Just heard that my dear friend, Ray Raposa AKA Castanets has passed. He was a deep & sensitive soul, a great song writer / musician & very witty with it. I loved playing bass on his beautiful album, ‘Texas Rose, The Thaw and The Beasts’ & sharing the stage with him on a couple of occasions & also hanging out and drinking in the funky strip bars of Portland, OR that he frequented! Ray once turned up at soundcheck for a show in Portland where he was opening for me but he had no guitar. I said, “Ehhh Ray, don’t you think you should get one?” He was very casual, saying, “Oh, one will come along!” It was an hour until show time. Then he said, “I think I left my guitar at this girl’s house. I’ll go and see.” Turns out she was out so he broke in to her place, grabbed the guitar and made it back just in time to walk on the stage and play a killer set. Typical Ray! So sad he’s left us. RIP truly.