Dave Rave
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Dave Rave

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"Dave Rave's On With Anthology Set"

Jan 31, 2006
Hamilton Spectator
by Graham Rockingham

The picture, like the music, is a valuable slice of Hamilton history. It was Christmas Eve, 1989, at Denise Lisson’s soon-to-be Hammer Gallery near the old Star Records at King and James. A party was going on. Music was happening.

Daniel Lanois, long hair flowing, is on the left playing electric guitar. He had just released his first solo album, Acadie, after producing a string of hits for stars such as U2 and Peter Gabriel.

A clean-shaven Tom Wilson, soon to be frontman of Junkhouse, has his head down figuring out the chords. A boyish Tim Gibbons is on the far right, a broken string dangling from his guitar.

Dave Rave is the guy with the glasses.

“I had just got back from New York,” Rave recalls, carefully studying the photograph during an interview this week. “That’s why I’m wearing a New York Rangers shirt. What’s that I’m drinking? Miller?

“I think Tom and Tim may have been playing together and Danny just brought along his guitar,” Dave continues. “We ended up singing a bunch of stuff.

“Look at Tom. He’s got no moustache. There was no Junkhouse then. Tommy still had the (Florida) Razors. I think Tim still had The Trouble Boys.”

The photograph is the centerfold of the book accompanying the CD, Dave Rave Anthology, Vol.2, which, along with its companion, Dave Rave Anthology Vol.1, has just been released by Bullseye Records.

Like the photograph, the two CDs represent remarkable pieces of Hamilton history. In many ways they chronicle the city’s post – 1975 rock scene.

Dave was, and still is, one of the key players in that scene. Some people may remember him from his high school years at Westdale, writing sappy love songs for the girls on the other side of the classroom. Others may remember him in Fulcrum, the group he formed with Rick Andrew, opening up for people like Willie P. Bennett and Brent Titcomb at Bill Powell’s Knight II coffee house. Or as part of the new wave rockabilly band, The Shakers with Gibbons, Andrew and Dave’s cousin Claude DesRoches on drums.

More will remember him as the frontman for Teenage Head in the mid-‘80s with Gordie Lewis, Steve Marshall and Jack Pedler when they produced the punk classic, Electric Guitar.

Then there are all those solo projects – the pop-rock of the Dave Rave Group, and the Dave Rave Conspiracy, and the lounge-jazz of Agnelli & Rave or his work with Mark McCarron. And don’t forget all those times Dave just showed up to add some Raveness to bands such as The Trouble Boys and The Trews or singing the “da dada das” in Crowbar’s Oh What a Feeling with Junkhouse (sorry it’s not on the disc, you’ll have to buy Junkhouse Rounders for that one).

This is the Dave Rave we get, 1975 to 2005, on these two extraordinary albums, lovingly compiled over the past two years by producer and friend Lisa Millar from stacks of discs, vinyl and tape. The two discs are arranged both chronologically and by style with at least a third fo the tracks, probably more, comprised of rare, previously unreleased material.

“One disc, the red one, is more rockin’, with music like The Shakers,” Dave explains. “The other one, the blue one, is more mood, which includes jazz, Valentino’s Pirates, the ballad I did with Teenage Head, the stuff I did with John Wesley Harding. I did more moody stuff in the ‘90s. The ‘80s were rock ‘n’ roll. The first ballad wasn’t till 1988. It took that long. It’s on (Teenage Head’s) electric Guitar.”

Millar opens and closes each disc with new music, recorded in New York – Dave’s second home for the past 15 years – or at Hamilton’s Catharine North Studio. You can be forgiven for mistaking them for 1980s tracks. They contain just as much energy.

Listening to Vol. 1 makes you realize how this city developed such a reputation as a guitar town. Bill Dillon, the great session player who has worked with Joni Mitchell, Robbie Robertson, Bob Dylan and Sarah McLachlan, is among the guitarists blazing through these tracks with Gibbons, Rave and Teenage Head’s Gordie Lewis.

Take a quick look at the liner notes, painstakingly put together by Harris. You’ll notice that some of the finest producers in the business – Lanois, Jack Richardson, Malcolm Burn and Bob Doidge – were at the controls on many of these classics.

Anthology producer Millar has taken the time to interview many of the musicians involved and their comments provide context to each track. Some more than others.

“Working with Dave was not like work, but more like a traveling medicine show with an extended family,” Gibbons is quoted in the notes for Fun, Booze and Corvettes, a previously unreleased 1985 track by The Trouble Boys with Rave and Gordie Lewis.

“There was lots of beer, weed, acid and teenage girls involved, so I’m sure you will understand when I say I don’t remember anything at all about these particular songs and sessions.”

The amazing thing is the 37 tracks on these two albums exhibit is Dave’s tremendous versatility. Rave’s currently working on a recording project with a woodwind chamber ensemble.

He has fans in the United States who know him only as a folkie or a jazzer, and fans in Canada who know him only as a punk.

These anthologies bring the two worlds together.

The Dave Rave anthologies can be purchased at the Beat Goes On (875 Main St. W.) and Screamin Mimis (228 King St. W.) or on Dave’s website, at dave-rave.com.
- Hamilton Spectator


"All The Rave"

Jan 19, 2004
by JASON SCHNEIDER

HAMILTON MUSICIAN’S LENGTHY AND IMPRESSIVE CAREER PUT IN PERSPECTIVE WITH RELEASE OF DOUBLE ANTHOLOGY ALBUM

I’ll say it bluntly right off the bat: Canadian music needs more people like Dave Rave. After 25 years in the business, it’s hard to imagine few others who embody the passion of rock ‘n’ roll in its purist form, and at the same time, tirelessly encourage others to carry on that spirit.

