The Revelevens

I had never heard of The Revelevens who are from Baltimore but was pleasantly surprised by how good they are... Great Vocals and good musicianship.. I really enjoyed the first track "Punk Rock Show" it was punk mixed with some cool twinges of rockabilly... Track 12 Tupper Beware is very clever and track 14 World Whore III is a hoot... All in all I highly recommend this band and CD alot. - Punkglobe.com

The Revelevens aren’t like most punk bands: they’re not so much into the whole screaming thing. But then again, is it really necessary to raise your voice when your subject matter includes zombie chickens? I didn’t think so. This four-piece band from the DC-area plays so fast, you may need a few minutes to collect yourself when they’re done. Comprised of former members of Cheerleaders of the Apocalypse, Die Cheerleader Die (are you noticing a theme, too?), Flinch, The Homeowners, and Shorty, this is definitely a band with a hilariously black sense of humor. Carrie Donovan does the vocals, Mike Trail plays “guiltar”, Archibald William Wertz IV plays bass, and Shaun Rafferty is on drums. With their powers combined, they are The Revelevens, and they will destroy you. Because they breathe fire, you know. The odd name refers to Revelations 11 (like, in the Bible) , which is about “prophets who breathe fire and die horribly”.So, what do these prophets sound like? Their influences include The Misfits, Janis Joplin, Black Sabbath, Demented Are Go, and a slew of other bands that probably don’t belong in the same sentence. Singer Carrie is described as “a hard-drinking girl with a zombie fetish who sounds a lot like Danzig ”. Sounds a lot like my new best friend. The band has a 7-song demo that they released in November 2004, and they have an even newer , full-length album entitled "Show Me on the Doll Where the Music Touched You” coming out this summer. You can preview three of their latest hits on their website, http://www.revelevens.com. Or you can continue reading and I’ll preview them for you.

“Zombie Chicken” is the unfortunate tale of voodoo magic gone terribly awry. I hate it when that happens, don’t you? The song is fast, heavy, and full of “finger lickin’ zombie chicken”. Possibly one of the greatest phrases ever uttered in lyrical history. The song has been played on RetroFoward Radio, Mohawk Radio, and Canada‘s CJLO radio. “Amor Vincit Omnia” will have you bobbing your head joyously and wondering at the same time exactly when the correct time to breathe is between the tightly-packed words. “Pervy Camp Counselor” …All I have to say is “Let me be your wild summer squall”. Sometimes, you just have to let the music speak for itself. Which is why I’d highly recommend hitting up the band’s website, or adding them on Myspace.com. As an added bonus, you can go see them on August 14th at the DC9 in Washington DC . They’re also playing on September 3rd at Blank Generation in Little Rock , Arkansas , for all you mid-western folk.

Anyway, I’ll conclude with a quote from Mike on his Revelevenist duties: “I throw my weight around like a weight watcher cheating at Old Country Buffet.” Mmmm. Chicken.
- Kristen Dunleavy

The Revelevens
Welcome to Baltimore
5 out of 5 stars

The Revelevens play punk, horror, and drinking songs. Sign me up! They hail from Baltimore and are entering their fifth year as a band. Lead singer and self-proclaimed "psychobilly girl," Carrie Donovan, sent me their soon-to-be second album and it's full of gems. This is one reason I love my job--I get to find out about awesome music and then share it with you guys.

One of my favorite things about this album is how Carrie attacks every word in the lyrics. You can hear everything she says! I've listened to the album several times now and I can't get tired of their sound.

Each song has you gritting your teeth, raising a fist in the air, and banging your head. The album is a blend of Dead Kennedys, Mad Sin, and a pinch of The Pogues.

Baltimore Fire is a classic in the making. It's one of those songs you need to sing with friends while drinking a few pints of Guinness. Cover Bands is hilarious--if you've ever gone to a shady little bar where bands play nothing by Styx, Jethro Tull, and Fleetwood Mac you'll get a kick out of this song.

