Published in The Islander Magazine August 2014
“I love the vibe. I love the people. It’s the closet thing I can get to my home.”
- Gaby Veray on performing on Galveston Island
Relative to many other naturally talented musicians, it took a long time for Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, Gaby Veray to believe he could sing songs and play the guitar for a living. But now, at 35 years of age, leading the Gaby Veray Trio (with Jason "JBone" White on acoustic lead guitar and vocals, and Blake Plsek on cajon and djembe) with their unique blend of folk, rock and reggae and performing all over Galveston and Houston, Veray believes he may have finally found his calling. Growing up in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, Veray was encouraged by his father, a physician, and brother, a dentist, to consider a job in the medical field. For a time, Veray, was studying dentistry but was always searching for something closer to his heart.
As the youngest of 6 children, Veray enjoyed the musical influences of his older sibling’s favorite artists. “I felt they each had a message for me through the music they played for me. One brother loved Rush and Collective Soul while another brother was into Madonna and George Michael. Another one, the rock and roller, was into Stone Temple Pilots and Nirvana. I liked Guns & Roses. I had posters of them all over my walls. My dad’s cousin, Amaury Veray, was a very well known classical music composer in Puerto Rico so we had that, and the Puerto Rican jazz, and Santana, that my father listened to.”
Veray moved to Orlando, Florida to finish high school but soon after went on to live and work in to Raleigh, North Carolina to pursue cinema photography and graphic design. Tragically, within a ten-year time frame, Veray lost two brothers and a sister. Living with his family’s difficulties and heartbreak helped Veray develop a strong sense of empathy for those around him, ultimately leading him closer to songwriting as a means of connecting with people. One day while working as a cameraman for a television station covering news, Veray was hit with an overwhelming feeling that he could no longer do the job. He was videotaping an interview with a family who had recently suffered the loss of their infant child in an accident. To Veray, the family was clearly distressed by the invasive media coverage and it was at that point he decided he’d had enough.
Hoping for a new start, it wasn’t long before Veray was on his way to Texas, to see his brother who was working in Kemah (between Galveston and Houston). It was 2010 and Veray was still only casually strumming a guitar in the privacy of his home, and just for his own amusement. As he was adapting to his new community he looked for bars that featured reggae music. Veray quickly bonded with some of the area’s musicians from bands like Shark Attack, Black Lung Crew, Mama Tried and others of the folk-rock-reggae sound, popular throughout many Galveston and Clear Lake venues.
With encouragement from regular Galveston performers, Cisco, and Bee Room Entertainment’s Marc Borde, who had heard hints of Veray’s talent, Gaby took the stage for the first time at an open mic at the Cock-Eyed Seagul in Clear Lake.
“Marc really pushed me to get up on stage. My music career really started at Cabo in Seabrook where Marc was the sound guy and Mama Tried hosted the open mic. Zone 504 and the Last Concert Café also gave me an opportunity to play.”
Singing in Spanish and English, Veray began to develop his own sound and lyrical style. “It just depends on the song, the message, and who inspired that message as to whether I sing it in Spanish or English. Sometimes I am better able to express myself in Spanish.”
In November of 2013, Veray received a huge vote of confidence as a songwriter and performer opening for Puerto Rican rock star, Tito Auger, in Houston. The mostly Puerto Rican crowd cheered for the Gaby Veray Trio through their 30 plus minute set and further established them as a viable band. “I told the guys in the band, ‘This is the day. This is not just a few Spanish people in a bar. This is 300 Puerto Ricans that will understand every little piece of slang I will say. They’ll know the meaning. They’ll know what we’re about. This might be the day we go home as a band with a victory, or with a definite defeat,” laughs Veray. “Once those curtains opened, and I said the first lines and the people got it… We were accepted, man!”
Veray admits there are still many musical challenges ahead but these days, finds the future looking bright. The Gaby Veray Trio’s first CD has been recorded (at Bong Island Studio) and is in the mixing stage and scheduled for release in late 2014. “Mixing and mastering will be done in Miami at the Hit Factory by a friend of mine who has won a Latin Grammy and is from Mayagüez. My cousin’s art will be on the cover. I want this first album to represent my home.”
Gaby Veray has performed all over Galveston Island in solo and band settings (The Beach Hut, Riptide, Float Bar) and looks forward to many more gigs on the island including hosting “Latin Night” every Friday beginning in October at Paradise Beach Bar (102 Seawall) in Galveston. “Galveston... I love the vibe. I love the people. It’s the closet thing I can get to my home,” says Veray with a smile.
Veray also hosts Open Mic Night at Fatty’s in Seabrook, Texas on Thursday nights with Tina Fuller and Chris Barnes. For more dates, music, video and photos go to www.reverbnation.com/gabyveray
Zach Tate is writer, photographer and musician. More Texas Music Profiles at www.ZachTate.com
©2014 Zach Tate
