 Mr. Ray BrandesGreetings, and welcome to my informational page. I am a teacher and advisor at the San Diego Met High School in beautiful San Diego, California, located on the campus of San Diego Mesa College. I am currently teaching and advising students in the class of 2014. About Me I bring to my classroom a variety of unusual and interesting life experiences, which include playing music and traveling the world over, writing and publishing, and being a devoted father. Music  The following is from an article which appeared in The San Diego Troubadour: "Although born in Tucson in 1962, Ray Brandes's major role in San Diego's music history is indisputable. In addition to more than two decades of his own music, he has served as both a conduit for local talent and a crucial lynch pin when it comes to the overseas reputation of our local music scene. "Brandes's accomplishments are particularly amazing when you take into account that he has been a teacher in San Diego for the past 21 years, with stints at Point Loma High School, San Diego School for the Creative and Performing Arts, Montgomery Middle School, and, currently, San Diego Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical High School. "Brandes arrived in San Diego as a toddler in 1964. By the time he was a student at Point Loma High School, he had begun to play with various combos, performing at friends' parties. Graduating in 1980, within months of leaving school he had formed his first real combo, the Hedgehogs. With a repertoire based on the Beatles' "Live at the Star Club" set list, the band included future all-stars Ron Silva (the Crawdaddys/the Saturn V), Paul Carsola (the Tell-Tale Hearts), and Carl Rusk (the Nashville Ramblers). "By 1982, Brandes had joined the Mystery Machine. The band was led by Rusk, though Brandes sang, with Mark Zadarnowski (the Crawdaddys/the Shambles), Bill Calhoun, and David Klowden (both in the Tell-Tale Hearts) also aboard. Though the band only played three shows before splitting, they would provide Brandes with the first notch on his discography in 1983 when their song "She's Not Mine," a minor-key gem that was released on Voxx Records Battle of the Garages Vol. 3. "Within the year, Brandes founded the Tell-Tale Hearts, a 1960s-influenced punk/rhythm and blues band, with Calhoun and Klowden, alongside Mike Stax (later of the Loons/the Hoods) and Eric Bacher. Considered among the leaders of the garage-rock movement, the group even appeared in People magazine. They were signed to Bomp Records in Hollywood and release two albums and a single over their four year run. They appeared on stage with such groups as the Cramps, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Specimen, the Jesus and Mary Chain, and Green on Red. "His next group, the Town Criers, mixed folk-rock with country influences. The rotating line up, including Klowden and Zadarnowski, did some recording, though nothing has been released from those sessions. This group lasted through 1990, at which time Brandes began concentrating on solo work. "A short detour occurred when he became a member of the Shambles late that year, alongside Klowden, Zadarnowski, Bart Mendoza, and Kevin Donaker-Ring (Manual Scan). In addition to local shows, the band toured England in 1992. The mid-1990s saw a mini-revival of interest in the Tell-Tale Hearts, with demand for their music, particularly in Europe and Australia, at a fever pitch. While the group only reunited for a handful of shows, a string of discs was released. "All of this activity coincided with Brandes's first release under his own name, The Lonely Sock, via former Crawdaddy keyboardist Keith Fisher's label, Spun, in 1995. In 1998 he signed with Snap!! Records, based in Madrid. The label released his second album, Continental Drifter, in 1999, which received a nomination for "Best Pop Album" at that year's San Diego Music Awards. In 2002, Brandes released his third CD, The Rise and Fall of Ray Brandes, again via Snap!! Records. "Confirming his status as a local music icon, in March 2006, noted rock author Paul Williams penned an article for the Reader, with Brandes as the main interviewee." Writing I have nearly one hundred songs registered with BMI and have authored tens of articles for various publications and websites, most notably the Che Underground, for which I have written numerous articles on San Diego music history.  Teaching I have had a long and varied teaching career, working at such notable schools as Point Loma High School, where I taught English Literature and coordinated the AVID program from 1989-1998; The San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, where I taught English and World History and coordinated the AVID program, Senior Exhibitions and Senior Awards; Montgomery Middle School, where I worked as an English Language Arts resource teacher; and the San Diego Met, where I currently work. Some of the awards I have received throughout my career include:
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