Stronger Lies

Floating colors, haunting lyrics, gripping noise

Open Lines

They

This Year

Waking Dreaming

VERTICAL is Paul Steven Ray, Theresa Rosas, and Eli Fountain.
VERTICAL is the sound of 21st Century psychedelic strolling-racing-jumping-falling in the mansions of Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Reich, and David Bowie.
VERTICAL is the indictment and the vindication of noise ritual.
VERTICAL is the poetry of 360 degree dreaming.
Paul Steven Ray has been composing and performing various mutations of electronic-ritual music for over 20 years. He has been heard in a diversity of venues such as Issue Project Room, The Stone, The Knitting Factory, PaperBox, Public Assembly,TONIC, MonkeyTown and festivals such as the Noise Festival at the Ontological Theater, the International Electro-Acoustic Festival, Cosmoson, Ivy Salon Paris, CERF Festival , New York Jazz Festival and the NORTH RIVER MUSIC SERIES. He has collaborated with such artists as, Bora Yoon, Oblaat, Pheeroan Ak Laff, Vernon Reid, Nate Wooley, Cyro Baptista, Yuko Fujiyama, Val-Inc., Ha-Yang Kim, StefEye, Eli Fontaine, Theresa Rosas, Julian Thayer and Susie Ibarra. In 2006, Paul Steven Ray and Theresa Rosas formed the experimental duet, Aquiaconverse(now known as RAY-ROSAS PROJECT). His experimental opera, SALLY DISTANCE, for Soprano, e. guitar, laptop, live electronics, and video was premiered in 2007 at Galapagos Arts Space and featured Bora Yoon. His listener activated sound environments are outdoor installations designed for an ultra-sensitive sonic experience for the “listener-performer”. He is curator of the experimental concert series, PSYCHELOUNGE. Ray's second opera, SLEEPERHOLD , premiered at Issue Project Room in june 2010.  A new recording from his trio, NineNine, was released in January 2012.

Eli Fountain has displayed his diverse gifts as a performer/composer in jazz, classical, funk, and experimental genres.  He has performed internationally and recorded with artists such as Max Roach, Geri Allen, James Carter, The World Saxophone Quartet, Oliver Lake, Butch Morris, and Carman Moore.  Mr. Fountain has collaborated with the tap dancing phenom, Savion Glover.  He was the musical director for Yale Repertory Theater’s 2004 production of King Lear.  He was once a guest in Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.  Mr. Fountain is the founder and director of the group Percussion Discussion.

Theresa Rosas is an active performer of pop,classical, and new music.  She has performed with His Name Is Alive, Bright Brown, Anti-Social Music, NINENINE, and Vox Novus. She has appeared in the California Music Festival, Semaine Internationale de Piano in Blonay Switzerland, and the Fortepiano Workshop at Cornell University.  She currently serves on the faculty of the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music.

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