{"id":18450,"date":"2023-12-04T10:21:27","date_gmt":"2023-12-04T16:21:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/?p=18450"},"modified":"2023-12-05T10:40:25","modified_gmt":"2023-12-05T16:40:25","slug":"houston-musicians-ray-and-seymore-share-insights-and-industry-advice-with-performance-studies-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/04\/houston-musicians-ray-and-seymore-share-insights-and-industry-advice-with-performance-studies-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston Musicians Ray And Seymore Share Insights And Industry Advice With Performance Studies Students"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Houston-based musicians Patrick B Ray<\/a> and Christopher Seymore<\/a> visited students in Performance Studies classes on Nov. 2 to discuss their careers in music and how they got their start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The country artists were invited by Cory LaFevers<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was really refreshing to hear them, because students are getting insights into musicians making music together \u2014 within the business end \u2014 and seeing how it is still a people-driven industry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previous guest artists in LaFevers\u2019 classes include Josh Langston<\/a> and Nick Garza<\/a>, 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 \u201cDrunk Enough,\u201d and Ray played his latest release, \u201cThe Other Side.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was great for them to see people operating in multiple components and places within country music,\u201d LaFevers said of the students. \u201cWe 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\u2019 own passions and concerns they might have about creating a work-life balance in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ray, a native of West Texas, and Seymore, a native of South Carolina, said they initially met in Kennimer, Ben Kennimer\u2019s 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\u2019s music roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPatrick and I started talking about the music scene and tradition in Houston,\u201d Seymore recalled. \u201cEverybody 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Patrick B Ray said he first met Christopher Seymore in Kennimer, Ben Kennimer\u2019s Houston hat shop, where they played their songs back and forth for an hour. Photo by Chris Jarvis\/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The duo\u2019s first collaboration started with a live show series titled \u201cSeymore\u2019s Sunday Shootout.\u201d Ray and Seymore invited outside musicians, cooked them dinner and provided a place to stay overnight, then played a concert together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That led to their current podcast, \u201cGetting Loose and Killing Time<\/a>,\u201d 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<\/a>, Gus Clark<\/a> and Kory Quinn<\/a>, and they said their efforts bring more performers to play in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is a solid, livable wage in Houston, and it is filled with people who have built themselves there,\u201d Ray said. \u201cIn 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou actively seek the places that appreciate what you are doing,\u201d Ray said. \u201cAnd if you feel like they aren\u2019t willing to pay you for what you are worth, you tell them, \u2018No.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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, norte\u00f1o and country, while Seymore said he was influenced by old-time music and bluegrass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI always tell people talent and tenacity look like the same thing if you give it enough time,\u201d Seymore said. \u201cIf you have to have people validate you along the way, you will not make it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople will try to take advantage of you,\u201d Ray said. \u201cSurround yourself with good folks and they will let you know when something doesn\u2019t look right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top photo: Christopher Seymore played his song \u201cDrunk Enough.” Photo by Chris Jarvis\/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251,"featured_media":18253,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[58,144],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHouston Musicians Ray And Seymore Share Insights And Industry Advice With Performance Studies Students - Texas A&M University College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The artists were invited by Cory LaFevers as part of his ongoing efforts to present artists making their way in country music.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/04\/houston-musicians-ray-and-seymore-share-insights-and-industry-advice-with-performance-studies-students\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Houston Musicians Ray And Seymore Share Insights And Industry Advice With Performance Studies Students\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The artists were invited by Cory LaFevers as part of his ongoing efforts to present artists making their way in country music.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/04\/houston-musicians-ray-and-seymore-share-insights-and-industry-advice-with-performance-studies-students\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Texas A&M University College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/tamupvfa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-12-04T16:21:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-05T16:40:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/app\/uploads\/2023\/11\/webRay-Seymore_PVFA_2023-12.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"robclark\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@tamupvfa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@tamupvfa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"robclark\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/04\/houston-musicians-ray-and-seymore-share-insights-and-industry-advice-with-performance-studies-students\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/04\/houston-musicians-ray-and-seymore-share-insights-and-industry-advice-with-performance-studies-students\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"robclark\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/#\/schema\/person\/9f6f92d18d5bc0deccbeb90ae781afb8\"},\"headline\":\"Houston Musicians Ray And Seymore Share Insights And Industry Advice With Performance Studies Students\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-12-04T16:21:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-05T16:40:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/04\/houston-musicians-ray-and-seymore-share-insights-and-industry-advice-with-performance-studies-students\/\"},\"wordCount\":837,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"News\",\"Performance and Visual Studies\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/04\/houston-musicians-ray-and-seymore-share-insights-and-industry-advice-with-performance-studies-students\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/04\/houston-musicians-ray-and-seymore-share-insights-and-industry-advice-with-performance-studies-students\/\",\"name\":\"Houston Musicians Ray And Seymore Share Insights And Industry Advice With Performance Studies Students - 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