It is hoped that many more people will discover this fact, now that a two-disc anthology of his career has been meticulously assembled by his current label, Boston-based Bullseye Records. While the set obviously revolves around Rave’s wide-ranging releases, it also provides a detailed snapshot of the highly influential Hamilton scene of the ‘80s and ‘90s, through Rave’s work with The Shakers, Teenage Head, and pre-U2 Daniel Lanois.

Moreover, Rave’s other musical adventures are thoroughly documented, including his groundbreaking Valentino’s Pirates album, the first North American release on Soviet Union label Melodiya, as well as his work with New York musicians like Coyote Shivers and Television’s Billy Ficca.

Rave, who was born Dave DesRoches in Hamilton, credits the idea for the anthology to Bullseye owner Jim Hoeck, who wanted to introduce Rave to a wider American audience.

“In Canada, people know me for what I’ve done, so it’s kind of like I’ve had two careers since I’ve been working in the States,” he says. “When they first approached me two years ago to do it, I was pretty surprised, but once we started going through the material and I saw how much there was, then I got into it.”

While it can’t be said that Rave ever had any huge hits, the anthology does thankfully preserve some seminal moments in Canadian indie rock, such as tracks from Teenage Head’s under-appreciated album Electric Guitar, and Agnelli and Rave songs recorded with American indie legend Mitch Easter at his North Carolina studio, where the first two R.E.M. albums were produced.

“The great thing so far has been seeing everyone’s reaction around Hamilton since it’s come out,” Rave says. “The Hamilton scene has never really been documented on record before, so people have appreciated that. But I’ve also been writing with some younger bands, like The Trews, lately, and it’s been great to have them say stuff like, ‘Wow, we never realized you did so many things. We just thought you were the guy who sang Let’s Shake.’ But for me, the biggest joy has been to look at this thing and feel proud that I did it, and more importantly, that I did it my own way. It’s given me the confidence to keep doing things my own way.”

Rave adds, “There’s always times when we feel that people don’t get what we’re doing, although it’s true that people don’t even get most of the stuff that’s promoted well. But at least I hope that this anthology might inspire them to dig a bit deeper into what’s going on in their area, and appreciate how good it is.”
- KItchener-Waterloo Record


"Dave Gets Raves For Work"

by: Jason MacNeil

OSHAWA -- Dave Rave has seen a lot over his 26 years in rock and roll, whether playing in early punk pioneer bands like Teenage Head and The Shakers or with his own solo career. Throughout it all, he still feels like he's exploring his craft.

"I think it's just my desire to keep discovering stuff and the joy of making music," Rave says. "It's never been something that I had to think about and there's nothing else that I do. If you asked me now what I'm doing, I'd tell you I'm putting in an Elvis CD right now. It's just natural. It isn't work."

Rave, who performs at Oshawa's Catch 22 Thursday, Aug. 25, is one of those musicians who make great pop rock but never get proper due. Regardless, Rave has found success with albums such as 2003's Everyday Magic and his forthcoming jazz-pop record, In The Blue Of My Dreams, the latter recorded in New York City around 9/11.

"I was on my way to the studio when it happened," Rave recalls. "The whole mood of the city changed and nobody felt like rocking. And neither did I, to be honest with you. The whole record didn't reflect a rock record. It was moody and melancholy and reflected what people were going through at the time. But it didn't deal with 9/11 directly."

While breaking new ground with the forthcoming record, Rave also broke ground in 1989, becoming the first North American artist to sign with Russian label Melodiya. Rave and his band flew to Russia to record the album Valentino's Pirates.

"I had doubts when we were sitting in Europe ready to go and we couldn't get in touch with anyone from Melodiya and we thought, 'What are we doing?'" Rave says. "I thought that we were going to choke on the piece that we chewed off. But I had a great group of people who believed and had faith in me. Those are the moments when you have a little angel on your shoulder."

Rave, who also headlined a show at Liverpool's famous Cavern Club last October, is releasing a two-disc anthology later this year and touring Canada, the U.S. and Europe. He also co-wrote a song which appears on The Trews' new album, the band that opened the Rolling Stones' Toronto surprise club show.

"The work is so rewarding," he says. "You're always seeing the results of some of your work in front of you."

Jason MacNeil is a freelance writer in Durham Region. Contact him at kingjinpusan@hotmail.com.
- Durham Region News


"Dave Rave Returns From Liverpool"

by: Graham Rockingham

Dave Rave has just lived out his rock 'n' roll fantasy. The veteran Hamilton rocker (The Shakers, Teenage Head, Dave Rave Group) has just gotten back from headlining the Cavern, the reconstructed club (they rebuilt it using the original bricks) in downtown Liverpool where the Fab Four got their start in the early '60s.

" I started off the show with a Shakers song and ended it off with Let’s Shake," Rave said about the Oct. 24th show. "People there knew it. It's one of those songs, I called it Canada's national anthem."

Playing before Rave was Kimberley Rew, founder of Katrina and the Waves and writer of Walking On Sunshine.

"Kimberley joined us onstage at the end of the night for Let's Shake. It was beyond words."

