Waiting for Harmony is the debut release from Cape Town based trio called K, Ray and The Bird. The music is quirky, intelligent and full of lovely melodies and harmonies. One of the things that set this band apart is the diverse range of instruments that are used within the band. These instruments include acoustic guitars, bass, saxophone, clarinet, piano, keyboard, violins etc...

This music is hard to label. Some would call it "folk rock", some "Americana," some "Acoustic." The band calls it Eclectic Folk Rock.

This music will definitely attract two kinds of people. Adults who yearn for the music of the 60s and 70s who like bands like The Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel AND a discerning younger audience who appreciate strong melodies and harmonies.

Track desciptions:

1. Settle down - (An upbeat Americana track with a catchy guitar hook.)
2. Superhero - (A luscious waltz epic, characterised by layers of violins, piano, glockenspiel and harmonies.)
3. Listen to the criticism (A slow, groovy song with a sing-a-long chorus and a touch of jazz in the saxophone solos.)
4. A role to play - (a quirky, fun Beatlesque number that is dominated by an infectious clarinet hook. It almost sounds like it could be the new theme tune for the WOMBLES OF WIMBLEDON.)
5. I could be wrong (but I think I'm right) - (A schizophrenic song consisting of: a 3 part acapella vocal introduction guided by an organ, then a slightly funky verse and chorus, and culminating in a violin led slow-down in tempo. The highlight is the interacting choir-like vocal arrangement at the end of the song.)
6. Maybe deep down I'm shallow - (A minimalistic ballad with a picking guitar, beautiful string arrangement, and a lovely vocal.)

K, Ray and The Bird

In the beginning…

In September 2006, two friends and fellow musicians from Goodwood, Raé Swart and Gareth Asch, created a duo called ‘Rayash’. They later changed their name to ‘Ray of Ash’ and performed a number of gigs in and around Cape Town. The duo became a trio when Karyn Stuart, also from Goodwood, joined in December 2007 and the band K, Ray & The Bird was born.

Musical influences…

K, Ray & The Bird’s distinctive folk/rock sound is influenced by bands such as The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, The Mamas and the Papas and Crowded House. With a strong emphasis on melody and harmony, K, Ray & The Bird’s fresh sound is easy-listening, interesting and has a slight quirky edge. The band’s dry sense of humour definitely permeates their music and live shows, and is reflected in their dress sense and hairstyles too.

K, Ray & The Bird is…

Karyn Stuart (Bass, violin, vocals)

Music Therapist – The Music Therapy Community Clinic

Raé Swart (keyboard, saxophone, clarinet, vocals)

Music teacher – Elkanah House

Gareth Asch (guitar, vocals)

Business Studies, Accounting and Economics teacher – Elkanah house

Waiting for Harmony…

K, Ray & The Bird’s debut CD was completed in January 2009. The tracking was done at Dockyard Studios with Matt Allison. Barry van Zyl (Johnny Clegg’s drummer) handled all the drums/percussion and Dave Langemann (Freshly Ground’s SAMA award winning engineer) did the mixing.

K, Ray & The Bird says…

We are extremely proud of our first CD. We’re looking forward to taking our music outside of Goodwood and to the rest of the world.