Kirby Ray turns up the volume in his booth at River Radio 99.3 Real Rock Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, at River Radio in Cape Girardeau. "Nothing better than having good music to listen to while you're working," he said. "I've blown several speakers out here over the years. They've put a limiter on it so I can only turn it up so loud now."

Kirby Ray's signature ponytail and black clothing are seen as he climbs a staircase at River Radio 99.3 Real Rock Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, at River Radio in Cape Girardeau. Ray began growing his hair out more than two decades ago after realizing he didn't need to maintain a conservative cut to operate professionally in radio.

Kirby Ray uses social media to promote an upcoming interview in his office at River Radio 99.3 Real Rock Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, at River Radio in Cape Girardeau. The paintings behind his desk both depict him in his stage makeup performing as the frontman of his band, Emaciation, and were made for him by fans of the band. Ray, as a member of the board of directors of the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, said he wholeheartedly supports area artists of all media.

Dressed in Norse-inspired fashion, Kirby Ray, center, waits in the wings a with fellow model (and percussionist with Ray's band, Emaciation) Brodie Silla, left, during the VintageNOW fashion show Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. Though not a professional model, Ray said he was eager to help the fashion show since proceeds went to help the Safe House for Women, and he has grown to love community involvement through his various charity work at the radio station. "It's an honor to be a part of [this event]," he said. "I think a lot of us are just happy to be able to help out."

Dressed in Norse-inspired fashion, Kirby Ray, walks the runway during the VintageNOW fashion show Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. His earrings are oversized versions of an actual pair Ray wears in everyday life he says represent "natural power."

Kirby Ray performs with his metal band, Emaciation, during band practice Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019, at a shed owned by Ray's friend, Kev Steger in Cape Girardeau. “I don’t care about limits or boundaries on what people say our genre is,” Ray said, explaining his black metal songwriting. “To me, it’s just I like the cross-picking guitar... the sound of the ‘EEEERRRRRGGGGHHH,’ the grinding vocals. I could do that all day if you want.

The music of Ray's black metal band, Emaciation, he admitted, can at times be polarizing, considering its harshness, volume and elaborate showmanship. But Ray said they try to incorporate riffs that might appeal to fans of more mainstream rock. But in the end, he said, "we create what we want." Seen here is Ray performing with Emaciation during band practice Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019, at a shed owned by Ray's friend, Kev Steger in Cape Girardeau. Also pictured is drummer Dustin Farrar.

"AC/DC from the '70s," Ray said, declaring his "desert island" band. "With Bon Scott, 'Dirty Deeds,' 'Highway to Hell;' that's my perfect band the way it sounds." But then again, he added, Jethro Tull holds a timeless appeal. "They sound like maybe a harmony or melody that could sound a thousand years old," he said. And in Ray's mind, somewhere between those two paths lies his own black metal band, Emaciation. Here, Kirby Ray, left, signals guest vocalist Brant Hutchcraft, right, of the band Cycle of Ruin, while rehearsing with Ray's metal band, Emaciation, during band practice Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019, at a shed owned by Ray's friend, Kev Steger in Cape Girardeau.

"This is a no-drama environment," Kirby Ray said, twisting an earplug into place and shaking his hair out of its ponytail. "This is a place where we can all just relax and make music." Ray, left, rehearses with guest vocalist Brant Hutchcraft, right, of the band Cycle of Ruin, during band practice with Ray's band Emaciation, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019, at a shed owned by Ray's friend, Kev Steger in Cape Girardeau.