Table of Contents
Julio Rey
Alternative Rock / Punk Rock
“Julio Rey is a Christian guitarist and songwriter (b. February 12, 1960, Havana, Cuba) who played punk and thrash with The Lead in the 1980s, grindcore and hardcore with Frank’s Enemy in the 1990s and continues to record in all the above genres in addition to acoustic songs of his currently middle age. (from http://www.musicxray.com/artists/juliorey)
“Punk and acoustic and more. Writing since 1974, Christian since 1977, Christian music since 1979, punk since 1980, releasing since 1982. Git for The Lead & Frank’s Enemy.” (from http://juliorey.bandcamp.com/)
Bands
1980-1982 | Genesis 1-1 |
1982 | Disciple |
1982-1984 | The Visitors |
1984-1991, 2017-present | The Lead |
1987, 1990 | King James and the Concordances |
1992 | Global Warning |
1992 | C'est Posible |
1992-present | Frank’s Enemy |
1996 | Loogie Soup |
Discography
1982 | Unrehearsed Walk | Three Equals One |
1986 | Unrehearsed Walk II | Son Sessions |
1993 | Double Life | Not Silent |
2002 | Astrid EP | area1234 / Not Silent |
2003 | Cedric EP | area1234 / Not Silent |
2005 | Understand This Sampler | area1234 / Not Silent |
2005 | so low acoustic Open Mix | area1234 / Not Silent |
2005 | Corinne | Not Silent |
2006 | Understand This Sampler Two | area1234 / Not Silent |
2007 | Four Songs With Alex A | area1234 / Not Silent |
2007 | Gorki's Tune EP | area1234 / Not Silent |
2007 | Understand The Words | Not Silent |
2010 | Olivier | area1234 / Not Silent |
2010 | Old Glory | area1234 / Not Silent |
Unrehearsed Walk
1982 Three Equals One
Julio Rey - Guitar, vocals
Humberto Piña - Bass, BGVs
Juan Carlos Noa - Drums, BGVs
- Sing It Out!!! (1:45)
- I Can Testify (2:59)
- Le Miserable (2:28)
- I'll Never Know (2:49)
Unrehearsed Walk II
1986 Son Sessions
- Check
- Outlaw in an Outlaw World
- Resisted Unto Blood
- I Won't Tell You
- In the Middle of the Night
- Soften This Heart
- Doomsday
- Until the Last Day
- Captain Kangaroo
- Mended
- Jet Set Pet
- I Don't Know About Bob Dylan
- I Don't Wanna Be a Star
- Dead Aid
- MTV Blues/M.T. Slide
- Batista Hop
- Scarlet Football Letter
- She's a Punk
- Teenage Dream
- Spring Breaks
- Pray About Me
- Hope You Never Change Your Mind
- Eroticus
- A Mighty Death
- Evolution Rock
- Desperate Love
- 80 @ 80
- Hurricanes & Earthquakes
Double Life
1993 Not Silent
Astrid EP
2002 area1234 / Not Silent
“My 2003 virtual release documenting my initial non-extreme experiments on ProTools Free. Electric guitar-driven pop all the way with touches of Caribbean and dance and jazz and grunge.” (from http://www.area1234.com/2009/12/julio-rey-astrid/)
- In The Presence of My Love
- That Was My Love
- Baby’s Eyes
- Not My Enemy
Cedric EP
2003 area1234 / Not Silent
“My 2004 expansion of the Astrid EP. Same four tracks as before plus two more. Still that electric guitar-driven pop rock with the touches of Caribbean and dance and jazz and grunge, even in the two new songs which start edging back towards punk. Read all about it at Not Silent. (from http://www.area1234.com/2010/06/download-at-area1234-julio-rey-cedric-ep/)
- Mr. Joyless
- That Was My Song
- The Child is Crying
- Baby’s Eyes
- In the Presence of My Love
- Not My Enemy
Understand This Sampler
2005 area1234 / Not Silent
“Five years ago I thought I would record electric guitar driven alternative rock at home and play acoustic versions of same songs at open mikes which ended up with me playing solo electric versions of the songs at the open mikes which sounded like crap and made me reconsider and go acoustic all the way. Read my blog for more if you want to know the whole tedious story. What we have here is three of the tightest rock songs I’ve been able to put together (with drum loops by Journey’s drummer to boot). It was my second or third try at mixing them, I’d been working on them for about three years on and off. I gave away a bunch of these as CD-Rs at the open mikes. Eventually, the songs ended up on my full length CD, Corinne.” (from http://www.area1234.com/2010/08/julio-rey-understand-this-sampler/)
- Mr. Joyless
- The Child is Crying
- In the Presence of My Love
“Recording Notes:
MR. JOYLESS: Killed the previously jangly rhythm guitar in favor of a distorted rhythm guitar.
