of rolled into this really cool thing where you could be creative. It was an open platform that was became very comfortable. Nobody was judgmental.

Nurturing and supportive?
Very much. So I was playing a lot there in different bands. I would sit in with new people. I have always been really good at listening. That comes from playing in churches. So musicians I never met or heard of would come perform. With certain ones, you are able to read each other and roll along. And I got really good at that. They would play whatever on the keyboard or guitar and vocals, and I would flow with it.

So you started playing into song?
Yes. It’s pretty incredible. You go into it feeling like you have so much to prove; but in the moment it’s so rewarding. You add what you can without overpowering the song. Just complementing it – not outshining it. It’s really cool. I was doing that when I was at the Beatnik Café in July 2002. I got picked up by Victoria Williams and her then-husband Mark Olson. They needed a drummer for an upcoming tour. That’s how my road career began.

Where did you go?
The first time it was through the Southwestern, Southern and Eastern parts of the U.S.

Have you toured with anyone else?
Mark Olson also had a band called The Creekdippers, I recorded three records with them toured very regularly with them for 4-5 years afterwards. After the U.S. tour, we went to Europe. On my first European tour we started in Lisbon and swung through Spain, France and Germany for two-and-a-half months. I have been to Europe five times now. I have been as far north as Sweden and far east as Croatia.

Tell me about your album.
R put out my EP late 2008. At that time I started concentrating more on solo project, so I did not take as many tours.

Are you playing mostly locally? Are you interested in touring?
It is something I am building towards. I have rebuilt my band several times since I recorded the EP. I do a lot of local playing a lot at Pappy & Harriet’s, and sporadic things down here in the Palm Springs, like at the Riviera. I want to play at The Hood. I need to give them a call.

Are you staying busy?
Yes. Lately been in an interesting phase where I will grab gigs and put my band together late. It is stressful at times, because the guys I play with are really good and sometimes get booked before I can get them. I recently started doing this Sunday night gig in San Diego at Solace and the Moonlight Lounge.

What is next for you?
I was out on a tour earlier this year, in February, with The Creekdippers, and we went through Charleston, West Virginia. There’s a PBS show there taped in a big theatre, like an old-time radio show, and they had a bunch of people on the bill, I was playing with Mark Olson and I met The Civil Wars backstage.

They were just nominated for two Grammy Awards. Their debut album, “Barton Hollow,” was nominated for Best Folk Album; and the single, “Barton Hollow,” was nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
From what I understand, they had a single that got on (the television show) “Grey’s Anatomy,” and that was the turning point. I would love to have a few singles out there that could work for my like that. Making a full-length record is a sizeable financial risk, so I would love to go the single route. I am just kind of making up my mind. I have a ton of new material. We’ll see. I am definitely playing as much as I possibly can. I am playing three shows within 24 hours on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

How would you describe your music?
I would prefer if someone else would describe for me. But I will say I approach it a little differently than most. You know how if you like a popular artist you buy their album? And then you get their album and then you find the songs no one knows about.

I am the same way! The B-sides?!
Exactly. The B-sides. I sort of feel like some of my stuff is like the B-sides.

Is there anyone you would like to perform with who is dead or alive?
Bill Withers hands down

You answered in millisecond!
Anything and everything Bill Withers I love. I think he is a genius. I know it has all been said. But if you take away everything but him and his guitar, the song is still there.

One final question: How would you describe your approach to being a musician?
Tell a story or share an emotion.

You can catch the Solid Ray Woods band at Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown on Friday, Dec. 23 and at the “Eve at the Bell” in Joshua Tree on Saturday, Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve. Go to www.solidraywoods.com for more details on upcoming shows and how to buy his CD.