After signing a distribution deal for his records in England, Rave skipped over to play shows in Germany and Austria. Rave's got two shows next week in New York. He's hoping to return home for the November 21st Hamilton Music Awards at the Defasco Centre where his Everyday Magic is nominated for album of the year.
Rave is also hoping to release two new albums in the coming year. The first is a compilation of previous releases from his 25-year career. The other is a CD of new songs, tentatively titled Something Here Happens, written in New York, with Mark McCarron shortly after the 9/11 disaster.

"It's jazzy pop, written in the key of dark minor. I was in New York City finishing the mix on Everyday Magic when 9/11 happened. The next things we recorded were totally different. The mood was very sombre."

grockingham@thespec.com 905-526-3331
- Hamilton Spectator


"Dave Rave Up There With The Stones"

by: Graham Rockingham

Dave Rave walked into the Virgin Megastore in midtown Manhatten the other day and there it was, his new CD, Everyday Magic. Right there between The Ramones and The Rolling Stones. Right where it should be.

Now try finding it in the local HMV. Go ahead, try. The fact that most of it was recorded in Hamilton at Catherine North Studios doesn't mean a thing. The fact that Dave Rave was born and raised right here doesn't matter either. The fact that his mother still lives in Hamilton's West End counts for nothing. Nada. Not a sausage.

If you ask for, they'll order it. But it's not on the racks here as it is in the US. It seems our Dave Rave is a bigger deal there than here.

He's even had some ink from that purveyor of pop, Entertainment Weekly. Here's the quote from the September 26th issue: "If you like cool Kinks-ian power pop, snap up a copy of Everyday Magic, the latest disc from Canada's Dave Rave Group."

Makes you feel all kind of warm and gooey inside. No? Well, it should at least make you want to go and find out what the album sounds like. Friday's record release party is a good place to start.

If you've been a stranger to the Hamilton music scene for the last 25 years, a quick recap of Dave Rave's career is in order.

He started out in the late 70's as frontman for a scruffy band of rockabillies called The Shakers.

In the 80's, he helped resurrect the sagging fortunes of Teenage Head after Frankie Venom left the band. At the end of the decade, he moved to New York where, through a series of chance meetings, he came to the attention of the Melodyia label in the Soviet Union.

He became the first North American pop act signed to the label which released the cult classic Valentino's Pirates under the name Dave Rave Group (they didn't think the KGB would like his chosen name Dave Rave Conspiracy.

He toured the newly de-communized Russia long before Paul McCartney (who later signed to Melodyia). Rave wasn't allowed to take Russian money out of the country so he was paid in cheese.

The cheese got Rave back home to North America where he still splits his time between Hamilton and New York City. He began recording and producing a number of side projects, incursions into jazz and folk/rock.

But none had the signature Dave Rave edginess of The Shakers, or Electric Guitar (Teenage Head) or Valentino's Pirates, now a cult favourite in the US.

Everyday Magic, produced on the independent label, Bullseye, returns Rave to the basics. Catchy pop with an edge.

"These records are the core of what I do," Rave said in a recent interview from his New York apartment. "With The Shakers, Electric Guitar, Valentino's and Everyday Magic, you've got the core of what I do, pop, rockabilly, '50s, '60s, mixed in with 70's New Wave."

Everyday Magic features players from every part of Rave's long career. Teenage Head guitarist Gord Lewis, ex-Shakers' guitarist Tim Gibbons and ex-Florida Razors' guitarist Jason Avery.

"These are three of the best guitar players in Hamilton," he says. "I'm really happy that all three are on the record. I call them the Big Three."

Some of the songs are heartfelt ballads, like Once In A Lifetime, which in concert give way to wild rockers like Love Fades. Rave has even been known to insert classic rock tunes into Love Fades, like the Stones' Let It Bleed, Buddy Holly's Not Fade Away, The Who's Magic Bus or Bachman Turner Overdrive's Taking Care Of Business.

On Friday the Dave Rave Group will consist of drummer Paul Panchezak, guitarist Bill Becker, Keith Lindsay on keyboards and Pete Ribhany on bass.

Friends like Kate Schrock, a Portland, Maine singer-songwriter, and Joe Mannix, a New York folkie, will add to the mix.

And any number of special guests could take the stage, maybe one or two of the Big Three.

"In this day and age when major label artists are fighting for space in people's homes, it touches my heart that I can go into Virgin record stores and see my record there right next to the Ramones," Rave says. "Dave Rave, Ramones and Rolling Stones all right next to each other. It blows my mind."

If you have trouble finding a copy of Everyday Magic, and you don't feel good about buying from a website (www.bullseyecanada.com), come to the Underground Friday night and buy one off Dave personally. It'll touch his heart.
- Hamilton Spectator


"From Teenage Head To Doing His Own Thing"

Dave Rave relishes his new project that’s a little ‘off-the-wall’

By Paul Hutchings

When Dave Rave left Teenage head in 1989, he was looking for something different. Forming his own band was something he was interested in, as long as he didn’t disappoint himself.

His new project, the Dave Rave Group, has just released its latest offering, Everyday Magic, and Rave says now that straight-forward rock and roll music is gaining momentum again, the music industry is a lot more interesting to him.

"The boy bands and such aren’t as popular as they were, finally," he says. "It’s about time some better music started coming along, because it was pretty bleak for awhile.

Upon leaving his old band, Rave says he was interested in working with as many different musicians as possible to help further his knowledge of his songwriting craft. He says it’s been a great learning process because he’s learned about other forms of music, such as jazz and some of what he calls "off the wall material."

Not having a preference for either, Rave enjoys touring, as well as working in a studio. Something else he’s learned since being on his own is how to produce.