This band is on fire. Consider me a fan. I plan to keep an eye on them and I suggest you do the same. - Renegade Grinder

Ok, listening to this CD made me feel like I was in a dirty bar in some downtown city where the bouncer had tattoos on his fat baldhead. This is great garage band music for the 100 or so fans that love this group. The songs are kind of catchy, the music is loud (even on the CD) and I can imagine the band plays loud in person. I see these guys just thrashing around on stage, very wasted and not giving a damn – but hey isn’t that rock and roll? The catchiest track would have to be Amore Vincit Omnia (Love Conquers All). - Unsigned Music Magazine

So, I figured as a staff member here, I should do something. So what better place to start than with an interview of one of my favorite Baltimore bands, The Revelevens. Why? Because they have a great song called Zombie Chicken and this is a zombie site, isn't it? Anyway, this is my first interview so cut me a bit of slack on it.

I have a copy of their demo and must admit to being a big fan of The Revelevens. I've caught their shows in D.C., Baltimore, Virginia, and Manhatten and plan to catch many more. Man, I hope this isn't making me sound like some type of stalker. I best move on to posting the interview now.

~Hateful

Hateful Display: So, I realize I already know the story personally, but can you share a bit about how the Revelevens came into existence and the changes that you've gone through since the band was formed?

Carrie: Revelevens comes from Revelations 11, a Bible passage about two prophets who breathe fire and die horribly. Before the Revelevens, I was in a band called Cheerleaders of the Apocalypse with a guitarist who believed he was one of those prophets. He said he talked to God and he died shortly after that. In 2004, Shaun joined the band and we decided to change the name. The original Revelevens were me, Shaun, and these two teenagers named Drew (bass) and Alex (guitar). They flaked out that summer and quit to form another band because I wasn't writing songs fast enough. Drew was my roommate, too. He moved out one day without any notice and sent me an e-mail saying he was quitting the band. I think he was afraid I'd kick his ass.

To replace Alex, I asked my friend Mike Homeowner to play guitar. He was already in Babies With Rabies, but said OK anyway. We played one show with my ex-boyfriend Patrick on bass (now he's in the Charm City Saints), then Mike brought in his old Homeowners bass player, Billy. We recorded a demo last November with him on it. Randy from the Vicious Kings (another old roommate) has also played bass for us on occasion, especially on road trips Billy wasn't up to playing. This summer Billy quit because he realized the rest of us wanted to play out a lot more often than he wanted to. This fall we had another big switch-up. Shaun's arthritis got so bad he had to stop playing drums, so he switched to guitar and Mike switched to bass. Another ex-boyfriend, Mike Menace, joined on drums and played about four shows before I had to fire him. Right now we need a drummer--preferably someone I haven't lived or slept with.

HD: What bands do you feel the Revelevens draw most of their influence from?

Carrie: Mike and Shaun will probably say metal bands. I'd say the Misfits are a big influence on me. I'm also a big fan of pretty much every psychobilly band ever. Psychobilly is the majority of my CD collection. But a lot of our material isn't horror related at all, just fighting and drinking songs. For that kind of inspiration, I listen to Rancid and The Kings of Nuthin'.

Shaun: Everything we've ever listened to.

HD: What do you feel your greatest accomplishments have been so far as the Revelevens?

Shaun: Not sucking.

Carrie: Playing CBGBs was definitely a high point earlier this month. It was also pretty cool to play at Nation and the Ottobar, just for the fact that these are places where famous bands play. We spent way too much time checking out all the stickers of all the other bands that had been there before us. I'm also pretty proud of winning the Charm City Rollergirls theme song audience vote at the Ottobar. They gave us laminated season passes. We're still waiting to see if our song becomes their official theme song.

HD: Our main reason for the interview is your song, Zombie Chicken. What was the inspiration behind this song?

Shaun: It started as a joke when Carrie couldn't come up with lyrics for the music. I told her to write it about chickens.

Carrie: Shaun introduced the guitar line first. There's a little stuttering squawky riff in there that sounds a little like a rooster. He came up with the title and I wrote the lyrics around it. I was thinking about a voodoo god having some fun and raising a sacrificed chicken from the dead.
HD: Any thoughts of doing additional zombie-themed songs in the future? If so, mind throwing us a bone here to get us drooling about the idea?

