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Saddle Up The Whales for a Wild Ride - Apr 2013
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Music correspondent Dr. Toon reviews the latest album from The White Ravens!
By DrToon on Apr 09 20...Music correspondent Dr. Toon reviews the latest album from The White Ravens!
By DrToon on Apr 09 2013 Category:Media, Music
Every now and then, a wonderful bit of music just happens to cross your path and lighten up your day. That's what happened when the White Ravens contacted us at our steampunk event HQ in Detroit, inquiring about playing at our monthly event. Curious, I obtained their recent release, “Saddle Up the Whales”.
This album has not left my player in over a week now. And I see no end in sight.
The White Ravens are a brother/sister act out of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Will Bennett is a powerhouse player and adventurous composer in the Ben Folds/Billy Joel/Elton John/Dr. John school of dynamic and driving piano, with obvious ragtime jazz influences. Sister Amy Bennett is no slouch herself, a talented singer and melodic bassist specializing in quirky lyrics and imaginative vocals. Their sound is in an indie pop vein with a boatload of other influences that they draw from.
With a simple piano/bass/drum line up, comparisons to the Ben Folds Five are not unfounded, but Amy's vocals and whimsical lyrics and Will's ragtime influences keep their sound from being merely derivative. With switch-on-a-dime tempo changes, some minor additional keyboard, trumpet, violin and guitar instrumentation, you never know what's going to happen next.
“Saddle Up the Whales” is chock full of catchy pop tunes about frightening trips to the grocery stores, space pirates, Rube Goldberg-style chain reactions, evil informational videos, romantic espionage and, of course, nautical adventures with sea creatures. Throw in a ragtime-style cover of “Bye Bye Blackbird” as a closer and you have an irresistible, quirky pop confection.
The musicianship here is nothing short of amazing. Will Bennett's playing drives the band and this album to wonderful heights with his stunning piano work. He is a Major Talent waiting to be discovered. However, the White Ravens' secret weapon is vocalist/lyricist Amy Bennett, whose engaging waif-ish vocal inflections grab your attention with deceptive bite and a knowing wink on the side. To add some punch, somehow the Ravens got Billy Joel's former ace drummer Liberty DeVito to play on this and their previous album (“Gargoyles and Weather Vanes”, also worth seeking out), who is obviously well-versed in playing piano-based tracks.
It's been a long time since an album this catchy, quirky, fresh, exciting, adventurous and fun has come along. The White Ravens are going places, and quickly. Saddle up, listeners...this is going to be a whale of a trip.
“Saddle Up the Whales” and other releases by the White Ravens can be obtained here. The band's most recent video for “The Rain Song” can be viewed here.
Dr. Toon has been a professional DJ for 17 years, a steampunk DJ for 4 years and a music fanatic since birth. He has performed at various events and conventions around the country, including the World Steam Expo and ConTemporal (where he will be again in late June). He is the creator of the original Up in the Aether, Detroit's monthly steampunk gathering, and was the performers liaison/booking agent for the World Steam Expo in 2012.
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Saddle Up The Whales CD Review - Jan 2013
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Brother and sister songwriting team Will and Amy Bennett began their band, The White Ravens, on Chr... Brother and sister songwriting team Will and Amy Bennett began their band, The White Ravens, on Christmas Day, 2004. Now 19 and 20, respectively, The Bennetts are carving out an interesting niche in the Indie rock scene in Michigan. Terming their sound “indie pop geek cabaret rock”, The White Ravens are influenced by a cacophony of sounds from the worlds of rock, classical, Broadway, folk and modern Indie rock. Will Bennett (keys, guitar) is the composer, and Amy Bennett (vocals, bass) is the lyricist. It’s a dynamic combination that is responsible for a wonderful tuneful, effervescent pop/rock sound. On their third album, Saddle Up The Whales, The White Ravens seem to have finally come into their own.
The opening track, “Saddle Up The Whales” is vibrant; joyous; a little bit messy and a whole lot of fun. Rather than the cynicism so common in modern popular music, The White Ravens glory in a sort of youthful glee. The result is a sound that is complex, but driven by a singular pop sensibility that gets under your skin and makes you want to get up and dance. “Rube Goldberg Machine” features the same sort of simple joy, wrapped up in an incredibly complex and varying arrangement. Will Bennett shows his compositional skills run somewhere between those of the Beatles and Ben Folds, blending rock, pop and classical components into an amazingly cogent bit of writing. Amy Bennett backs it all up with lyrics that are wonderfully twisted and full of the simply joy of making music.