"I was on a tour of the West Coast last year, with people like Paul Hyde and Tom Wilson and that was a lot fun," he reflects. "But I have also learned that I love being in the studio."

Sometimes compared to legendary writer/producer Nick Lowe, Rave says his experience with recording has always been someone else telling him what to do. Now he knows how to quarterback a project, where he has to lead and make things happen.

"It made me stand on my two feet and make decisions by myself on behalf of the whole group," he says. "That’s carried over into our live performance, I’m not afraid to take the lead."

The new album was recorded in Los Angeles, with part of it done in Hamilton, where he’s from. Recording in two different places, he explains, creates a new adventure and takes you away from being too safe. An artist has to think on his feet, and he doesn’t have the luxury of being too content.

"Some of the mixes we did in Canada were cut because there was an energy in Los Angeles that we didn’t have here. Nothing against being at home, but sometimes a change of scenery is the best thing for everyone."

Rave likes what he sees in the music industry these days, with more emphasis being placed on artists working together. He says a lot of people are unhappy with the status quo right now, which is what has caused people to work together.

"There’s what I call synchronicity going on right now," he explains. "People all over are doing their own thing at the same time and not knowing it. It happens at all different times, bunch of like minded people in different regions doing the same thing, and that’s exciting for me because when you start discovering this, suddenly it’s on the verge of something new."

He also says There is a spirit of co-operation out there now that wasn’t there before, which excites him. Things are taking place that haven’t happened for years, and points to Hyde, former Payolas front man, who for years didn’t want to go on the road, now interested in touring for musical reasons, and not just to cut a record deal.


- Town Crier


"Dave Rave Anthology 1 Review"

Jun 13, 2006
AMG- All Music Guide

Dave Rave Anthology 1 Review

Joe Viglione

The first of two compilations of Dave Rave music put together by producer Lisa Miller of Canada's Bullseye Records is a fascinating look into the creative mind of Dave Rave (aka Dave DesRoches). Anthology, Vol. 1 -The Hot Tunes is a complex overview of Rave's equally complex career. The 21 tracks on the first volume have a lot of great melody and performance to absorb in one sitting. "Madeline Says" is very Brit-rock and highly enjoyable, while "So Invisible" generates the same feelings with a totally different groove. Rave's ex-girlfriend Trixie A. Balm — writer for Creem magazine who later turned back into her true self, Lauren Agnelli of the band Nervus Rex — is mesmerizing with him on the uptempo pop song. A critic could spend hundreds of words dropping the names involved and gushing over the material, but there's so much written information in the two 16-page booklets it's sufficient to give these packages the thumbs up and let the listener make discoveries on his/her own. The disc opens and closes with two new recordings, "Rock the Party" and "Nicki," respectively, solid slices of rock by Rave's Charmers, fitting in perfectly with the marvelous history chronicled here. "When Patti Rocks" still sounds great years after it found its way on various releases while "The Weight of the World" certainly could've been a hit for the Hollies or the Dave Clark Five. The label treats this music as if it were made by the Beatles, and that's a good thing, the commentary on each track, from Rave, Coyote Shivers, Gary Pig Gold, and other participants gives the listener plenty to read while exploring this dizzying array of sounds. One can understand the frustration of being a serious musician in a world of major labels that were clueless when all this began unfolding. These 30th Anniversary anthology releases of Dave Rave's career in the music biz are treasures in the truest sense of the word and hold many revelations; Mitch Easter's exquisite production on 1995's "Dreamin' After the Movies" track just one of them.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:6hrsa9ugr23s

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- All Music Guide


"Dave Rave: Canada's answer to Nick Lowe and Ian Hunter"

Jun 24, 2006
Epinions

Dave Rave: Canada's answer to Nick Lowe and Ian Hunter

Don Krider

Author's Product Rating for Dave Rave Anthology Volume 1- 5/5

Pros
Guests Mitch Easter(REM), Billy Ficca(Television), Jon Tiven(Huey Lewis) and Lauren Agnelli (Washington Squares).

Cons
None.

The Bottom Line
Volume 1 of two separate Dave Rave anthologies gathers his solo and band hits (The Shakers, Teenage Head) together in one collection. Music that fans of Nick Lowe will enjoy.


Full Review
Canadian rocker Dave Rave (real name Dave DesRoches) isn't well-known in the U. S., but in Canada he is one of the nation's greatest gifts to rock and roll, the pride of Hamilton, Ontario.

Dave Rave became very popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Canada with a hit-making band called The Shakers ("Shake Some Action"). The Shakers also had a string of Canadian hit albums produced by Daniel Lanois (U2) and Jack Richardson (The Guess Who, Alice Cooper, Bob Seger).

From there, Rave joined another very popular Canadian outfit, Teenage Head ("Can't Stop Shakin'"), replacing Frankie Venom as lead singer.

He has been a member of a number of other acts over the years, has a successful creative partnership with singer-songwriter Lauren Agnelli, and has produced enough material to cause producer Lisa Millar at Bullseye Records of Canada to put out two great new anthologies, "Volume 1" and "Volume 2," which showcase Dave Rave's incredible diversity as an artist.

The music ranges from punk rock Ramones sound-alikes to power pop moments that remind one of The Romantics to pure roots rock 'n' rockabilly that has earned Dave Rave the title of "The Canadian Nick Lowe" from many critics.

Such is his international status that Dave Rave was the first North American artist signed to Russia's Melodiya Records label. He is also a favorite among musicians and producers needing a strong session player - he's worked with singer Alex Chilton (The Box Tops, Big Star) and producer Andrew Loog Oldham (who produced some of The Rolling Stones' biggest hits), among others.

