The Venture Rays are an innocent rock band for all your guilty pleasures. We are a Richmond, VA-based band specializing in classic covers, contemporary hits, and everything in between. Comprised of 4 vocalists, 2 guitars, keys, bass & drums, the band covers a lot of ground, from Paul Simon, Johnny Cash, and The Band, to Wilco, Ryan Adams, & Gnarls Barkley…
Rocking? Serenading? Crooning? Dinner station announcements (scalloped potatoes anyone?)? We do it all. We can melt faces and take you places you never knew existed.
Let us show you the way.
Please see the CONTACT page for all related booking info.
RECENT FEEDBACK ON THE BAND.....
"The band was fantastic! Everyone danced constantly and yelled "Encore" when the night was over. We could not have been more pleased!"
-Mother of the Bride (June 26th, 2011)
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"Hey Andy - The Venture Rays were awesome!! They were professional, talented, with such fun personalities. We really enjoyed having them play. All of our guests just raved about how good they were and how much fun they had at our party. The Venture Rays had everyone dancing, and most importantly, the birthday girl had an amazing time. Thanks so much! Hope to work with the Venture Rays again in the future!"
-Liz (host of private birthday party)
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"Hi Scott, I just wanted to thank you again for an amazing show Friday night. I had people telling me all weekend how great you all were!"
-Jenna Baer (Office of Annual Giving, University of Richmond)
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"Hello, Scott. This is Damien from the October 17th Main Street Station wedding. Now that we've settled in here in Denver (we got internet this morning), I wanted to thank you and your band for such a great time. You guys were both very professional and fun, and the little improvisations due to my own aloofness (I know we weren't the easiest couple to work with), were seamless. Really, thank you so much. Everyone has had great things to say about your performance!"
-Damien (married OCT 17, 2010)
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"Venture Rays, You guys rocked at our wedding. I'm so glad I found you on line. The music couldn't of been better! Thx for being part of making our wedding one of a kind. And to end on ring of fire! Ahhhhh. :))))). Well we our off to HI for our honeymoon. I'm Def. Gonna recommend you guys to anyone that needs a kick a-s band. We are going to post a good review once we are at a computer. Scott, please forward this to the entire band. Have a great day!"
-Anna-Marie (married OCT 16, 2010)
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"Hey Scott!! Just a note to thank you and the Venture Rays for a FANTASTIC performance last night at Anna-marie and John's wedding. You all knocked it out of the park!! I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye, but I knew that once you gave into 1 extra song If I waited for you to finish I could be there all night!!! Please pass along my thanks to your band, I enjoyed everyone. I look forward to working with you all again soon."
Raquel Shutt, CWP, MBA Owner, Wedding Savvy, Inc.
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From: Amanda Shapiro Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 10:00 PM To: Andy @ Sam Hill Entertainment Subject: Re: Venture Rays
Hi Andy, Loved the Venture Rays band! We had lots of compliments about them. In addition to providing excellent entertainment, they were also very personable. I would highly recommend them. :) Amanda
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From: Jennie Logan Sent: Saturday, June 05, 2010 8:44 AM To: Andy @ Sam Hill Entertainment Subject: Re: Venture Rays follow up
Andy, Thanks for reaching out. The Venture Rays were wonderful! They really did a spectacular job at our wedding. My biggest thing was having a band that could keep people out on the dance floor - and Venture Rays did just that. So much dancing!!! They were really, really great! I couldn't be happier with how the night turned out.
Thanks, Jennie
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"The Venture Rays perform a great show including both modern music along with some not so distance past hits with a modern twist. The band is current, professional, and easy to work with. They've been at our outdoor events the last two years, and we consider them one of the top bands in Central VA."
