Who We Are
R&L is an acoustic-driven duo rooted in Americana, bluegrass, and folk traditions, with an improvisational spirit pulled from jam bands and electric live music.
Influenced by artists like Billy Strings, the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers, Ry Cooder, Doc Watson, and Tony Rice, R&L blends tight musicianship with loose edges — honoring the song while letting it evolve.
At the core is interaction: between instruments, between players, and with the audience. Shows are dynamic and responsive, shaped by feel rather than fixed arrangements.
Whether stripped down or stretched out, R&L’s music lives in the moment — familiar enough to feel like home, open enough to go somewhere new.
Billy Strings modern punch
Allman Brothers warmth
Not psychedelic chaos — controlled looseness
FUN!
Michael Ray, currently enrolled at Western Kentucky University, has a passion for jazz, blues, bluegrass and Americana roots music of all types. Since his early teens he has been a student of bluegrass and jazz guitar, and he is equally dazzling with his acoustic guitar as he is with his telecaster. Displaying amazing technical proficiency on a guitar in so many different styles, he has championed an eclectic mix that includes elements as different and varied as Doc Watson, the Grateful Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Steely Dan, Bill Monroe, Eric Clapton and the band Chicago among many others.
Cooper Lilly grew up in Nashville and has always been a fan of live music attending dozens of Grateful Dead concerts in the mid 80’s as well as multiple shows by Little Feat, The Allman Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughn, BB King, The Rolling Stones, Keith Richards, Ray Charles, John Prine and Robert Hunter among others. He built his reputation around Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Cleveland playing slide guitar emulating players like Ry Cooder, Dwayne Allman, Lowell George (& Paul Barrere) and Elmore James. Past projects include “The Barking Spiders” (in Louisville) and “Southern Comfort” (in Cincinnati). Having grown up around live bluegrass from an early age, he picked up a lap-style dobro (i.e. square-neck resonator guitar) later in life and has never looked back.
