Local singer/songwriter Bee Wolf Ray will perform at Tarbell鈥檚 in Cumberland on Feb. 4 at 7 p.m.

A relative newcomer to the Valley, Ray has attracted positive attention from a number of local musicians, notably Judy Wing, Helen Austin and Sue Pyper (the members of Voices Three).

Sit back and enjoy a delicious meal in an intimate setting as Ray takes you on a musical tour of insight and story along with accompanist Peter Cloud Panjoyah of Hornby Island.

She plays a mix of eclectic covers and mostly originals. Her songwriting is accomplished, lyrical and deep with recurring themes of earthy spirituality, love鈥檚 many forms, the quest for identity and the depths of the human condition. These deep topics are leavened by her clever, quirky humour and sense of mischief.

鈥淏ee鈥檚 unique perspectives are woven into the very fabric of her songs 鈥� one listen and you鈥檒l know she truly writes from her heart,鈥� offers fellow songwriter Nathan Senner.

Originally from Fraser Lake in Northern B.C., Ray lived for many years on Hornby Island and her writing is infused with the unique perspective of the Gulf Islands and rural, close-to-the-earth spirituality. She is a regular at the Comox Valley Songwriter鈥檚 Circle and the Sunday jams at the Backstreet Pub.

鈥淏ee鈥檚 songs are captivating; her free-style playing is like no other. People see and feel what she sings,鈥� says local singer-songwriter Jack Sigurdson.

鈥淪weet with a gutsy edge,鈥� says Helen Austin, founder of the Songwriter鈥檚 Circle.

Ray鈥檚 music is described as having a unique, raw, sweet sound with a soft edge of pleasurable intimacy, with haunting, inspiring and often stirring ideas and images. Her voice has been compared to such diverse artists as Bjork, Buffy St. Marie, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell and Ricki Lee Jones. She is passionate about the songwriting process and about music as a force for transformation and evolution of consciousness.

Inventive, sensitive harmonies and percussion by accomplished Hornby Island singer and drummer Panjoyah merge seamlessly with her sound.

Tarbell鈥檚 is accepting reservations for a special dinner before the show at 250-336-8863. Tickets to the show only are available separately for $10.

For more information about Ray鈥檚 music, visit www.reverbnation.com/beewolfray.

鈥� Bee Wolf Ray