THE CHILD IS CRYING: Killed the previously jangly rhythm guitar (and whatever country feel this song once had) in favor of just the bass and lead git carrying the verses. Added a distorted guitar to the choruses.
IN THE PRESENCE OF MY LOVE: Killed the ska guitar in favor of a funky guitar. Redid the bass to make it sound funkier. Added a guitar solo that sounds like a retro synth. Made the mix drier and clearer. (03.23.2005) ”
(from http://www.area1234.com/julio-rey/understand-this-sampler/)
So Low Acoustic Open Mix
2005 area1234 / Not Silent
“2005 CD-R with nine live songs from my earlier open mic sets, in which I am still trying to get over my case of St. Vitus Dance. This was a not-for-sale promo item that I think I made one or two copies of back then before moving on to my next phase. Includes three bizarro cover tunes. Download here, background info here.” (from http://www.area1234.com/2010/03/julio-rey-so-low-acoustic-open-mix-download-at-area1234/)
- Scooby Doo (Theme)
- Mr. Joyless
- I’m Living My Lie
- Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
- LBpunk4Xmas
- The Child is Crying
- If You Could Read My Mind
- Great
- Michael Iceberg
Corinne
2005 Not Silent
“I’ve written just about all I could write about these individual songs during the last three years. So refer to the pages for Astrid, Cedric, Understand This Sampler, and so low acoustic Open Mix for all that.
Just eight months ago I was working full-blast on a CD to be called Understand the Words, which would be heavy on electric guitar-driven alternative rock of different stripes. I put out Understand This Sampler as a taste of things to come. At the same time I was playing one or two open mics a month to try to keep myself out in the public, including playing solo sets on the electric guitar at the Luna Star Cafe. I was trying to push my taste for punk, trash, garage rock, and junk culture.
The big epiphany came last May at the Luna Star, when someone there told me he really liked what I was doing, but I needed to get a band to do it right. A band is simply not an option for me at the stage of life I am in right now. So I realized that all the songs I was recording at home would never be represented properly onstage by me alone. I had to bring my recordings in line with my stage capabilities, and I had to bring my stage performance in line with my own limitations.
So I’ve been practicing and refining my performing style since the summer, and testing the results on my church. I’m getting closer to stepping out with a new stage presentation.
Corinne is the act of wiping the slate clean on my music. I’ve gone through so much soul-searching and critical changes of focus with my music the last seven to eight months, that I simply had to take the step of starting all over again.
