Vonray
Encyclopedia
Vonray was a modern rock
band from Orlando, Florida
. The group formed around singer/songwriter Vaughan Rhea, originally from Tennessee, who had come to Orlando playing as an acoustic coffeeshop act. Inspired by grunge
music, Rhea put together a band with his brother, Dave, and began playing somewhat harder sounding tunes, though still acoustic-based. Soon after, the band was opening for Third Eye Blind
and Seven Mary Three
, among other national acts, and released an independent debut album, Panes, as VonRa in 1997. A second independent album release, VonRa, followed in 1999, and a third, Fame, came in 2001.
As major-label attention increased, the band scored a high-profile slot opening for fellow Florida-based rockers, Creed
, in summer of 2002. The band was signed to Elektra Records
in late 2002 and, under the moniker "Vonray," saw their first major label release on Elektra Records
in early 2003 (April 8). The band charted a single hit in the US in 2002 with the song "Inside Out," which was featured on the WB Network's television show Smallville
, on which the band made an appearance, and its soundtrack; "Inside Out" subsequently peaked at #32 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart and at #31 on Billboard's Top 40 Mainstream chart. A second single, "I'll Show You," followed but received little promotion from the label and failed to chart. Due to Elektra Records
then merging with Atlantic Records
, promotion for the band all but ceased, and the band was dropped from the label soon after. A casualty of the merger, Rhea and the band went on hiatus in October 2003.
After a longstanding online fan petition, Vonray reunited for a free and final "farewell" show on September 1, 2007 at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, Florida; the entire performance was later featured on the local Orlando, FL-area cable channel Orange TV's television show, Livewire, which won a Telly Award in 2008. An official DVD
release of the farewell performance was planned but never saw production. Since the farewell show, vocalist Vaughan Rhea has continued to perform sporadically around the Orlando, FL area, where he is still a current resident.
Former Members:
Extended Plays
Singles
Music Videos
Other Media Appearances
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
band from Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. The group formed around singer/songwriter Vaughan Rhea, originally from Tennessee, who had come to Orlando playing as an acoustic coffeeshop act. Inspired by grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
music, Rhea put together a band with his brother, Dave, and began playing somewhat harder sounding tunes, though still acoustic-based. Soon after, the band was opening for Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind is an American alternative rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. The songwriting duo of Kevin Cadogan and Stephan Jenkins signed the band's first major label recording contract with Elektra records in 1996 resulting in two multi platinum albums. The band's lineup...
and Seven Mary Three
Seven Mary Three
Seven Mary Three, occasionally abbreviated to 7 Mary 3 or 7M3, is an American hard rock band. They have released seven studio albums and one live album, and are best known for their hit singles "Cumbersome", "Water's Edge", "Lucky", and "Wait"....
, among other national acts, and released an independent debut album, Panes, as VonRa in 1997. A second independent album release, VonRa, followed in 1999, and a third, Fame, came in 2001.
As major-label attention increased, the band scored a high-profile slot opening for fellow Florida-based rockers, Creed
Creed (band)
Creed is an American rock band formed in 1995 in Tallahassee, Florida. Becoming popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band has released three consecutive multi-platinum albums, one of which has been certified diamond, and has sold over 28 million records in the United States, with an...
, in summer of 2002. The band was signed to Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
in late 2002 and, under the moniker "Vonray," saw their first major label release on Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
in early 2003 (April 8). The band charted a single hit in the US in 2002 with the song "Inside Out," which was featured on the WB Network's television show Smallville
Smallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
, on which the band made an appearance, and its soundtrack; "Inside Out" subsequently peaked at #32 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart and at #31 on Billboard's Top 40 Mainstream chart. A second single, "I'll Show You," followed but received little promotion from the label and failed to chart. Due to Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
then merging with Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, promotion for the band all but ceased, and the band was dropped from the label soon after. A casualty of the merger, Rhea and the band went on hiatus in October 2003.
After a longstanding online fan petition, Vonray reunited for a free and final "farewell" show on September 1, 2007 at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, Florida; the entire performance was later featured on the local Orlando, FL-area cable channel Orange TV's television show, Livewire, which won a Telly Award in 2008. An official DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release of the farewell performance was planned but never saw production. Since the farewell show, vocalist Vaughan Rhea has continued to perform sporadically around the Orlando, FL area, where he is still a current resident.
Members
- Vaughan Rhea – Lead Vocal and Rhythm Guitar
- Dave "Boo" Rhea – Bass Guitar and Backing Vocal
- Garrett Coleman – Rhythm Guitar and Backing Vocal
- Paul Smith – Lead Guitar and Backing Vocal (now with megaphoneMegaphone (band)Megaphone is an American rock band from Orlando, Florida, founded in 2004. Their general influences include Foo Fighters, Butch Walker and Led Zeppelin. They formed in late 2004 when founding member Matt Bloodwell traded his drums for a guitar and recruited local rock musicians from the Orlando...
) - Jeff Irizarry – Drums
- Todd Hackenburg – Lead Guitar
Former Members:
- Dave Smith – Lead Guitar and Backing Vocal
- Dave "Tinman" Tinny – Drums
- David Rankin – Guitar
- Gibb Droll – Lead Guitar
- Kevin Kirkwood – Drums
- Ben Tapia – Guitar
Discography
Albums- Panes 1997, independent release
- Von Ra 1999, independent release
- Fame 2001, independent release
- VonrayVonray (album)Vonray is the debut major label studio album by American rock band Vonray, released on April 8, 2003. This was Vonray's last released album...
2003, Elektra RecordsElektra RecordsElektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
Extended Plays
- Live at Sapphire Supper Club (EP) 1998, Limited Edition independent release
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Main. Top 40. | US Hot Adult. Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts... |
|||
| 2003 | "Inside Out Inside Out (Vonray song) "Inside Out" is a song by Alternative Rock band Vonray. It is their only charting single.-Smallville Single:# "Inside Out" - 3:40 # "Inside Out" - 3:30 -Chart performance:... " |
31 | 32 | Vonray |
| "I'll Show You" | — | — | ||
Music Videos
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "Inside Out" | Kevin Lang/Hector Lopez |
Other Media Appearances
- Smallville, Vol. 1: The Talon Mix (Soundtrack) 2001, Elektra RecordsElektra RecordsElektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
/ Wea
The Vonray track "Inside Out" was selected for inclusion on the soundtrack album.
External links
- http://www.MySpace.com/Vonray
- http://www.MySpace.com/VonrayReunion
- http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/vonrayonline/vonray.html&date=2009-10-26+00:02:27 – Vonray Message Board
- http://youtube.com/watch?v=p5k4rVkr11M - Vaughan Rhea's "Drinker's Hour" ©2007 Official Music Video