Sister Ray

Sister Ray is an independent 4 piece band from Salem Oregon. Members include Justin Miller on vocals, guitars, and keys, Robert Harris on drums, Matthew Hall on bass, and Benjamin Bond on guitars. Their unique blend of alternative, psychedelic, and folk rock music, along with a hard edged D.I.Y. attitude has earned them respect and appreciation in the musical community.
The band started in October of 2004. Miller and Bond had been experimenting writing music together for the past few months and had just begun laying down rough cuts of what they had come up with. It was at this time they met Harris, through Bond’s younger sister, Nicole. Harris’ talent as a drummer proved to be the perfect backbone to their emerging guitar styling.
The band was off and running as a power trio under the name “White Heat”, Miller took over the duties of vocals and he and Bond switched off playing bass and guitar. In June of 2005 Harris met Hall through a mutual friend. His bass playing style was a match for the band and the low end anchor that they needed. With the addition of a new member the band changed their name to “Sister Ray”, after the Velvet Underground song.
Soon, Sister Ray was frequently playing shows at Salem venues like The Ike Box, The Sip, and Coffee House Café as well as local fairs. The band also provided music for independent films and was growing a reputation as a band with dynamic and well thought out performances. The band had always been about original music and recording was on the forefront of everyone’s mind, the only problem was financial. With no way to afford the outrageous fees of local recording artists, Miller and Bond decided to take the task into their own hands.
With only $500 the two set out to get the job done. They bought an old analog recording machine and set it up in the attic of Bonds fathers’ luthier shop, Sonrise Woodart. The attic would later become the home of Kidsmoke Records and the Sister Ray loft.
The band has since put out 2 official EPs and one full length album entitled 1,000 Shades Of Sunlight, all recorded and written by Sister Ray. Miller has also gone on to record other local bands and writers in Salem under Kidsmoke Records.
Other than various local and out of town gigs, Sister Ray has also won first place and a $1,000 prize in the Concerts First battle of the bands held at the Roseland Theater in Portland Oregon.
The band still writes and records all their original music under their own independent label.