“Informational Video” takes a disco beat and turns it into a complex, layered pop song. You’ll want to dance and sing along. “Conspiracy” is a paranoia-filled nightmare for the relationship-phobic in the crowd. There is a distinct cabaret-pop feel to this tune, and Amy Bennett perfectly balances an edge of sultry songstress with quirk and humor. The White Ravens offer up a change of pace with “Rain Song”. Sounding at first like a ballad, “Rain Song” is quirky and pensive, but carries a melody that is beautiful and sweet. Amy Bennett handles this juxtaposition with a surprising grace. “Spaaace” is a catchy piano-driven rocker full of classical themes and a fearful penchant for space travel. The song is infectiously off-kilter; the sort you return to again and again.
“Mechanical Whales” starts out with a dark cloud hanging over it, brought on by the delicious minor key piano opening. This turns into an art-rock extravaganza that is more about sound and structure than anything else. The result is stark and full of a surprisingly twisted beauty. “World’s Smallest Piece Of Pasta” has more of a chic-dance rock aesthetic. The quirk factor here is quite high, and the song is an entertaining if surreal listen. “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” commemorates the world’s eighth continent, a large collection of garbage afloat in the Pacific Ocean. This tune has great comedic potential, but The White Ravens find a gentler path through the song. “Arlene’s Grocery” is full of wonderfully zany lyrics. The arrangement matches the feel but is complex and well-developed. “We’re Glad You’re Here” is a Beatles-esque musical exploration full of layered sounds ala Phil Specter. It’s a nice sonic segue way into the closing track, a boogie-woogie take on “Bye Bye Blackbird”. Will Bennett gets to show off his piano prowess here in unvarnished terms, and Amy Bennett shows depth and grace in her handling of the vocal line.
The White Ravens keep you on your toes and ultimately charm your socks off on Saddle Up The Whales. The musical depth and breadth of what they are doing here before legal drinking age speaks to a pair of distinctive musical talents, and a special chemistry that simply doesn’t come along every day. Saddle Up The Whales has a kitschy feel at times, but it’s all in good fun; a fun so infectious you can’t help but join in.
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A Vacation from the Ordinary - Review of Saddle Up The Whales - Sept 2012
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Like most kids raised in Michigan, siblings Amy and Will Bennett of the indie-pop band The White Rav...Like most kids raised in Michigan, siblings Amy and Will Bennett of the indie-pop band The White Ravens submerged their summers in local lakes and rivers. These memories, mingled with lyricist-vocalist-bassist Amy's fascination with mysterious underwater worlds and species, seeped into the duo's songwriting and culminated in their third and latest album, Saddle Up the Whales. This collection of upbeat, keyboard-propelled songs finds the band in the familiar waters of their 2010 release, Gargoyles and Weather Vanes, which earned pianist-composer Will favorable comparisons to Ben Folds and Billy Joel. The White Ravens continue to craft sparkling, irresistible pop music that invites us on a vacation from the ordinary. Listening to their cool, buoyant songs, one imagines the pair spent their summers snorkeling by day, waterskiing by night.
As its title suggests, Saddle Up the Whales promises a fantastic and unpredictable ride to places strange and imagined. Take the title track: the lyrics pose an admittedly absurd scenario involving poisoned worms and homicidal robins that the singer must flee on whale-back. The song floats on one of Will's punchy piano riffs, pulled along by the rope of Amy's girlish vocals and the backing harmonies of the local pop group the Greatest Hits. The nerdy weirdness of the lively verses and chorus is interposed by two slower, darkly mirrored orchestral bridges that resonate with the haunting sounds of whale song and the soaring string accompaniment of violinist Sophie Zhang, Amy's U-M co-op roommate.
If you're willing to trust and indulge The White Ravens in their quirky lyrics and shifts in tempo and mood, you'll find it hard to resist the rock-operatic "Spaaace," about an inept captain, a helpless first mate, and the dread space pirate Daggerbeard. Will begins the song with a quick piano treble melody somewhat reminiscent of the Peanuts theme song and then alternates between hitting the brakes and pressing the gas pedal in a restive drive interspersed with the chorus's compelling march and a clean staircase of synthesized scales, before progressing into a swaggering pirate punk cabaret roused by accordion and shouting. This raucous song and most of the others on the album feature drums by Liberty DeVitto, Billy Joel's drummer of three decades; The White Ravens' live shows include drummer Jeremy Frey.
