Ray Lebert: A Brief Musical History, Music links, and Live Shows

Do you have an event coming up that you would want live music at? Contact Ray Lebert by email: rlebert313@gmail.com

Upcoming Shows:

Alex’s Gourmet Market and Bistro – Independence Township, MI. (6-9:00PM) Friday, Dec. 5th – Ray and Isabella Lebert Acoustic – Holiday-themed Event

Alex’s Gourmet Market and Bistro – Independence Township, MI. (7-10:00PM) Saturday, Jan. 10th – Ray and Isabella Lebert Acoustic

Alex’s Gourmet Market and Bistro – Independence Township, MI. (7-10:00PM) Saturday, Feb. 28th – Ray and Isabella Lebert Acoustic

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Recent Videos:

Spotify Playlist of Ray Lebert Songs:

Enjoy Some
Original Music!

Past Performances:

Alex’s Gourmet Market and Bistro – Independence Township, MI. (6-9:00PM) Friday, Oct. 17th – Ray and Isabella Lebert Acoustic

Alex’s Gourmet Market and Bistro – Independence Township, MI. (6-9:00PM) Saturday, Sept. 27th – Ray and Isabella Lebert Acoustic

White Lake Music Jamboree – White Lake, MI. (4-5 PM) Saturday 8.23.24 – Ray Lebert with Guy LaRouche and Sasha

Gus’s Snug – Berkley, MI. (8-11:00PM) Monday 1.29.24 – Ray Lebert Solo Acoustic with Isabella

Gus’s Snug – Berkley, MI. (9-12PM) Saturday 2.24.24 – Ray Lebert Solo Acoustic with Isabella

O’Connor’s Public House – Rochester Hills, MI. 12.13.23 – Ray Lebert Solo Acoustic with Isabella Lebert- (9-11:55)

One Drop Brewing Company – with Leroy (Band) – Oxford MI., 11.11.23

Goodstock Music Fest (Flint) with Leroy (Band)- September 9 – 7-10PM

Flint Alley Fest (7/8/23) with Leroy (Band) – Downtown Flint 6-7PM

O’Connor’s Public House (6/28/23) – Ray Lebert Solo Acoustic with Isabella Lebert – Acoustic Show in Rochester Hills MI.

O’Connor’s Public House (7/26/23) – Ray Lebert Solo Acoustic with Isabella Lebert – Acoustic Show in Rochester Hills MI.

Ore Dock Brewing Company (Marquette, MI. 2 Nights – June 2 and June 3 9-12:00PM) – with Leroy (Band)

O’Connor’s Public House (4/19/23) – Acoustic Show in Rochester Hills, MI.

O’Connor’s Public House (2/22/23) – Acoustic Show in Rochester Hills MI.

The Gateway– Clarkston (10/7/22)- Ray Lebert Solo Acoustic with Isabella Lebert – Private Non-profit Org. Event with Isabella Lebert

Ray and Isabella – Live @ O’Connor’s Public House 12.13.23
Ray Lebert, w/. Isabella, full 2nd Set at The Gateway, Clarkston, MI.

         Above: Ray Lebert on electric bass with Leroy (Band) this past June.

Beneath the Surface with Ray Lebert

          Constantly staying creative, I have always been impressed by musicians that, “Do it all.” Prince, Ben Harper, Lenny Kravitz, Beck, Thom Yorke, and Trent Reznor have been on endless repeat throughout my life. While I once tried to emulate this process of being a solo musician with my first CD, entitled “Chautauqua,” I soon looked for other musicians that had shared the same musical tastes.

https://soundcloud.com/relebert/evas-canvas?in=relebert/sets/ray-leberts-question-why-project&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

While living in Detroit, I was in a band called Riot of Joy in my early college years. We focused primarily on playing live acoustic shows around the metro area. The band regularly played in Dearborn, Plymouth, and Hamtramck coffee houses like Planet Ant (famous for showcasing Jack White in his early years), and the Shadow-Box Cafe.

We eventually booked shows with an updated band lineup and rebranded ourselves as Quarterlife. These were fun years where we cranked the volume a bit and played gigs at The Magic Bag, Bullfrogs, The Shelter, The I-Rock Nightclub, Paychecks Lounge, and The Token Lounge. No venue was off limits, not even events at the University of Michigan (Dearborn and Ann Arbor), Wayne State University, and Michigan State University. It was at this point that the band Quarterlife would record their studio album entitled, “What’s your Poison?”

Keeping five people in their early 20’s together would soon prove difficult, especially after careers and family schedules tightened. Fortunately, new musicians eventually crossed paths with me in new towns ultimately forming The Split-level Band, which came to an end during the pandemic. We did, however, capture the memories in an album entitled, “Lighten Up.”

https://soundcloud.com/relebert/the-saw-wears-down-over-time
https://soundcloud.com/relebert/youre-low?in=relebert/sets/ray-leberts-split-level-band

These past few years, I have been playing a lot of shows around the Oakland County area but am hoping to start spreading out a bit more next year. I have played shows at Clarkston’s ‘Concerts in the Park’, Ferndale’s Blues and Music Festival, local Microbreweries, The Token Lounge, Farmers’ Markets, and various house parties. 

