The Ray Liriano Experience
1 p.m. at 30 Beaumont St.
On the second floor of 55 Morrissey Blvd, the sweet sounds of Bachata float from a studio tucked just left of the stairs. Inside, Ray Liriano sits with a guitar, his right fingers brushing the strings and his left hand working the neck.
Born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Liriano moved to Boston in the early 2000s and lived in Dorchester for a time. He still spends much of his time in the neighborhood, typically with an instrument or paintbrush in hand at The Record Co.
“In the world we’re living in today, it’s a bit scarce to find sources of high vibration, love, and unity, that’s what I aim to do with anything I do,” Liriano told The Reporter. “I sing, I write songs, I play a little keyboard, but my main instrument is the guitar. It’s where I feel the most myself.”
On May 31, Liriano and his band, The Ray Liriano Experience, will return to the Ashmont-Adams neighborhood for the 2025 Dorchfest. They’ll perform Latin covers and originals at 30 Beaumont St, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
When he’s not taking the stage, or in this case, the porch, Liriano finds joy connecting with other musicians and music lovers.
“Finding the artist in me, living in the US, and being able to adapt to the philosophy of anything is possible, that’s been crucial in finding the art,” said Liriano. “We all have art, we all have a moment where we draw or hum, and finding that is a beautiful thing.”
Liriano hopes other aspiring artists will join the growing family of musicians, painters and other creatives at the Record Co, too.
“It’s been incredible and uplifting,” Liriano said about his time at the Dorchester studio. “I would recommend any artist out there, if they want to take it to the next stage [or if] they need a place where they can work, bring people, jam, create, and experiment. This has been the perfect place.”
And it’s not just the perfect place for music. When Liarino stops strumming the guitar strings, he can take a few steps forward and paint brushstrokes on a nearby canvas.
His most recent project is a pink and orange portrait of Frida Kahlo. As he shadows in the painting, he tells The Reporter: “Art is the forefront of human evolution and communication. It’s another way of expressing and another outlet.”
He adds, “Whenever I’m not holding a guitar or I’m not singing or playing music, and I feel a type of way, I usually gravitate toward painting.”
Free Rock – 2:30 p.m.
at Adams Street Library
Free Rock, a self-proclaimed “five-piece psych rock band based in Boston with an obsession for making records,” has released twelve in four years, with over half of them completed at The Record Co. location on Mass Ave.
“The Record Co. is just an unbelievable resource for someone like us,” said the band’s lead guitarist and vocalist, Jacob Keplinger, who helped to start the band in 2019.
“I grew up around musicians; my parents were musicians,” said Keplinger, 26. “I was always building my own spaces wherever I lived to record. When I was in college, we made records in strange places.”
“When I moved back to Boston and saw an ad for The Record Co. on Facebook, I just kind of took a shot. I had no idea what it was going to be like, and it blew away every single expectation that I’ve had.”
With his bandmates, Liz Siegel (bass), Elliott Eastman (drums/percussion), Lucien Fournier (drums/guitar), and his younger brother Jackson Keplinger (keys), the musician has worked in just about every space the Record Co. has to offer.
“We’ve made records in all the studios, even one of the practice rooms. It’s been an incredible resource,” Keplinger told The Reporter. “As someone who was kind of exposed to the more expensive recording studio lifestyle, TRC was just a breath of fresh air. It gave not only me, but I’m sure an uncountable number of artists, incredible resources for super cheap.”
Not only does the band practice and record in the neighborhood, but they will soon take part in their first-ever Dorchfest.
“I found out about it a little too late last year, which is a shame. I really wanted to participate in it, so when the applications came this year, I jumped on it,” he said.
The band will perform all originals and one cover at the Adams Street branch of the BPL, 690 Adams St., from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
“I’m excited to take part in Dorchfest; it seems like a big deal. I saw a billboard on the highway for it, that’s crazy.”
Royer’s One Man Band
2 p.m. at 33 Carruth St.
Longtime Dorchester resident Eric Royer has performed as Royer’s One-Man Band since the mid-1990s. A carpenter by trade, Royer is an accomplished musician and singer who has won a Boston Music Award for “Best Roots Act” as the banjo player with the band The Resophonics. The “guitar machine” that he built himself allows him to play guitar, bass, and drums while picking “finger-style” guitar or banjo with his hands and singing and playing harmonica.
Royer, a native of Haverhill, Mass who has lived in Dorchester “on and off” since the 1980s, was a featured guest on the hyper-local Dorchester podcast DotLife with host Erin Caldwell last week. Get a preview of his Bluegrass-infused music in the Tiny Dot Concert, a weekly feature of the podcast. See dotlifepod.com for more info. And catch Royer live on Saturday at 33 Carruth St from 2-3 p.m.
