Ray Davies To Tour West Coast In July

“You Really Go Me” by The Kinks. Therein lies the first punk, garage rock and metal threads, weaving their way into the fabric of rock n roll. That song, and decades of music by The Kinks have provided the inspiration for not only genres but countless musicians, The Who, Van Halen, Black Sabbath, The Pixies and Oasis, to name a few.
Ray Davies is the songwriter and singer behind many of The Kinks best known songs and will be touring North America beginning in Vancouver on July 13 to San Diego on July 22, 2012. Joining Davies is Los Angeles-based group 88 pulling double duty as his supporting act and backing band.

On his latest album See My Friends, the follow-up to 2009’s The Kinks Choral Collection, Davies enlisted the help from some of today’s top musicians to pay homage to his beloved band the Kinks. This all-star cast of collaborators includes Jon Bon Jovi/Richie Sambora, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Mumford & Sons, Lucinda Williams, Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Jackson Browne, Spoon, Amy Macdonald, Black Francis (The Pixies), Gary Lightbody (Snow Patrol), Paloma Faith and the late, great Alex Chilton (Big Star). USA Today, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles Times and the New York Daily News among others gave massive praise to the man “who gave pop music a whole new perspective” (New York Daily News). This historic collection shows Davies giving fresh treatments to each track, while affectionately acknowledging his band millions have admired for decades.

“This project came about almost by accident,” noted Davies, which was kick-started when he recorded a version of “Till The End Of The Day” in the summer of 2009, with Chilton. The idea of collaborating with a larger group of artists really gained momentum when Davies performed “You Really Got Me” and “All Day And All Of The Night,” with Metallica in New York City at the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Anniversary party in October 2009. That same evening, Davies met Bruce Springsteen, and the idea of recording together excited both artists, fueling the project further.
The tour dates are:
13 Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, BC. Ray with Bill Shanley and 88.
14 Neptune Theatre, Seattle, Washington. Ray with Bill Shanley and 88.
15 Aladdin Theatre, Portland, Oregon. Ray with Bill Shanley and 88.
17 The Uptown Theatre, Napa Valley, California. Ray with Bill Shanley and 88.
18 The Mountain Winery, Saratoga, California. Ray with Bill Shanley and 88.
19 The Fillmore, San Francisco, California. Ray with Bill Shanley and 88.
21 The Wiltern, Los Angeles, California. Ray with Bill Shanley and 88.
22 House of Blues, San Diego, California. Ray with Bill Shanley and 88.

Source: http://www.raydavies.info