Shaun: You'll have to talk to Carrie about that. I don't write lyrics.

Carrie: Sure, Ron. I'll write one just for you. Maybe I'll write one about a boy who watches zombie movies all day...

HD: Sounds like a really cool guy to hang out with. Anyway, you cover other aspects of horror in your music as well. What's your favorite subject of horror to write songs about?

Carrie: I like to combine horror and humor. "Zombie Chicken" is just such a not scary concept. And "Leper" has the punchline of "How am I supposed to tell you how much I love you when I ain't even got lips?" I also have a song the band doesn't play called "Chalupacabra" that's about a demonic, yet adorable chihuahua named Maxie.

HD: Do you enjoy zombie films or novels? If so, what are your favorites?

Shaun: Zombie film are good, I've never read any zombie novels.

Carrie: Filmwise, I loved "Shaun of the Dead" and "28 Days Later." I just read a zombie book by Christopher Moore called "The Stupidest Angel" that was entertaining but I felt like one of my nerdy friends was narrating and trying too hard to be funny.

(Carrie mentioned that Mike likes Night of the Living Dead. Mike declined the interview, feeling that Carrie would mention everything there was worth saying.)

HD: How about the stinkers? Seen any zombie films that you particularly hated?

Shaun: None that I can think of at the moment.

Carrie: Yes. Lots of them. I won't name names, but low budget movies aren't my bag unless they have good plotlines and dialogue. Disclaimer: I'd still totally allow my songs to be used in a low budget horror flick any day of the week.

HD: What do you think of the subgenre of zombie films in horror in general?

Carrie: Zombies are cool. They eat brains. And when you have a zombie problem on your hands, society as you know it is pretty much over and you have even more to worry about than just protecting your brains. But I think it's too easy to write a script for a zombie movie when you know half of the action is going to revolve around stumbling people and gore.

Shaun: I think you're getting to in depth with the whole zombie thing.

HD: Me? Never. So, let's get back to your band then, shall we? Anything new and exciting coming up with the Revelevens?

Shaun: Hopefully a drummer, soon.

Carrie: Hopefully, a new drummer and some gigs at roller derbies.

HD: Lastly, where might interested parties hear your music or snatch up ademo disc?

Carrie: You can go to http://www.revelevens.com or http://www.myspace.com/therevelevens for MP3's. Or you can send Mike $3.oo for a demo at 410 W. 23rd St. Baltimore, MD 21211. - Zombie-A-GoGo

By Tracy Williams
Special to Metromix

Published November 21, 2005

I wouldn't dare suggest that I am the most worldly, most experienced and most jaded quasi-journalist that you'll ever have the pleasure of reading, but I feel confident in saying that I've tried a lot of things. It's rare that I have absolutely no frame of reference for a particular experience. That said, I must admit that when I heard Baltimore's nascent roller derby team, the Charm City Roller Girls, was hosting a suspension show by suspension troupe Sub-Culture at the Whole Gallery, I had to ask roller girl Frenzy Lohan exactly what the hell a suspension show was.

"It's sort of like a cross between performance art and ritualistic ceremony," she told me. "Basically, they stick these hooks really deep through their skin, attach ropes to the hooks, and then they get lifted into the air so they're just hanging there by their skin alone."

"Dude. What the fuck?" I said.

"There'll be free beer," she said.

"I'm there," I said.

And I was, last Saturday night. The crowd in the well-lit Whole Gallery was a curious amalgam of different scenes. There were rockabilly pompadours, hardcore kids, the Charm City Roller Girls and their associated hipster scene, a smattering of artsy types, and those who don't get nearly enough opportunities to see other human beings hanging by their flesh.

Since the show was sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon, Roller Girls Meanie Mouse and Cheetah Torpedah dispersed PBR like it was going out of style (there's an obvious joke to be made here, but what kind of journalist would mock a corporation that gave him free beer? Not this one.).

The solid rockabilly-influenced punk rock of Junkrod Joe and the Cadillac Hearse had a tough time competing for attention with suspension artists Joe and Ady of Sub-Culture wandering around the gallery. Joe was shirtless and Ady wore a tank top and short skirt. Both of them are highly tattooed. The real distraction, though, was the four massive hooks that pierced the skin on their upper backs. They also sported a series of slightly smaller hooks near the center of their backs.