Recently, I joined a project out of the greater-Flint area named Leroy. Feel free to check out some of the footage from our last weekend show in Marquette, MI. at Ore Dock Brewing Company.

Did you know that I wrote a book as well, and many of the songs on the album “Lighten Up” mirror the novel? Softcover copies of Split-level can be found here:

Order a copy of Split-level on Amazon.com:

After twenty years of songwriting, the publication of my first post-modern novel entitled Split-level, I have decided to get back to my roots and play solo acoustic shows this Winter. I will be joined by Isabella Lebert on viola whenever possible. Come celebrate over two decades of songwriting and performing with me and catch a show live.

*Click here to listen to some of my music along the years: https://soundcloud.com/relebert/albums

Ray Lebert and The Generation staying creative during the shutdown.
Live at The Ferndale Blues and Rock Festival

Ray Lebert: Author, Songwriter, Music Teacher, and Creative Editor

About me: For twenty-plus years, I have been involved in helping others achieve their writing potential and am constantly expanding my own creative horizon. I am a certified Secondary English teacher and have served as a collegiate Composition and Creative Writing Instructor for ten years as well.

So, what about the book, Split-level? 

The debate states that either art imitates life or life imitates art; but at this point in time, it has become hard to differentiate between both intertwined perspectives. As Split-level unravels, a blurry picture is painted of Jack Stream’s character getting lost somewhere in the middle.

Monsters and ghosts do not need to be conjured up in the mind of an author. Humans are grotesque enough. They are the monsters. They are the sounds in the woods, the howls in your closets, and the beasts under your beds. There is no need to exert unnecessary energy making up fictional apparitions when they seem to be living right amongst us.

The conceptual idea, framed by the recent foreclosure crisis, with all of its misery and dislocation for millions of Americans in 2009, served as the focus to begin this series. What would happen if someone bought a foreclosed home in an unfamiliar location and the previous owner was angry enough to commit unspeakable crimes in retaliation? Additionally, how far can one person take squatter’s rights?

At the core of Split-level lies another allegory, loosely based on the beloved children’s story – City Mouse and Country Mouse.  Is it possible to escape crime just by moving away from the city, or are people just as (if not more) susceptible to it no matter where they sprawl?

This escapism, coinciding with the ever-battling conflict of good verses evil plays out in Split-level, the first postmodern suspense/thriller in the series written by Ray Lebert.

Softcover copies of Split-level can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Split-level-Ray-Lebert-III/dp/1508638004

I can’t wait to tell Jack Stream that you liked it!

Ray Lebert

Synopsis of Split-Level (a novel)

After a horrific accident, Andy Ludlow, a college instructor and single father, hopes for a fresh start by leaving the crimes of the city and purchasing a foreclosed home in northern Michigan.

What he does not predict is that a local taxidermist named Jack Stream could hinder every page of this new chapter. Stream, an unemployed mill-worker had contrary dreams of moving from Deer County to the city, but the failing relationship with the young Deborah Gates, distorts his focus.

Determined to stay creative despite conflict, both men work to construct the future of their split-leveled stories – only to discover that they have more in common than anticipated.

Split-level takes the reader on a post-modern journey into the psyche of two artists struggling to stay relevant in a time where everyone’s a critic.

About the Book

The debate states that either, art imitates life or life imitates art; but at this point in time, it has become hard to differentiate between both intertwined perspectives. As Split-level unravels, a blurry picture is painted of Jack Stream’s character getting lost somewhere in the middle. Monsters and ghosts do not need to be conjured up in the mind of an author. Humans are grotesque enough. They are the monsters. They are the sounds in the woods, the howls in your closets, and the beasts under your beds. There is no need to exert unnecessary energy making up fictional apparitions when they seem to be living right among us.

Split-level was a conceptual idea, framed by the recent foreclosure crisis, with all of its misery and dislocation for millions of Americans in 2009. This served as the focus to begin this series. What would happen if someone purchased a foreclosed home in an unfamiliar location and the previous owner was angry enough to commit unspeakable crimes in retaliation? Additionally, the question was posed as to how far can one person could misinterpret squatter’s rights in America?

At the core of Split-level lies another allegory, loosely based on the beloved children’s story – City Mouse and Country Mouse. Is it possible to escape crime just by moving away from the city, or are people just as susceptible (if not more) to crime no matter where they sprawl? This escapism, coinciding with the ever-battling conflict of good versus evil plays out in Split-level, the first postmodern suspense/thriller in the series written by Ray Lebert.