documentary

Ray Rill

Ray Rill owns Awesome Window Cleaning and can be seen working all around downtown and midtown Sacramento. Ray tells the story of the Old Stucco Factory and how it was at the center of the punk rock scene in the 80's. He explains how the art studios and recording stage became a meeting place for some of the most creative minds in Sacramento at the time, and how many of those Factory dwellers are still creating art today.

In the middle of the sometimes riotous scene at the Old Stucco Factory, Ray Rill could be heard playing his guitar and singing Bob Dylan tunes after a hard day of window washing, while young punks thrash danced around him. Ray has become a multi-generational icon in Sacramento and continues to play his guitar at open mic nights around town.

Additional footage was provided by Dave Greer.

The DVD version of this story is available for checkout and is in the permanent archives at the Sacramento Public Library.

This story is made possible by a grant from the California State Library and is a part of the Digital Story Station project.

Produced & Directed by: Karl Alexander & Jeremiah Mayhew