In "Rube Goldberg," the prominent treat is Amy's taffy-sweet vocals, as she nimbly sings her way through a playful and convoluted chain reaction that causes her to "fall like a domino" into another's arms. Contrast this song's pretty, high-pitched chorus (which you can get out of your head only by going to sleep) with "Conspiracy," in which Amy luxuriates in a lower vibrato uncannily reminiscent of Gwen Stefani, and you have a charming chameleon of a singer whose arched enunciation of certain words also occasions surprise.
The White Ravens' release party for Saddle Up the Whales is Saturday, September 29, at Woodruff's in Ypsilanti, with profits donated to Michigan water conservation groups.
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ISpy Magazine Review Nov 2012 Issue
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"The White Ravens aren't quite like anything you've come across before. Amy's voice is reminiscent o..."The White Ravens aren't quite like anything you've come across before. Amy's voice is reminiscent of Amanda Palmer. Ms. Bennett also strums a bass as she sings - an unusual but pleasing combination in a band that is all about unusual combinations. She is buoyed along by her brother Will's bouncy, synth and soaring keyboards. With titles like, "World's Smallest Piece of Pasta", "Rube Goldberg Machine", and "Great Pacific Garbage Patch", and songs about a literal food fight in a grocery store, how could you not be curious?"
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White Ravens Receive Rave Review from All Music Guide
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Although Ann Arbor-based brother and sister indie rock team Amy (vocals, bass, lyrics) and Will (key...Although Ann Arbor-based brother and sister indie rock team Amy (vocals, bass, lyrics) and Will (keys, guitars, music) Bennett are still teenagers, they've already been playing together as the White Ravens for more than five years. Despite their tender ages (Amy is 18; Will is just 17), they write remarkably sophisticated tunes with inventive arrangements that span the entire history of modern pop. They produced this outing themselves with the help of engineer Jim Diamond, the man behind the boards on the first two White Stripes albums. The Ravens are a bit more polished than the Stripes, with a pop ethic that gives their music a playful feel, balanced by dark lyrics that are as erudite as all get out. "Tick Tock," a bouncy boogie-woogie tune, references Peter Pan, the Sphinx, and various nautical themes. Its melodic shifts of time and tempo bring the Beatles "A Day in the Life" to mind, but the song stands on its own with its clever wordplay and Amy's knowing vocal describing a problematic love affair. Album-opener "Sparks" is the brightest tune here, a rocker with a stomping beat supplied by Billy Joel's drummer Liberty DeVitto, a memorable vocal hook, and a sparkling lyric with just a hint of mortality. Piano and spooky organ fills complement "Broken Halves," a lighthearted look at a love/hate relationship with Amy delivering an arch vocal. Diamond provides some metallic guitar on "Detritus," a song sung by ghosts upset by the developers who are digging up their graves to provide housing for the living, and "Eulogy" ends the album on a melancholy note as Amy sings of faded love and disillusionment while Will plays a piano mixed down to sound like it's coming from a fever dream.
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White Ravens Take Off - Dec 2010
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Guitarist Andrew Brown is finding the right words to describe the sound of The White Ravens, a band ...Guitarist Andrew Brown is finding the right words to describe the sound of The White Ravens, a band formed by brother-sister duo William and Amy Bennett. “When I imagine the worlds that are described in our songs,” Brown said, “I imagine: like, ‘Vault of Midnight,’ vibrant colors and craziness and creatures, stuff like that.”
The Bennett siblings, William (18) and Amy (19), formed the band from their home in Saline on Christmas Day, 2003. During that time, Amy, (age 12 at that point) had been playing guitar, but started becoming drawn to the “big and boomy” element of the bass. That fateful Christmas break, somewhere between eureka and a whim, she started playing music regularly with her brother William, who, from age seven until that point (age 11) was being classically trained on the piano. Splice in Amy’s taste for intricate bass lines, with Will’s penchant for ragtime, combined with their both being heavily influenced by the Beatles, (“of course”) and you had the beginnings of the White Ravens.
In fact, they were originally known as just White Raven (named for a backyard visiting albino fowl named Paul). A series of musicians came and went in collaborative roles (including A2 prodigy Muruga Booker) but they became The White Ravens proper when the line up solidified last autumn with Brown and drummer Vince Russo.
The dynamic duo laid down tracks with producer Jim Diamond at Ghetto Recorders (the same producer and Detroit studio where another famous Michigan pair of “siblings,” the White Stripes, recorded their first two albums). The result (featuring the percussion work of Liberty DeVitto, Billy Joel’s drummer for many years) was Gargoyles and Weather Vanes, their second proper LP.
