Forest Ray

The Seattle band known as Forest Ray sounds not unlike a certain romanticized image of the Pacific Northwest: Dimly lit and deeply rooted, with misty rays of sunlight trickling in through the tree canopy, sun dappling off cartoonishly large mushroom caps and mystic vibes permeating the chilly, crystal-clear air.

Somewhere, off in the distance, a group of hirsute dudes make a racket that their hometown alt-weekly, The Stranger, once described as a “distinct blend of psychedelic rock and folksy Americana, doused with a healthy bit of nostalgia for the 1960s (that) would make anyone want to smoke some grass and stare at a mesmerizingly patterned tablecloth.”

That may not exactly be Forest Ray’s origin story, but it sounds close enough, and it’s probably more fun than the truth anyway. What matters is where Forest Ray is now, which is putting out excellent singles in preparation for a full album release later this year. If those singles are any indication (and they surely are), the album will spill over with warm, melodic rock ‘n’ roll psych-ed and twang-ed up with flutes, pedal steel guitar, vibraphones, horns, organs and strictly analog production techniques.

Before Forest Ray arrives in Redmond to play High Desert Music Hall (see “If you go”), GO! reached out and asked band leader Peter Sumic a few questions. Here are his answers, edited for space and clarity.

GO!: When you started the band, did you have an idea of what you wanted to sound like? Or did that reveal itself over time?

Peter Sumic: I think when we were starting around 2015 I was really influenced by garage rock and the “Pebbles” compilations, which documented short-lived and/or obscure rock songs from the 1960s. So it was originally intended to emulate that lower fidelity sound and the sound of recordings of that era, especially with the vocals and drum sounds. Our first record, especially, features broader sonic experimentation and is much more psychedelic, while our later albums focus more on songwriting and traditional song structure as well as acoustic instruments and folk music. I think psychedelic folk-rock or garage rock is probably the most accurate description of our band’s current sound.

GO!: What do you all like about blending folk/country music and psychedelic sounds? Why do you think they go well together?

PS: I’ve always been a big fan of The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield, and I think those two genres have blended really nicely in the past. Especially in the 1960s Laurel Canyon scene and even with some of the outlaw country from Texas. For me personally, as a guitarist and songwriter, I’m really drawn to the way guitar is used throughout country music. I’ve always been drawn to that guitar focus in country and rock. But with that said, we also have pretty diverse orchestration, and our multi-instrumentalist Brendan McGovern brings a lot of the orchestration influence of the ‘60s, a la the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” and some Brazilian psych like Os Mutantes, who heavily featured woodwinds.

GO!: Your music feels modern to me, but something about the production makes it feel like it’s been imported from another time. How do you do that?

PS: Primarily I think our process of recording, mixing and mastering with tape or analog methods gives it that feel. Because we’re using a lot of recording techniques and gear from a bygone era.

GO!: Why are you so committed to analog recording?

PS: I started recording when I was 13, and for the next eight years I would write songs and record them (digitally), but I wasn’t really impressed with the overall quality and texture of the recordings. They sounded inauthentic and sterile, especially when recording older styles like jazz or classic rock. Ultimately, I was reading about recording and was thinking about bands that recorded on tape in the past and came to the realization that a great majority of songs and production styles I liked were recorded using analog techniques. Hence, my current process. I also just prefer a machine to a screen, personally.

What: Forest Ray, with Jeshua Marshall and G Bots and the Journeymen

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 5,

Where: High Desert Music Hall, 818 SW Forest Ave., Redmond

Cost: $10 advance, $12 at the door

Contact: highdesertmusichall.com.