To me, Dave Rave's music reminds me of several artists, including Nick Lowe ("Cruel To Be Kind"), Ian Hunter ("Cleveland Rocks"), with perhaps a touch of Burton Cummings (The Guess Who) in the mix.

Some photos of Dave Rave look like Ian Hunter with sunglasses. In other photos, he could be the guitar-playing boy across the street from your home.

Two anthologies

Bullseye Records of Canada thinks highly enough of Dave Rave to release two "Anthology" volumes as separate releases, each opening with previously unreleased tunes to show where Dave Rave's music is now and then taking the listener on a time warp through past hits and personal best song choices.

"Volume 1" is subtitled "The Hot Tunes," the songs that made Dave Rave an international star, while "Volume 2" is called "The Cool Tunes," or the songs that you might enjoy with friends at a party. Both CDs were released in 2006.

"Volume 1" will be reviewed here.

This CD

The Dave Rave "Anthology Volume 1" features 21 tunes and has a total running time of 71 minutes and 35 seconds.

The tracks are from a number of acts, all featuring guitarist Dave Rave on lead vocals. The producers include Dave Rave, Laura Agnelli, Daniel Lanois (U2), Jack Richardson (The Guess Who, Alice Cooper, Bob Seger), Mitch Easter (REM) and Gary "Pig" Gold (The Ghost Rockets), among others.

Among the recording engineers is Dennis Ferrante (who engineered the first three Raspberries albums and who also engineered Linda Ronstadt's "Heart Like A Wheel" album), a guy who helped make the sound on some of my favorite recordings.

Producer of the compilation is Lisa Millar for Bullseye Records Of Canada. She, Dave Rave, and others offer commentary on each track in this compilation in the photo-filled 16-page CD booklet.

Among the players on the various tracks are Billy Ficca (Television, The Waitresses), Bill Dillon (Sarah McLaughlin, U2, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel) and Jon Tiven (Huey Lewis, Jeff Healey).

According to a press release from the record label, two of the tracks, "Rock The Party" and "Madeleine Says", will be released as singles and as videos in 2006.

The tracks

"Rock The Party," "Baby It's True," "Out The Door," "Shake Some Action," "Do Anything," "Let's Face It," "Special Dedication," "Can't Stop Shakin'," "Fun, Booze & Corvettes," "Dance With Your Doll," "Let's Shake," "Pure Honey," "Weight Of The World" and "When Patti Rocked."

Also, "Mr. Silver Tongue," "Dreamin' After The Movies," "So Invisible," "Everyday Magic," "Madeleine Says," "Love Fades" and "Nicki."

Recommendation

Dave Rave's "Anthology Volume 1" shows why Dave Rave is so popular in Canada and elsewhere (and makes you wonder why U. S. success hasn't yet arrived). It's a well-constructed pop museum on a CD, a treat for folks who love guitar-driven rock and roll mixed with some very sweet pop ballads. Music with melody, a rarity these days.

Should please power pop and classic rock fans (Nick Lowe fans will love it). It pleased me.

The best tracks

"Rock The Party"

The CD opens well with the punk rock vibe of "Rock The Party" in which punk rock hits you hard in the face in this 2006 recording by Dave Rave & The Crashtones. It reminds me most of The Ramones "Rock 'n' Roll High School" in its execution. Mark Rogers beats the heck out of a drum kit on the tune while the background singers sing "rock, rock, rock, the party" as Dave sings lead. A 1970s punk rock throwback, yes, but fun just the same.

"Out The Door"

The Shakers "Out The Door" brings back memories of Rockpile (which featured Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds), full of rockabilly rhythms and Stray Cats-style guitar sound effects.

In fact, Rave says in the CD's liner notes that Dave Edmunds' ("I Hear You Knockin'") album "Trax Of Wax" was the song's role model. You can also hear Teenage Head guitarist Gord Lewis on the track.

"Shake Some Action"

One of six Shakers' tracks on "Anthology Volume 1," the song "Shake Some Action" was captured live by U2 producer Daniel Lanois (who also engineered the track). It showcases what a fine band The Shakers were, very much in the Rockpile-mode in their sound.

"Let's Face It"

The Shakers sound a little too close to The Romantics "What I Like About You" in their melody here, but "Let's Face It" still stands on its own merits. This is 1980's rock, reminding one of The Romantics, The Cars and The Knack. It stands above most chart hits of its era.

"...there was a time when we were more than friends, a part of something that will never end, now as the day gets longer, my faith is getting shorter, let's face it baby..."

"Fun, Booze & Corvettes"

A previously unreleased track from 1985, "Fun, Booze & Corvettes" again unites Rave with Teenage Head guitarist Gord Lewis (his friend since first grade) in a track by Dave Rave & The Trouble Boys.

The guitar riff at the songs core is very similar to the one that opens The Sweet's "Wig-Wam Bam," a little American Indian-sounding drum beat helping propel this sweet little rocker about the simpler joys in life.

"...sharp clothes with some cheap perfume, but little darlin' can't leave her room..."

"Weight Of The World"

Sounding like an outtake from Nick Lowe's "Labour Of Love" album, "Weight Of The World" by The Dave Rave Group is one of the best tracks on this compilation. It has a "Cruel To Be Kind" backbeat with a gentle rock melody, with some nice commentary in the lyrics.

"...the weight of the world is too much, when you stand alone..."

