LOS ANGELES, CA- On March 18th, 2019, while waiting to see Lucy Spraggan perform at The Moroccan, I was lucky enough to catch the opening set by the singer/songwriter Raye Zaragoza. Wow. I’m glad I showed up early, otherwise I would have missed out on this deceptively powerful performer.

Raye has the air of a soft spoken young woman. When she chats with the crowd, its in hushed soothing tone. As she delicately plucks/strums the strings of her acoustic guitar, your can get lost in her classically folksy voice, which effortlessly glides from her chest to her head when reaching for the the higher notes. But don’t let the dulcet tones fool you. Raye’s lyrics are about as passionate and meaningful as they come. Whether addressing personal empowerment or national, political issues, I found myself listening attentively to every lyric, hanging on her every word, and even engaging in a call and response during her song “Driving to Standing Rock”.

Voices and messengers like Raye are very much need in today’s sociopolitical climate. Sometimes a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down easier, and as long as Raye is serving it, I certainly won’t mind taking it in.

Raye is currently in the processing of sourcing funding for her sophomore album. If you like what you hear, join her Patreon campaign: www.patreon.com/rayezaragoza.

Follow Raye Zaragoza on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

CLICK HERE To Go Back To Blurred Culture’s SXSW Artist Page For March 10th, 2019

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Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Raye Zaragoza @ Moroccan Lounge 3/23/19. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.