Enjoy Corinne as the last in a three-project cycle that I named after each of my children, with songs dealing with life, love, and loss.” (12.05.2005) (from http://www.area1234.com/julio-rey/corinne/)
(Family Suite)
- That Was My Song
- Mr. Joyless
- Not My Enemy
- In the Presence of My Love
- The Child is Crying
- Baby’s Eyes
- Happiness
(Alternate Mixes)
- That Was My Song (Astrid Mix)
- Mr. Joyless (Cedric Mix)
- In the Presence of My Love (Astrid Mix)
- The Child is Crying (Cedric Mix)
- Baby’s Eyes (Astrid Mix)
(Open Mix Live at Main St. Cafe)
- Mr. Joyless
- I’m Living My Lie
- LBpunk4Xmas
- The Child is Crying
- Great
- Michael Iceberg
Understand This Sampler Two
2006 area1234 / Not Silent
“In 2005 I started to record the tracks that would end up on Understand the Words as I actually released it in late 2007, reflecting my new direction towards the acoustic. I needed another sampler to hand out in the meantime, hence this second Understand This Sampler, complete with acousticky graphics for the label. The mixes here would be different than the ones on the final CD (except for Spiritual, I think). And dig the little crossfade between tracks 1 and 2.” (from http://www.area1234.com/2010/08/julio-rey-understand-this-sampler-two/)
- Spiritual
- Jacuzzi Days
- Thank You for My Money
- Man on the Mountain
Four Songs With Alex A
2007 area1234 / Not Silent
“The recording of Understand the Words was going steadily but slowly. In October 2006, I got former Frank’s Enemy drummer Alex A in to play drums on a few of the tracks. I put this sampler out in early 2007 when I finished mixing some of them. I also created individual graphics for each of the songs. They’re all in the digital booklet included with the mp3s. It’s also a five-song EP, despite the title, because Alex plays drums on four of the songs.” (from http://www.area1234.com/2010/08/julio-rey-four-songs-with-alex-a/)
- Great
- Dead Aid
- I’m Living My Lie
- Love is Pain
- Fata Morgana
Gorki's Tune EP
2007 area1234 / Not Silent
“Released in 2007. Three mixes of my cover of the Ciro Diaz-composed Porno Para Ricardo ballad “23.” More on Cuba’s favorite dissident punks at my blog. Stream song previews from their upcoming new record The Red Album here.” (from http://www.area1234.com/2009/03/julio-rey-gorkis-tune/)
- 23 (Mix “It Up”)
- 23 (Mix “A La Silvo”)
- 23 (Mix “Pa'la Porra”)
Understand the Words
2007 Not Silent
Julio Ray - Vocals, guitar
Alex A - drums
Dale Rogers - violin, piano
Deborah Levi - keyboards
Reverend Max Alt and the International Church of Miami - backing vocals
- Sunset Drive
- Great
- Old Man Blues
- Thank You for My Money
- Spiritual
- Jacuzzi Days
- Mr. Castro Goes to Harlem
- Gates of Heaven
- Facing Up to It
- Double Life
- Dead Aid (The Day the Music Lied)
- El Juego
- I’m Living My Lie
- Hope You Never Change Your Mind
- Love is Pain
- Nail Me In
- Roll the Rock
- Fata Morgana
- Man on the Mountain
- Gorki’s Tune/23 (Ciro Diaz Penedo/English translation: Charlie Bravo/Julio Rey)
Olivier
2010 area1234 / Not Silent
“A whole new EP and a whole new way of getting it out. A few random thoughts as I send my last child’s namesake off into the world.
So this is my new EP called Olivier. My fourth and last project named after one of my kids with songs reflecting love and loss.
When Corinne came out back in 2005, I thought I was done with both fathering kids and naming my records after them. Along came a change of heart and along with it Olivier (the baby) in 2008. So basically I was contractually obligated to my family to put this out so no one gets left out.
It’s probably the least accessible (definitely the least upbeat) of my solo projects so of course this is the one I’m putting on iTunes via Tunecore. Call me whatever….
I was also dissatisfied with Area 1234 as the only place to get my music, so I’ve put this EP on a Bandcamp page where you can stream it and download it free until 2011 starts in a couple of days. I’m still thinking about how to handle things after that.” (from http://www.area1234.com/2010/12/on-olivier-bandcamp-and-tunecore/)
- Old Glory (3:38)
- Orem Ain't Got No Head Cheese (3:11)
- Sick Eyes Blue (3:24)
- True Love (10:18)
- Rage (3:38)
- Not Noble the Struggle (5:26)
Old Glory
2010 area1234 / Not Silent
“First finished product using GarageBand and I am not disappointed. Wrote the whole thing in the last couple of weeks. Soft vocal, acoustic guitar, bass played almost like a drum, rockabilly chugging guitar and some atmospheric GarageBand keyboards played on keypad. Straddles the line between folk and rockabilly with some drumless reggae backbeat at the bottom. Words are what’s left after the firecracker smell fades away on July 5th.” (from http://www.area1234.com/julio-rey/old-glory/)
- Old Glory (3:40)