On top of that, last summer they were voted Best International/USA Band at the Toronto Independent Music Awards—resulting from a weekend trip where they also performed live on ‘Breakfast TV,’ infamously alongside a spotlight hogging 300-lb burger. “We were gonna do two songs,” Brown recalls, standing beside a still begrudging Amy, “but that burger came on the scene.” “And,” Amy fills in, “[they] cut our set short specifically to have more footage of [it].”
The White Ravens’ music is an intricate, toe-tapping sunburst; it sandwiches instantaneously arresting Brit-pop hooks with a head-spinning melodiousness. Amy’s literary/playful lyrics with William’s classical-influenced writing conjures a baroque-inflected rock. Live, it’s like bubblegum blended into inverted ragtime, disarmingly thick on grooves with refreshing surfy jazz rock brushes, simmered under the swift articulations of their well-read wordsmith/bassist.
“Or...geek cabaret...” Will offers, shrugging. While Russo calls it “quirky literate indie rock. I like the word literate to be thrown in there since a lot of our songs are based on the amount of time [Amy] has spent in bookstores.”
Maybe singing about Plato and monstrous teachers under beds buoyed by synthesized harpsichord or piano would welcome a ‘geek-pop’ label, but the kids are pure talent and they know how to write irresistible pop songs. With Russo and Brown’s commendable musical resumes brought to their stage show (and future recordings) they’re set to take flight.
P.S.—word has it they stand a chance to open for They Might Be Giants. “They’re humorous, somewhat acerbic and appear to be endearingly insane,” said Amy, “which seems to fit our style.” See The White Ravens Dec 3 at Crazy Wisdom Tea Room (Ann Arbor) and Dec 11 at the Plymouth Coffee Bean. www.Myspace.com/whiteravens
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Teen Idols
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There may be hope for this generation of young people. That's the thought that kept going through my...There may be hope for this generation of young people. That's the thought that kept going through my head last fall when I first saw the White Ravens. Though still (barely) in my 20s, I was one of the oldest members of the audience at the B-side that night. I waited through five (mostly excruciating) opening acts that ranged from experimental noise to canned bubble pop of the Miley Cyrus ilk. Three hours later, the White Ravens' set was more than a relief. Their exuberant songs with blissfully catchy melodies made me want to dance all night.
Though they play with drummer Vince Russo and guitarist Andrew Brown, the White Ravens are essentially the local brother-and-sister duo of bassist and vocalist Amy Bennett and keyboardist Will Bennett. Will's still in high school and Amy's just started college, but they perform with the stage presence of veteran musicians. (When there was a problem with Amy's bass, she kept singing and switched instruments seamlessly.) Since I saw them last October, their tunes have been in near-constant rotation on my iPod. I can't resist their keyboard-driven pop with its geek chic Schoolhouse Rock vibe, Motown catchiness, and enough electro-rock elements to keep them from being written off as just another indie pop band.
Will's been compared to Ben Folds and Billy Joel, and his killer keyboarding merits the comparison. He pounds the hell out of the instrument, but he keeps to himself on stage, letting Amy be out front. Playing a bass that's bigger than she is, Amy looks like a pristine marzipan model of cool girl rock 'n' roller. Part of me wishes I were just out of high school so we could be pals. And it's not just a look. She's got some stout pipes that sound not only young--in their forcefulness and enthusiasm, mixed with a dash of adolescent anger--but also seasoned, if not quite polished. Although all of the songs are playful and light, the duo plays with a raw intensity that gives their live shows an extra dose of immediacy.
There are at least six poptastic hits on their new album, Gargoyles and Weather Vanes, that range from the quirky "Atomic Panda" and "Tick Tock" to the utterly irresistible "Sparks." The delightful oo-ee-oo chorus of the latter can give you a Friday high on any day of the week. Though they never abandon their amazing pop sensibility, they do tackle the occasional subdued subject. "Broken Halves" is all about disillusionment with a romantic relationship, but the sentiments don't feel trite or angsty. There's a certain tongue-in-cheek maturity to their lyrics that, blended with their genre-expanding sense of what's possible in pop, could make the White Ravens your new favorite band.
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White Ravens Winners for Best International/USA/Out of Province Band for 2010 Toronto Independent Music Awards
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The Toronto Independent Music Awards (TIMA) honours the best up-and-coming Ontario indie musicians. ...The Toronto Independent Music Awards (TIMA) honours the best up-and-coming Ontario indie musicians. This year was the fifth instalment of the ceremony, which took place at the Phoenix Concert Theatre on Friday evening (July 23), and we have this year’s winners.