Brian B. Mancini Director, Dinwiddie County Parks and Recreation
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From: Julia Beiter Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2009 2:28 PM To: andy@samhillbands.com Subject: RE: Venture Rays
Hi Andy, We are back from the honeymoon and all settled in, so I wanted to respond to your email that I received last week. I'm not sure if my mom responded yet or not, but we absolutely loved the venture rays. They played a wide variety of music for our guests... everyone (including me!) was on their feet the entire reception. They played the familiar hits with their own twist to the song... and kept it upbeat to keep the crowd interested. We had some issues with the weather and they were very accommodating. They even played a little late for us when the other parts of our reception (dinner, cake) went long. They really made our event the amazing party that it was, despite some rain! Many of our guests complimented us on the talent of the band and couldnt believe that we hired them without ever seeing/hearing them in person! I would absolutely hire them again - I just wish we could have heard them play for longer during the night. I was on the dance floor chanting "One more song!" at the end of the night... sadly we were already past the noise ordinance time for the town. Thanks again for recommending them, please send on my compliments if you speak with them.
Julia Hayes
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From: Mary Beiter Sent: Monday, October 19, 2009 8:27 PM To: andy@samhillbands.com Subject: Re: Venture Rays
Hey Andy The Venture Rays were great. They learned a song for us and kept the party going past their scheduled stop time. They were pleasant and professional and we loved having them. Please pass our names on to anyone considering them for a wedding. Thanks for following up!
Mary Beiter (mother of the bride)
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VENTURE RAYS' SONG-LIST (songs are continually being added and/or dropped, so please feel free to e-mail one of us for the most up-to-date list):
contemporary...
Magick - Ryan Adams
New York, New York - Ryan Adams
Heavy Metal Drummer - Wilco
Handshake Drugs – Wilco
Wagon Wheel - Old Crow Medicine Show
Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
Steal My Kisses - Ben Harper
I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie
Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On) - Robert Plant/Alison Krauss
Luckiest Man - Wood Brothers
Read My Mind – The Killers
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) – Beyonce
Kids – MGMT
Bad Things (theme to True Blood) – Jace Everett
Sweet Pea – Amos Lee
Say Hey – Michael Franti
Swept Away – Avett Bros.
You and Me – Dave Matthews Band
Pumped Up Kicks – Foster the People
Little Lion Man – Mumford & Sons
the 90's...
Ball & Chain - Social Distortion
One - U2
Creep - Radiohead
Mary Jane's Last Dance - Tom Petty
Sex & Candy - Marcy Playground
Champagne Supernova - Oasis
Hell - Squirrel Nut Zippers
Loser - Beck
Banditos - The Refreshments
Santaria – Sublime
500 Miles – Proclaimers
the 80's...
Down Under - Men at Work
Centerfold - J. Geils Band
Burning Down the House - Talking Heads
JENNY (8675309) - Tommy Tutone
Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran
Safety Dance – Men Without Hats
Jack & Dianne – John Mellencamp
Don’t Stop Believing – Journey
Come Dancing – The Kinks
Kiss – Prince
Every Rose Has Its Thorn – Poison
Maneater – Hall & Oates
Faith – George Michael
classic...
Hey Hey What Can I Do - Led Zeppelin
For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield
I'm on Fire - Bruce Springsteen
Into The Mystic - Van Morrison
The Joker – Steve Miller Band
American Girl - Tom Petty
Pink Houses - John Mellencamp
Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash
Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash
Give a Little Bit - Supertramp
The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
Paint it Black - Rolling Stones
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
Cecelia - Paul Simon
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon
I Wish - Stevie Wonder
Come Together - The Beatles
The Weight - The Band
Up on Cripple Creek – The Band
Ophelia – The Band
Squeeze Box - The Who
Ain't Too Proud to Beg - Rolling Stones
What's Going On - Marvin Gaye
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay – Otis Redding
Dixie Chicken – Little Feat
Benny & The Jetts – Elton John
Monday Morning – Fleetwood Mac
Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Queen
What I Like About You – Romantics
Should I Stay or Should I Go – Clash
Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
Maggie May – Rod Stewart
Honky Tonk Woman – Rolling Stones
Train in Vain – The Clash
Blister in the Sun – Violent Femmes
Mrs. Robinson – Simon and Garfunkle
Under Pressure – Queen