Rayon is the music project of Eric Sabatino, a songwriter, whose influences vary from post-punk and noise to soul, British pop and funk, a musician, who loves the analog sound and has a “do-it-yourself” mindset. Now that the single “Shopping”/“Running” has been released, Myth of Rock came in contact with Sabatino, who kindly answered our questions… In an era of endless playlists and disposable singles, Rayon slows things down and asks you to actually listen. If you care about feel over polish and songs over algorithms, this one’s worth your time.
by Dimitris Zacharopoulos
Give us a short bio of Rayon.
Rayon is the songwriting and recording project of Eric Sabatino. Born in suburban Detroit Michigan, eventually moving to Portland, Oregon, Eric has played and toured with a lot of bands. Rayon is about songwriting and recording using analog gadgetry. Tape, guitar, drums, analog synths and drum machines, wires all over the floor.
Where did the name Rayon come from?
The band was originally called Miss Rayon, which is a character from the Velvet Underground song, “Sister Ray”. That band was a collaboration with Hannah Blilie (the Gossip), and Jenny Logan. When that lineup was no longer able to continue playing together, I dropped the “miss” and it turned into a project where I was writing all of the material on my own. The slight name change was a way to separate and respect the work of the original 3-piece band.
How would you describe Rayon to someone who’s never heard you before?
A guy who grew up on 80’s and 90’s noise/post-punk reconciling his love for Funk/R&B and 60’s British pop.
Who is responsible for the music and lyrics of your songs?
I write most of it. Usually, I have a demo with all of the drums, bass, guitar, vocal harmonies and song structure done. The lineup we’ve had for the last year and a half has become a real band. We’re working more like a band. I brought this last batch of songs to the group and everyone’s had their way with these songs. Blue Nights was co-written with Anna. I had the chords, bass/drum groove, and she came in with that amazing vocal melody. Her and I are working on another collaborative song. It’s very heavy!
Do you usually write music around a feeling, a groove or a story first?
A lot of times I get a bass and drum groove in my head first. It sounds corny, but I often get them when I’m out on a long motorcycle ride. My phone is full of embarrassing voice memos with me humming something while tapping on the gas tank of the bike.
Why did “Shopping” and “Running” feel right as a pair?
They were written as a pair and they pull melodic and lyrical themes from each other.
Describe the recording sessions of these two songs.
I showed Eric (Rubalcava, our drummer) the drum parts, surrounded the drum kit with mics, and played guide bass in the headphones while he tracked drums to tape. We did a couple takes until we got something that worked.
I multi-tracked each guitar, synth, bass, and vocal part one-at-a-time in my little garage studio.
Riley came in to play guitar, and Anna played some of the synth and helped get the harmonies just right.
The reverse guitars before the outro of “Running” was achieved by putting the reels on the tape machine backwards and mixing that down, then splicing it back in before the outro.
Working with Larry Crane and Timothy Stollenwerk — what did you learn from that?
Timothy has mastered every record I’ve made since I’ve lived in Portland. That’s over 15 years. Except for one instance, I rarely see him face-to-face. I just email it over, and he sends it back with a separate tape, vinyl, and digital master. I used to have a lot of notes, but at this point he knows what I’m going for and it’s usually a very easy process.
I’ve known Larry and seen him around for years. I wanted to try having someone else mix these songs. Sometimes the songwriter can’t really hear what’s best for the mix. You might make one guitar louder because you “like the part,” when it’s not really the best for the overall listener experience.
Larry was amazing. Obviously, he’s a wealth of knowledge. He runs tape-op magazine. I brought a notebook and learned more about mixing in a day than I have in 10 years. There were things that I wanted to do that were not traditional. He let me know that most mix engineers wouldn’t like it, and then worked with me. Larry was willing to get weird. Thanks Larry.
Which feelings of yours do you try to express through the Rayon songs?
I just try to cross my eyes and let whatever happens happen. I try to find the songs in the back of my mind.
Why did you decide to release these on 7″ vinyl in 2026?
Our attention spans aren’t great anymore. Phones and social media have taken care of that. A short two-song release works well for where we are right now. Our record label is a vinyl label, and I am an analog/physical media enthusiast.
These two songs work together well, they keep your attention.
I love the idea of rare media. Once these 300 records are gone, they’re gone. No re-press will happen.
Do you miss the era of tapes, rewinds and physical media — or is that just nostalgia?
I’m still living in it. Anna and I live in a house full of tapes, records, film, cameras, and analog gadgets. I’ve converted the garage into a sound-proof analog studio. It’s filled with Reel-to-reel tape machines, tape echoes, analog synths and drum machines, patch bays with colored wires running everywhere.
Do you think imperfections make records feel more human?
Yes. Think about all of those great Kinks records. How “out of tune” the singers are and how soulless they would sound if they were quantized and pitch corrected.
A lot of modern pop is well written, but I think it would sound so much better if it was tracked like a Motown record.
I usually try to leave things how they are, if I get a good vocal or guitar take and it has a couple imperfections in it, but the feeling is awesome, that’s the one I’ll use.
How do all your influences coexist — post-punk, grunge, soul, British pop?
I think it helps Rayon sound unique. I don’t think we sound like any other band. That may be because I’m pulling from so many different places.
How much did touring and that Guadalajara trip change your mindset?
It’s just nice to go somewhere where people want to hear you play. We just got home from our second trip to Guadalajara. We have fans, friends, we fill up rooms, people dance and have a great time while we play. It’s hard to get that in the states.
What does a “perfect” Rayon live show look/sound like to you?
We usually pull off something unique. Some shows are loose, some drive harder, sometimes Anna gets in the crowd. The perfect show is any show that a good number of people come to and enjoy themselves with us.
Is Rayon a studio-first band, or do the songs really come alive on stage?
It’s always changing. When I was writing “Colour”, it was mostly a solo recording project. Right now, we’re a band. We bring a lot of energy and the new songs are developing and writing themselves every time we play another show.
What should people expect from the next Rayon releases?
I keep saying I’m trying to write pop songs. They always come out strange, but let’s say we’re going to make a pop record this time.
If you had the opportunity to collaborate with a famous musician on a Rayon song, whom would you choose and why?
Ken Jennings from Jeopardy. He likes a lot of the same music as me, and I suspect we’d come up with some interesting ideas.
Where do you want Rayon to be one year from now, realistically?
I’d like to get this music in front of more people who would like it. It’s hard to get on good shows or festivals unless you want to stay up late drinking and partying with industry people. A lot of old friends aren’t doing this anymore because of the toll that lifestyle takes. I prioritize my health over that.
I plan to keep writing my songs, playing interesting shows, and hopefully we won’t get an inbox full of festival rejections again this year.
Send a message to the readers!
Thanks for taking the time to read this and listen to our music. I really enjoy making this stuff.