Produced by Gary Pig Gold, who co-wrote the tune with Jon Tiven, Sally Tiven and DesRoches, recorded the track with Raspberries' engineer Dennis "The Fly" Ferrante helping out in the studio.

"When Patti Rocked"

Slow ballad with some gentle guitar and a harmony-filled chorus, Rave is great here in this song written by DesRoches. It features what producer Gary Pig Gold calls a "pulsing piano line" from Doc Proctor on the chorus with a cool beat on tambourine by Bob Doldge.

"...I remember every night, every minute of the day, I could call you up, there was something you say, now I hear your voice on the radio, when Patti rocked, the gamblers start to roll..."

"Mr. Silver Tongue"

Written by DesRoches and Agnelli, this is one heck of a Stones-ish rocker. Most bands would die for a hard rocker like this one. Crunching, sizzling guitar work, smashed skins and throbbing bass pulse through the song's veins. The Dave Rave Conspiracy produced the tune with Gary Pig Gold featuring lead guitar provided by Coyote Shivers. Fantastic tune.

"Dreamin' After The Movies"

Teaming with Lauren Agnelli was a good step for Dave Rave.

Agnelli used to write for CREEM magazine under the alias of Trixie A. Balm in the '70s. She once did press releases for Patti Smith and was a member of the Mike Chapman-produced Nervous Rex. She was also once part of the Grammy-nominated Washington Squares, who are described as "neo-beatnik folksters" at her website.

She's a cool songwriter, and a fine singer, once described by The Village Voice as "a modern-day Julie London."

Recording as Agnelli and Rave, the duo offer up "Dreamin' After The Movies" as a great slow rocker with production from Mitch Easter (famed for his work with REM, he also plays guitars and drums on this track) and was recorded in North Carolina at Easter's Drive-In Studio.

It's an airy number with a very clear production, Dave Rave's lead vocal crests a musical wave above Lauren Agnelli's backing vocal (she also plays bass and Glockenspiel on the tune).

Rave was influenced by REM's first two albums at the time, and working with Easter seems to have brought out a different side in Rave. Working with Agnelli, he says, taught him "where language could go." It's a good creative partnership.

"Dreamin' After The Movies" is easily my favorite song on the album.

"...I don't like movies 'cause they always end, I don't like dreamin' 'cause I miss my friend when he's gone, and my eyes are wide dreamin' after the movies..."

"Everyday Magic"

Recorded by The Dave Rave Group featuring The Trews and Gord Lewis, this DesRoches tune again dives into Rolling Stones territory (think "Shattered") for a delicious rocker.

"...someone's talking, at the point of no return..."

"Madeleine Says"

Mold The Beau Brummels, The Searchers, The Hollies and The Turtles into one song and you would come up with "Madeline Says" (written by DesRoches with Toronto songwriter Chris Stopa). Recorded by The Dave Rave Group with Chris Stopa.

Great little 1960's British Invasion throwback with a simply gorgeous, uptempo melody, produced by Glenn Marshall.

"...Madeline says that nothing will ever bring her down to earth..."

On the web

My review of Dave Rave's "Anthology Volume 2": http://www.epinions.com/content_238370197124

Official Dave Rave website: http://www.dave-rave.com

Official Lauren Agnelli website: http://www.laurenagnelli.com

Official Bullseye Records of Canada website: http://www.bullseyecanada.com

Recommended:
Yes

Great Music to Play While: Driving

http://www.epinions.com/content_238013877892

Return to Press Main Page


- epinions.com


"DAve Rave Anthologies 1 & 2 reviewed"

Jun 1, 2006
Amplifier Magazine

Anthologies 1 & 2 Reviewed

Rick Schadelbauer

Throughout the course of his quarter-century musical career, the artist currently known as Dave Rave has recorded under a virtual panapoly of noms de pop: Fulcrum, The Shakers, Teenage Head, Agnelli & Rave, Dave Rave Conspiracy, et al. The one constant over that period has been the unflaggingly consistent quality of Rave’s musical output. Canada’s Bullseye label has paid Rave fitting tribute by issuing these two separate treasure troves, mixing the best from better-known releases such as Valentino’s Pirates and Everyday Magic with a generous sampling of b-sides and rarities. “Jillian”, a (literal) basement recording made in 1975 by an adolescent Rave, strongly suggests that his skill for crafting songs was fully formed in utero. Early 80’s tracks such as “Baby It’s True” and “Let’s Face It” compare favorably to the work of such contemporaries as Blotto, the Producers, and Dave Edmunds. Later on, Rave’s work becomes richer and more complex – witness, for example, the jazzy “Technicolor Shadows” (recorded with Mark McCarron) or the lovely vocal interplay on “So Invisible” with Lauren Agnelli. Along his journey, Rave is aided by such high profile friends as Daniel Lanois, Mitch Easter, Gary Pig Gold, Coyote Shivers, John Wesley Harding, Chris von Sneidern, and Shane Faubert. Yet the Anthology proves that no matter who he works with or what name he goes by, Dave Rave’s pop mastery is both inescapable and undeniable.

- Amplifier Magazine


"Obvious Influences Combine with In-bred Originality"

RECORD COLLECTOR UK
JUNE 2006

DAVE RAVE – ANTHOLOGY VOL. 1 & 2 (3 OUT OF 5 STARS)

Obvious influences combine with in-bred originality

A sort of Canadian Nick Lowe, Rave, while not a 1960s purist, is steeped in that decade’s pop and correlated attitude. Yet, with repeated listening to these selections from various of his incarnations, reference points become less conspicuous as self-penned melodies take hold. Particularly spellbinding is 1992’s All Over The World by The Dave Rave Group – which I could have imagined The Walker Brothers covering. My only major gripe is Rave’s horrible Neil Young-esque screeching in a bridge passage of the bitter Farmer Needs Rain. Elsewhere, however, his voice cracks with passion most convincingly – though he’s just as effective when in detached, half-spoken mode.

