Houston Musicians Ray And Seymore Share Insights And Industry Advice With Performance Studies Students
Houston-based musicians Patrick B Ray and Christopher Seymore visited students in Performance Studies classes on Nov. 2 to discuss their careers in music and how they got their start.
The country artists were invited by Cory LaFevers, who teaches History of Country and Western Music and Seminar in Identity, Intersectionality and Performance, as part of his ongoing efforts to present artists making their way in country music. LaFevers said after the class he appreciated their efforts in boosting a music scene.
“It was really refreshing to hear them, because students are getting insights into musicians making music together — within the business end — and seeing how it is still a people-driven industry,” he said.
Previous guest artists in LaFevers’ classes include Josh Langston and Nick Garza, and virtual presentations from fashion designers Ben and Bonnie Kennimer, and musicians Alison Self and Dirt Rhodes. LaFevers said students were able to learn something different from each musician. Performances were included in the class appearances: Seymore played his song “Drunk Enough,” and Ray played his latest release, “The Other Side.”
“It was great for them to see people operating in multiple components and places within country music,” LaFevers said of the students. “We talked about fashion, which also inspired students. They were able to ask how guests are making music and making a living, which is important given students’ own passions and concerns they might have about creating a work-life balance in the future.”
Ray, a native of West Texas, and Seymore, a native of South Carolina, said they initially met in Kennimer, Ben Kennimer’s Houston hat shop, where they played their songs back and forth for an hour. They have been collaborating ever since, and say they strive to showcase Houston’s music roots.
“Patrick and I started talking about the music scene and tradition in Houston,” Seymore recalled. “Everybody was talking about how it was nonexistent, and we talked about what components make up a music scene. We realized it is the connection of artists to each other and working together. We all started playing shows together, sharing players and working with other local artists.”
The duo’s first collaboration started with a live show series titled “Seymore’s Sunday Shootout.” Ray and Seymore invited outside musicians, cooked them dinner and provided a place to stay overnight, then played a concert together.
That led to their current podcast, “Getting Loose and Killing Time,” on which they invite artists to discuss the Houston music scene and to elevate connections with artists across Texas, often in conjunction with a guest spot on the Shootout concert series. Their guests have included country artists Chasen Wayne, Gus Clark and Kory Quinn, and they said their efforts bring more performers to play in the city.
One student asked what made them want to promote a music scene in Houston, versus moving somewhere like Austin, with a broader country music presence.
“There is a solid, livable wage in Houston, and it is filled with people who have built themselves there,” Ray said. “In Austin, people are trying to get rich quick. I have a wife and a mortgage, and since I have chosen to not make my living solely off my music, in Houston I can work semi-remotely and still play shows when I want.”
Seymore said Houston has many opportunities for artists looking to make a name for themselves. Students asked how to know which venues are worth their time and overall costs.
“You actively seek the places that appreciate what you are doing,” Ray said. “And if you feel like they aren’t willing to pay you for what you are worth, you tell them, ‘No.’”
Seymore and Ray shared how their careers were impacted by the pandemic, equal representation in the music industry and how to make lasting relationships with other artists. In discussing their music influences, Ray said he was raised on hip-hop, norteño and country, while Seymore said he was influenced by old-time music and bluegrass.
Following the class, the duo shared their best advice for starting a music path: play open-mic nights, meet other performers, have internal motivation and be close to those who uplift you.
“I always tell people talent and tenacity look like the same thing if you give it enough time,” Seymore said. “If you have to have people validate you along the way, you will not make it.”
“People will try to take advantage of you,” Ray said. “Surround yourself with good folks and they will let you know when something doesn’t look right.”
Top photo: Christopher Seymore played his song “Drunk Enough.” Photo by Chris Jarvis/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications.
