The heart and soul of the blues lives deep in the belly of The Shalyn Gray Project. Kevin McKay and Dov (Shalyn) Gray realized their mutual love for the blues one--inspired--night at a close friend's fiftieth birthday. Having just finished a year with a local hip hop project, they realized they should be lending their talents mutually to rhythm and blues. With their very different flavours and styles the music melds beautifully. This frames a shared passion for a rekindling of the kind of sound that is too often lost in youthful culture. Descending from a long legacy of legendary black musicians and soaked to the bones in a rich musical history. Dov Gray evokes a passion in his singing that could silence a room to a whisper. Along with Kevin McKay's inspired guitar playing, the two have discovered a sound rich beyond their years.The songs are composed, recorded and mixed usually all in the same day by Kevin and Dov at the Shalyngrayproductions' studio. Kevin handling the music and instruments with Dov taking over singing duties as well as engineering the sessions. The two enlisted the help of longtime friends Chris Osti on upright bass and Ben Kobayashi on piano for the live shows. Together they've been setting Toronto audiences alight. Having enjoyed a residency at the Paddock for close to a year the four have polished their gritty blues to a tee. With the decision that it was time to put the rhythm into their blues, have now started using drummers for their lives shows. It became apparent very quickly they were destined for bigger stages.
The shows proved to be a combination of sweaty funk, dirty blues and sweet soul. Book us !