Stylistically, he fits fitfully from acoustic folkiness to psychedelia to garage punk. There’s even a bit of jazz in there too. While such a mixture of genres may not reconcile easily for some, these records’ strengths – like those of The Searchers’ Sire output – lie less in any unfocussed versatility than their verification of the lost value of an adventurous musician in middle life sweating over some promising new material rather than taking the easier option of merely reworking old good ones.

Alan Clayson
- Record Collector UK


Discography

Dave Rave Discography- Selected Recordings
2010
Dave Rave - Live With What You Know

2007
Dave Rave and Mark McCarron- In The Blue Of My Dreams

2006

Jan 10 Dave Rave Anthology Volume 1 (Bullseye Records of Canada)
Jan 10 Dave Rave Anthology Volume 2 (Bullseye Records of Canada)

2005

Apr 6 Teenage Head: Frantic City re-issue (Unidisc)
Apr 20 Teenage Head: Some Kinda Fun re-issue (Unidisc)
May 5 Joe Mannix: Town By The Sea (Bongobeat)
Aug 16 The Trews: Den Of Thieves (Bumstead/Sony)

2004

Jan 1 LMT Connection: Universal Soul (Impression)
July 2 Dave Rave: Blue Springs Highway from Keepers Of The Scared Fire (Ind.)
Aug 18 Dave Rave & the Wretches: Here Comes The Sun from It Was Forty Years Ago Today (Bullseye Records)
Sept 2 Bill Culp: Roots and Roll (Bullseye Records)
Sept 7 Lauren Agnelli: Love Always Follows Me (Bongobeat)
Oct 16 Dave Rave and The Trews: Everyday Magic radio mix (Bullseye Records)
Dec 16 Michael Mazzarella: The Fellows of Mortimer DVD (Carry On Curtain Up)

2003

Mar 17 Junkhouse: Rounders- Best Of Junkhouse (Sony)
June 12 Dave Rave Group: Everyday Magic (Bullseye)
June 18 Dave Rave Group: Love Fades (Bullseye)
Aug 30 Grand Song Caravan: Promo Sampler (Bullseye)

2002

Apr 5 Various- Dave Rave Group: Driving In The Rain At 3am (Bongobeat)

2001

Feb 5 The Shakers: The Shakers (Bullseye)
Apr 17 Dave Rave and Mark McCarron: Another Side Of Love (Bongobeat)
Apr 21 Ralph: This Is For The Night People (Bongobeat)
July 29 Dave Rave Group: Valentino’s Pirates- Canadian release (Bullseye)
Dec 7 Dave Rave Group: Valentino’s Pirates (To m’ Lou US release)
Dec 11 Dave Rave Xmas Spirits: Xmas Wish List (Bullseye)

2000

May 31 Kate Schrock with Dave Rave: The Only One (DEG)
June 1 Dave Rave and Chris Stopa: It’s Impossible/ Anywhere Out Of The World (DEG)
June 2 The Rectangles: The Rectangles (Warpt)

1999

Apr 12 Lauren Agnelli & Dave Rave: Heaven and Earth (Mystery Tone/RNR/Outside)
May 28 Agnelli & Rave: Postcards From The Outside (Lazy Cat)

1998

Feb 22 Various- Agnelli & Rave: What’s That I Hear? The Songs Of Phil Ochs (Sliced Bread)
June 19 Various- Agnelli & Rave: It’s Only A Dream (Medulla Productions)
Aug 14 Various- Agnelli & Rave: Somewhere Down The Road (Lazy Cat)

1997

Sept 26 Lauren Agnelli & Dave Rave: Confetti! (Mystery Tone/Outside Music/Not Lame)
Sept 27 Ralph: Sophisticated Boom Boom (Bongobeat)

1996

Mar 6 Agnelli & Rave: Live At The Ultrasound, Toronto (Mystery Tone)
June 8 Agnelli & Rave: live! @ sidewalk FORT, nyc Vol. 2? (A & R)
Nov 30 Teenage Head: Teenage Head CD version (Other People’s Music)

1995

June 3 Agnelli & Rave: live! @ sidewalk FORT, nyc (A & R)
Oct 18 Agnelli & Rave: Cowboy Flowers Sessions (Mystery Tone/Outside Music)
Dec 12 The Shakers: The Shakers (Warpt)

1994

May 3 Dave Rave Conspiracy: Three Octave Fantastic Hexagram (Gritty City)
Oct 16 Various- Dave Rave Conspiracy: Rock My Child, Volume 2 (Whitehall)
Nov 14 Agnelli & Rave: blue vinyl 45- Pray For Rain/ I Work Nights/ Gulls Cry (Poteet Music Inc.)

