For quite some time, Charles Ray Martin's life equation was out of balance. Somewhere along the line, he had lost touch with his passion for music, and he became more focused on his career in the chemistry field.
"I was out of equilibrium, as a chemist might say," Martin said.
However, about four years ago the solution to his problem became clear: He must start a band and learn how to balance his passion for chemistry and music in one harmonious mixture.
His life became a stable blend a year ago when he found three people to form a band now known as Charles Ray and The Righteous Kind.
Martin is a distinguished professor of chemistry at UF. He teaches general chemistry and is also a research mentor for students pursuing their doctoral degrees in chemistry.
He began writing songs for an album a few years ago before he even had people to play in his band.
"This music has been playing in my head for three or four years," he said.
He searched throughout Florida to find musicians who could help make his dream come true. The outcome became a band consisting of Martin as lead vocalist and guitarist, Larry California on drums, Slam Gunther on bass and B. Burrhus Bran on keys.
Their music is influenced by the catchy pop sounds of The Beatles and the rhythm-heavy notes of The Rolling Stones.
The group celebrated its first CD "Some are of Love" at its CD release show on Saturday at Common Grounds. A crowd of about 230 people attended the event, including members of Martin's chemistry research group who all sported tie-dyed shirts in support of their research mentor and his band.
The audience was very diverse, consisting of a crowd who grew up in the '60s as well as much younger audience members.
An older gentleman with long white hair and a long white beard to match wandered through the crowd, and a younger twenty-something-year-old man in tight pants and Converse sneakers rocked his head as he yelled to his friend, "I love this band!"
The Righteous Kind performed tracks from their new album, which took about 100 hours of work to produce.
"It feels great to have this out," Martin said. "It's a culmination of all our artistic efforts."
Before the band members took the stage in Gainesville, they were all a part of the music community in some form or another in the 1960s. They played music about issues of the time period such as war and intolerance.
The issues from the past, including war, are still relevant today.
"It seemed like a replay of the '60s," Martin said.
The Righteous Kind decided to write psychedelic rock tracks to spread the word of compassion and love in a time of instability, he said.
On the track "First RocknRoll Song," Martin sings about the Vietnam War and college students being sent off to fight.
He sings, "Well he started out at Davidson pledging Sigma Nu, but Uncle Sam had another plan, and his college days were through."
While their genre of music may be unique to the Gainesville music scene, it is well received in the local community, Martin said.
California agreed.
"We're paying homage to the old school," California said.
Bran explained that The Righteous Kind are not just making music that represents the 1960s but are fusing together sounds from the past with music from the present.
"A band that is merely trying to replicate what happened before is doomed," he said.
The band has found much support and camaraderie in the music community and is very proud to be a part of it.
"Gainesville has such an amazing set of rock bands," Martin said.
Bran said he thinks they will produce two more CDs. The second one is already about halfway done, and they will be going into the studio next month to work more on their second album, which will feature a special Halloween song called "There's Zombies in my Car."
"The material is just flowing," he said.
Martin said he has high hopes for his band, which works very hard every day.
He is also very excited for the next two albums.
The band's next show is Sept. 5 at Brophy's Irish Pub.
"There's music in us, and if that music doesn't come out, we will surely explode," Martin said.
