Ray Sharp

Band History

Ray Sharp began playing the piano at 12. By the age of 13 he had composed dozens of contemporary and classical piano solos. In high school he wrote and directed two wind symphony performances and began performing at restaurants throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area. After high school, Ray attended the University of Texas at Arlington to refine his musical talents by studying theory. While in college, Ray supported himself by performing solo piano in churches, restaurants, hotels, and art museums.

In 2001, while playing at the Sundance Market and Deli, he was noticed by the critically acclaimed improvisational comedy troupe Four Day Weekend and was asked to be a guest musician. After six months as a guest, Ray became the musical director for the troupe and now performs for sold out audiences every weekend alongside the comedians. As the musical director, Sharp not only improvises and performs live, but also writes all of the music for the shows.

Ray's compositional style covers a variety of genres from comedic to classical to rock and now expands into electronic. Due to his musical versatility he has been commissioned to write the music for two comedy revues which were performed in an off-Broadway theater in New York, two national commercials, themes for television pilots, short films, and video games. In 2003, he released his inaugral album, Exaudio, a collection of solo piano pieces that Ray composed and performed. In 2006, Ray released his second album, Eros, which features piano solos over electronica ambient/downtempo beats.

Information submitted by the artist

Members

• Ray Sharp keyboards, piano

Sound Description

Acoustic electronic music ranging from an upbeat ambient style to more of an aggressive edge