In the early Summer of 2016, Ray Villadonga and I spent an afternoon at his Tampa home, filming an interview session about his latest album, 10 Ear Flixs. I didn't know it at the time (and neither did Ray, for that matter) but cancer would take his life in a little less than a year.

There was no one like him. Anyone reading this probably knew Ray and agrees. Below are a dozen or so of the video segments from that afternoon and another at producer George Harris's studio. This is the Ray I knew and the Ray I'll always remember: passionate, wise, humble, Rayzilla.

Enjoy him. Always.

Tampa

Ray discusses how growing up in Tampa has influenced his music.

5 years in the making

The long and winding road 10 Ear Flixs took from concept to completion.

10 Ear Flixs

The album gets a name

"Mosquito"

A song about growing up in Ybor City

"WesTampa" (part 1)

An ode to the sights and sounds of the place Ray's father called home

"WesTampa" (part 2)

The nicknames of Ybor City denizens

George Harris

On Ray as a musical historian

George Harris

On Ray's friendship

George Harris

10 Ear Flixs's producer talks about the quality of musicianship on the album

George Harris

On the saga of recording 10 Ear Flixs

George Harris

Pride in the album

Gumbi Ortiz

On making a personal album

Gumbi Ortiz

On Ray being an influence and so much more

Ray and Gumbi

An impromptu jam