Showcasing the vocal prowess of Lake Street Dive frontwoman Rachael Price alongside the guitar and singing of Brooklyn-based Vilray Blair Bolles, the duo Rachael & Vilray crafts original material rooted in classic jazz alongside traditional Tin Pan Alley pop. Active onstage since 2015, the pair reached broader audiences via their self-titled 2019 debut on Nonesuch, which included a guest appearance by Jon Batiste. Their second full-length, I Love a Love Song!, followed in January 2023.
Price, whose jazz-rooted voice carries deep soul, serves as lead singer for the genre-blending outfit Lake Street Dive. Born in Australia in 1985 and raised in Tennessee as the daughter of composer and conductor Tom Price, she drew early inspiration from Ella Fitzgerald. While enrolled at Boston’s New England Conservatory she pursued jazz studies, earning recognition at the 2003 Montreux Jazz Festival’s International Jazz Vocal Competition and advancing to semi-finalist status at the 2004 Thelonious Monk Institute Vocal Competition. It was during her NEC years that she first met fellow student Bolles.
A skilled guitarist and vocalist, Bolles caught Price’s attention through his songwriting while collaborating in projects that also involved her future Lake Street Dive bandmates Mike Calabrese and Mike “McDuck” Olson. Although their musical connection was immediate, the pair did not initially realize they shared a mutual affinity for pre- and post-war jazz and pop standards. After graduation Price built her profile with Lake Street Dive, whereas Bolles stepped back from music as a primary pursuit. An injury sustained at his day job—a broken finger—prompted him to revisit performing; in 2015 he took a run of solo engagements at Brooklyn’s Bar Below Rye. Price attended to support him and joined him on several numbers. Their partnership continued, eventually incorporating original compositions drawn from that shared affection for vintage jazz and Tin Pan Alley material.
Issued on Nonesuch in 2019, their debut album Rachael & Vilray featured horn arrangements by reedist Jacob Zimmerman along with contributions from Lake Street Dive pianist Akie Bermiss and Jon Batiste. The follow-up, I Love a Love Song!, arrived in January 2023 and reunited them with Zimmerman on horn charts while adding pianist Larry Goldings, bassist David Piltch, drummer Joe La Barbera, and additional players.
