Cool Rays was a rock band formed by five Evergreen State College (Olympia, Washington, US) students in late 1980.
The band is especially notable as Calvin Johnson's first ensemble and one of the earlier expressions of the Olympia music scene that developed in the 1980s and 1990s.
[2] The songwriting characteristics associated with Johnson's later work (simple stories, childlike sensibilities, use of catchy phrases from American vernacular, quirky juxtaposition of words and ideas, etc.)
are present in their earliest form in his Cool Rays compositions,[3] as is Johnson's "uniquely deep, droning singing voice" [4] During its short existence, the band played several concerts in Olympia and one in Portland, Oregon.
Cool Rays benefited from a devoted following among certain students and downtown Olympia residents, however, the group's popularity did not spread far.