Among the winners this year are Conflicted (Best Metal), the River Junction Band (Best Country), Richh Kidd (Best Live Urban), Cut Throat Kids (Best Punk), MAGNOLIUS (Best Rap) and the Strange (Best Indie Rock).
Since there was no ceremony last year, this instalment of the TIMAs covered 2009 to 2010, with $60,000 worth in prizes given away in 20 different categories. The industry-related prizes included a song released on Canadian radio (Best Song), an all-expenses-paid European tour (Best Live Electric), a pro photo session (Best Alternative Rock) and in-store song placements (best pop).
The artists awarded are all Ontario-based and 100 percent owned and operated out of Canada (except for distribution deals). The only exception is the Best International/Best USA/Best Out-of-Province category.
If you'd like to read up on the TIMAs, you can do so here.
Here is the full list of the Toronto Independent Music Awards winners:
Best Female-Fronted: Amy Towers
Best Adult Contemporary: Rehan Dalal
Best Pop: Darrelle London
Best Jazz: The Bill McBirnie Duo/Quartet
Best Rap: MAGNOLIUS
Best Urban: Alexandra Kane
Best Metal: Conflicted
Best Acoustic: Alistair Blaik Bundale
Best Folk: DALA
Best Country: The River Junction Band
Best International/Best USA/Best Out-of-Province: The White Ravens
Best Young Songwriter(s): TJ Whitelaw
Best World Music: JAFFA ROAD
Best Punk: Cut Throat Kids
Best Indie Rock: The Strange
Best Alternative Rock: WAXMEN
Best Song: Morgan Sadler - “Go On”
Best Live Urban: Richh Kidd
Best Live Acoustic: Yiannis Kapoulas
best Live Electric: The MacHams
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They Might Be White Ravens
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The latest gem to crawl out of Jim Diamond‘s Ghetto Recorders is Saline brother and sister duo the W...The latest gem to crawl out of Jim Diamond‘s Ghetto Recorders is Saline brother and sister duo the White Ravens. Their songs come on like Ben Folds and Billy Joel taking turns sitting in with They Might Be Giants and that's not irony!
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Magnet Magazine Write-up
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"Sparks" is a bright and happy number with a really sharp bass line that fills out the piano's melod..."Sparks" is a bright and happy number with a really sharp bass line that fills out the piano's melody nicely. Devitto's drumming is a fine complement to Amy and William's musical talents."
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Wildy's World Review of Gargoyles and Weather Vanes
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"If all rock records sounded this good no one would buy anything else. . .Incredibly catchy and quir..."If all rock records sounded this good no one would buy anything else. . .Incredibly catchy and quirky tunes that add a new pastiche to geek rock. . .Reflects both the best and darkest intents of humanity. . .You won't be able to get The White Ravens out of your head."
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White Ravens Celebrate Record Release of Gargoyles and Weather Vanes
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. . .a quirky collection of piano-driven pop melodies in true Detroit garage style. . . it's the sma.... . .a quirky collection of piano-driven pop melodies in true Detroit garage style. . . it's the smartly placed sounds and arrangements that make the album soar.
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Aiding and Abetting Review of Gargoyles and Weather Vanes
Amy Bennett's vocals are what kicks this over the top. Right now, this stuff is simply great.
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Absolut Punk Interview with The White Ravens
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Question 13. What is your vacation spot of choice?
Amy: If I could choose any place to vacation, I'...Question 13. What is your vacation spot of choice?
Amy: If I could choose any place to vacation, I'd choose Paul McCartney's chin. It would be really, really neat to get a glimpse into his daily life. Also, on his chin I could probably sustain myself on the crumbs that fall out of his mouth. I bet he eats wonderful food.
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ISpy Magazine Review
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"The White Ravens aren't quite like anything you've come across before. Amy's voice is reminiscent o..."The White Ravens aren't quite like anything you've come across before. Amy's voice is reminiscent of Amanda Palmer. Ms. Bennett also strums a bass as she sings - an unusual but pleasing combination in a band that is all about unusual combinations. She is buoyed along by her brother Will's bouncy, synth and soaring keyboards. With titles like, "World's Smallest Piece of Pasta", "Rube Goldberg Machine", and "Great Pacific Garbage Patch", and songs about a literal food fight in a grocery store, how could you not be curious?"
supersonic
