Page 16 - Black Velvet Issue 96

BV96 pg14-17 RavenEye_BV96 pg16 06/03/2018 21:50 Page 3

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our main focus.” be what you will then see at the live shows.” all things and it was just devastating for our
Adam offers his thoughts on playing Adam’s importance as a part of Raven- family. It was really weird and then Aaron and
Reading and Leeds, saying, “Funnily Eye was highlighted shortly before we spoke I were sat on a couch and we said we needed
enough, with those two shows, because with the band as on his birthday he was de- a ballad for the record and we just started
we’d never played Reading or Leeds before, scribed on their Facebook page as ‘an es- just venting out lines and there were so
we were thinking the same thing. Because it sential part of the RavenEye band of many lines and we just pieced them all to-
is such a broad festival with dance stages brotherhood’. gether and it took no time to write.
and stuff but still they were two of our best Oli says, “It’s a family, it’s a lifestyle. We “All of a sudden we had the whole story
shows. The tents were full both times and live and breathe this band. It’s not just the of the song and originally it was a lot more
while I could see people in AC/DC shirts I music, it’s video editing or getting stuff for sinister. There was a chorus we wrote for it
could also see teenagers rocking out which the app, the next podcast, getting stuff to- which was about death, the Grim Reaper
was awesome.” gether to constantly push the band and get coming for you and kind of obsessing over
Of course the experiences that the band ourselves out there. taking someone’s life. Then we took the first
has enjoyed in recent times do not just help “We are all focused and dedicated. We’re chorus out because we didn’t feel it worked
them prepare for the bigger stages in rock not drinkers on tour, we don’t party on tour. and the second chorus we sung in the stu-
but they have also had an impact on how It’s super lame, but at the end of the day the dio. Our producer, he muted the last chorus
they go about their own headline shows and show is the most important thing. We don’t so you can just hear the breath and then it
Aaron is quick to tell Black Velvet of some of like to be hungover for shows, don’t want to goes to the guitar solo part and that was just
the lessons they have learnt on the road drink before or after shows, we care about a complete fluke. So that song came to-
which they now harness into a RavenEye this and our lives are on the line for this band gether in such a strange way.”
gig. He says, “I think we’ve realised we need and we all respect that and we respect each
to include more of the carnage! We love to other; it’s wicked. he band are fresh from the launch of
just get loose and ramp up the energy and “When we were looking for a new drum- Ttheir new RavenEye app, something
jump around and have fun and get the crowd mer we had to find someone who could deal the trio showed immense excitement and en-
into it. I think we’ve realised that is essential with what we have to deal with on the road. thusiasm for when they announced it with a
to a RavenEye show. We know it’s not easy. We know the way we special video on their website.
“I think from playing the shorter support tour we are very DIY. We do a lot of it and or- Aaron tells us, “I think we have always
sets we just want it to be slamming, every- ganise a lot of it ourselves. We needed been pretty social media-aware so we built
thing slamming. But then, the great thing someone who could keep up, so we thought RavenEye as a brand through social media,
about our longer sets is we can add different it would be hard. But it was actually really through Facebook, through Instagram and
colours and different shades to it. We can easy because we had one rehearsal with Twitter. We’ve done crowdfunding cam-
bring the mood down, maybe go acoustic Adam and we knew he was the guy! It’s more paigns where we have raised money for tour-
which we’ve done on this tour. We’ve devel- than just music at that point, it’s the connec- ing and the app was just another way of this.
oped our show just from playing so much to- tion.” Everything is in your hand these days, every-
gether. The headline shows we did in the one is on their phones. I think it’s like 60 per
U.S., we learned a lot about bringing the n the subject of a connection, very cent of the people who come to our website
vibe, bringing a great show and bringing a Ooften song lyrics offer a connection come using their phones. So we sort of fig-
great time for everybody; us and the audi- between the band and the listener offering ured the app was the next step, I think it’s the
ence.” an insight into their thoughts, beliefs and ex- next step for every band to be honest.