1993

Apr 21 Dave Rave Conspiracy: Weight Of The World (video)
Oct 30 Various- The Shakers: Rock My Child (Whitehall)

1992

Feb 21 Dave Rave Conspiracy: Live At The Corktown (DRC)
Feb 26 Dave Rave Conspiracy: A One Act Play With V-8 Engines (DRC)
Feb 27 Dave Rave Conspiracy: Valentino’s Pirates (Melodiya Records Russian Release)
Apr 29 Dave Rave Conspiracy: Cool Soundzine (Morris Tunes)
Oct 1 Dave Rave Conspiracy: Unnerved (video)

1991

Jan 28 Dave Rave Conspiracy: Valentino’s Pirates (Mole- Canadian Release)
Apr 29 Various- Dave Rave Conspiracy: 1990 Volume 5 Melodiya Sampler (Melodiya)
Aug 25 Dave Rave Conspiracy: When Patty Rocked (video)

1990

Dec 15 Dave Rave: Pure Honey/ She’s On The Telephone (Mole)

1989

Mar 15 Teenage Head: Everybody Needs Somebody (video)
Apr 6 Teenage Head: Everybody Needs Somebody/Little Girl Don’t You Understand (Fringe)

1988

June 17 Teenage Head: Electric Guitar (Fringe)

1987

Mar 12 Teenage Head: Can’t Stop Shakin’ (Fringe)

1986

Jan 10 Teenage Head: Frantic Romantic (video)
Jan 24 Teenage Head: Trouble In The Jungle (Ahed)
Jan 29 Teenage Head: Frantic Romantic/ Get Down (Ahed)
Mar 3 Tom Wilson & The Florida Razors: Half A Rock ‘n Roll Record (Warpt)

1985

May 29 Dave Rave & The Sensations starring Gordie Lewis: Lipstick Lies/Hit Me (Warpt)
June 5 Teenage Head: Frantic Romantic/ I Can’t Pretend (Warpt)

1984

Apr 27 Teenage Head: Endless Party (Ready)
May 31 Teenage Head: Top Down/ Picture My Face (Ready)

1983

May 12 Teenage Head: Tornado- single (MCA)
May 20 Teenage Head: Tornado- EP (MCA)
Aug 19 Teenage Head: Blood Boogie (MCA)
Nov 11 The Shakers: Weekend (Warpt)

1982

Apr 1 Teenage Head: Some Kinda Fun (Attic)
June 8 Teenage Head: Let’s Go To Hawaii (Attic)
June 11 The Shakers: California/Do Anything (Warpt)

1981

Apr 24 The Shakers: Rock and Roll

Photos

Bio

Dave Rave is a musician's musician. To the general public, he's the manic Teenage Head rhythm guitarist who graduated to lead singer and catapulted the band back into the charts; but musicians know him as a valued session player (Daniel Lanois, Andrew Loog Oldham, Alex Chilton, and countless others) who can play the best version of a song he's never heard.

Here is Dave in Paris, 2009.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzZaXnmgAt8

Dave began his music career in his high school years writing songs and performing driving acoustic rock and folk-pop in and around their native Hamilton. This evolved into the wildly popular, The Shakers, from 1979-1982 with Rick Andrews, Tim Gibbons and Claude DesRoches. They charted many singles with albums produced by Daniel Lanois (U2) and Jack Richardson (Guess Who, Alice Cooper). Their garage rockapunkabilly sound ignited the masses during their reign.

Following the break-up of The Shakers, Dave took over as lead singer of the already popular Teenage Head. Dave replaced Frankie Venom who incidentally had worked with Dave on several other projects including a band named Madonna. Dave Rave continued to take Teenage Head on an upward trajectory with radio friendly hits like "Can't Stop Shakin". Dave left Teenage Head after a successful run to try things out on his own.

Often referred to as a Canadian Nick Lowe, Dave was the first North American artist to sign to Russia's Melodiya record label and recorded Valentino's Pirates in 1989 as The Dave Rave Group. They were originally known as the Dave Rave Conspiracy but this name was changed to appease cold war era Russian sensibilities. Press surrounding this release included a CBC documentary revisiting Russia with the group as well as 3 promotional videos that were in heavy rotation at Much Music in Canada. Some of the players on this album included Gary "Pig" Gold, Coyote Shivers, Jack Pedler and Television's Billy Ficca. Bullseye Records re-issued the album for the first time on CD in 2001 and the positive reviews continue to pour in.

The next Dave Rave Conspiracy album, Three Octave Fantastic Hexagram, included many of the players from the Valentino's album with the addition of former Washington Squares player, Lauren Agnelli. Lauren and Dave formed an incredible creative partnership that resulted in 3 Agnelli & Rave albums over the next ten years including the critically acclaimed Cowboy Flowers Sessions, Heaven and Earth, and Confetti!, not to mention a song writing partnership that flourishes to this day with hundreds of songs to their name.

Media continually notes "his sharp pop intelligence means the songwriting is of high standard." Dave continues to produce incredible music in a wide variety of genres from jazz to folk to rockabilly to punk. But it is Dave's pop sensibilities and his devotion to making music that is honest, intimate and real regardless of whether he touches you with smiles, tears or the occasional urge to pogo in your living room.

The Dave Rave Group's second album, Everyday Magic, was released in 2003 and features players from his former bands such as Teenage Head, The Shakers and bands and musicians whose projects he has worked on in either in a musician’s capacity and/or in production roles such as The Trews, Joe Mannix and Kate Schrock. "Love Fades" and the title track "Everyday Magic" featuring ECMA winners and Juno nominees, The Trews, received airplay at radio in Canada and the US.

Dave spends his time in Canada and the US playing live, producing, writing and coming up with more ideas to bring great musicians together for the purpose of entertaining themselves and the masses. Dave Rave continues to tour internationally with over 100 dates this past year in Canada, The US and Europe. He was recently shortlisted for a Grammy this year.