periences and a shining example of this on “We were approached by a company
ith their second full-length album ‘Nova’ is in ‘Madeline’ where Oli sings ‘You called Gigrev, who are developing their own
Won the horizon we ask if their trav- reap what you sow, you pay what you owe, version of a band app and so we looked at
els have played any role in helping to shape it breaks, it takes, it rules you,’ and Oli what they were providing and liked what they
their next record. Almost simultaneously and wastes no time in confirming the importance were doing so we made a deal with them to
in near-complete unison Oli and Aaron of their song lyrics, highlighting that they are launch this app and it gives us access to our
quickly say, “No, I don’t think so.” always more than simple words. fans directly. So we’re not competing with
Oli continues, “Everything we write we Facebook who will only let you promote if
“I think playing to- “It’s a family, it’s a really believe in. It’s all very you pay them and all that kind of bullshit. We
gether has solidi- personal to us. ‘Madeline’ is can speak directly to fans, they get a notifi-
fied our sound a bit lifestyle. We live and about a self-destructive re- cation when we go live, they can see material
more, so when we lationship where you know that is exclusive just to the app, we’ve got
go for a song we breathe this band.” - you love each other but no acoustic tracks, we’ve got audio video. All
have a bit more of a matter what, you are still this stuff goes straight to the app now so if
brutal approach to Oli Brown brutally cruel to each other. you want the best of us, you need to go to
things but we just You know the shit you can the app. We see it as kind of moving into the
write; there is no come out with to the person modern age.”
point waiting for inspiration to come. If inspi- you love is also the worst thing that you can Our time with RavenEye is only a few
ration comes on the way then that is a come out with. And that’s it, the song is weeks after their app was launched so the
bonus, but in that part, no, nothing has about the consequences of the things you timing is perfect to ask what the initial re-
shaped the song writing at all.” say to your partner or the person you love sponse to it has been like. Adam tells Black
Something which is set to have an influ- and that is where that vibe came from for Velvet, “It’s been a great response so far,
ence on the new record is the addition of ‘Madeline’.” we’ve over 600 users now!”
Adam to the ranks as he was not present Sticking with the importance of their Oli takes over the conversation, saying,
when ‘Nova’ was written, and this is a factor lyrics, ‘Eternity’ features the lines ‘today is “It’s been wicked, it’s like our own little pri-
which Oli believes will help make the the day you leave this world behind’ and ‘for- vate community. It’s been amazing. We al-
process easier for the group. He tells us, “It ever is waiting for you’, examples of what is ways felt the app had the potential to grow,
makes us more of a unit and more of a band. clearly a highly emotional song from their so we didn’t want to ram it in everyone’s face
I love ‘Nova’, it’s tattooed on my knuckles so album and one the band are happy to speak every day that we’ve got an app. We always
I’m proud of the record, but it’s going to be about, so much so that Aaron cannot wait to mention it at the live shows, but we want this
amazing to make a record where it’s three share his favourite line from the track as well app to be something that is sustainable
guys that have put their lives into this band which he tells us is ‘close your eyes and see rather than something where everyone goes
and Adam has put his own sound into the the light’. on, checks it out and then gets rid of it. Every
new songs. It’s a real together effort, we’re Discussing the story behind the song, week we are putting new content up and new
just writing together and have real passion Oli says, “I’d just lost a family friend who things.”
for the songs and you are going to hear it. was very close to our family for a while and, One of the features the app promises
It’s going to sound more like a unit. The guy I dunno, I guess it was about dealing with the going forward is live streams from their
who played on the album to fill in on drums consequences of not being able to speak to shows and live acoustic performances.
did a wicked job, he was amazing, but it is someone again. I saw him about a year be- Given that many will tell you that the
going to be exciting to do it as this three- fore and he had a weird twinge in his knee lifeblood of any band is their live shows and
piece and for what you hear on the record to and it proved to be cancer, throat cancer of attracting fans to pay to see these shows we
RAVENEYE