Soon after Junkrod's set ended, a circle cleared in the middle of the gallery. Ady sat cross-legged in the center. Above her a metal harness was attached to a pulley, and John of Sub-Culture attached ropes to the hooks in her back, legs and arms. For a warm-up, Joe dragged Roller Girl Allie Verkhlosoff around the circle skating behind him and hanging onto the ropes that were attached to the hooks in his upper back, so that she was a charioteer and he was the horse.

Joe upped the ante when a large guy stepped from the crowd to take the "reins." This dude wasn't on roller skates, but his shoes slid across the hardwood floor effortlessly. And then, just in case anybody was rolling their eyes dismissively and saying, "Geez, dragging 200 pounds of dude using nothing but the skin on your back is so easy," Joe had two guys from the audience take a couple of ropes each, lie on their backs and he dragged them around, grinning the whole time. A number of people became pale and decided to move away from the performance space.

Finally, Joe cleared the floor, and Ady gave the go signal. She remained cross-legged, perfectly still, as the loose ropes going to the pulley became tighter and tighter and tighter until holymotherofGodthatchickistotallygettingliftedoffthegroundbyherskinthatisreallydisturbing.

I gazed up at Ady hanging some 10 feet above the ground in what was, unquestionably, the least comfortable position I had ever seen a living human being assume, and I couldn't help but revisit my original question: What the fuck? No, seriously. What the fuck?

Suspension.org later provided some answers.

According to the Web site there are many different reasons to suspend. Some people seek the opportunity to discover a deeper sense of self and to challenge pre-determined belief systems, which may not be true. Some seek a spiritual encounter to let go of the fear that they're not whole inside their bodies. Others look for control over their bodies, or seek to prove that they are more than their bodies, or are not their bodies at all.

I hate to be snarky (OK, OK, I love to be snarky), but if somebody wanted to challenge a pre-determined belief system that might not be true, I would suggest reading Bertrand Russell before I would suggest hanging by your damn skin. But, you know, many paths and all.

As Ady remained immobile and expressionless in the lotus position, it really did look like she was having a private spiritual experience -- as private and spiritual an experience as one can have while surrounded by drunk screaming hardcore kids and hipsters. After about two minutes in the lotus position, a helper cut the ropes that were going to her legs, and Ady was left hanging solely by the skin on her back. After about a minute of that, she was slowly lowered back to the ground, where everybody who did not have their hands clasped over their mouths gave her a hearty ovation.

Here's an interesting coda: If you thought there could be nothing more uncomfortable than being suspended by your skin, you'd be wrong. After the performance, I stood in a very long line to the unisex bathroom. The Revelevens were setting up on stage, and I heard a girl in line call out, "Excuse me, does anybody mind if I cut in front? Please? I've had to pee for a really long time." Yeah, you and everyone else, I thought, but when I turned to see whose bladder could be more important than mine, there was Ady. Needless to say, everyone ceded bathroom privileges to her. When she came back out, Ady explained that she'd had to delay her bathroom experience for a long time, because it would have been too much trouble to remove the hooks in her thighs and put them back in again before the performance.

The next CCRG event is a nice old-fashioned Battle of the Bands at the Ottobar on Nov. 25. I have it on good authority that there will be more free beer and less distended, perforated human skin.
- Metromix

Hmmmm ...This Sounds Familiar
Can't put my finger on it but at 3 AM I'll sit straight up in bed in a cold sweat and scream "Noooo!"

Seriously, listen to the lyrics in this one and you'll get what I'm saying. Filthy! Funny!

Great progressions and runs for the guitar and bass. Not the usual bang it out in 4/4. Some definite musicianship going on here. Guitar, bass, drums, and vocalist all come together during the verse and then settle in their own places during the chorus.



- Beer_ME
Mclean, Virginia
August 22nd, 2005 - Garageband.com

Fricken Awesome!!!!!!!!
This guys rock. Probably one of the best tunes I've heard on this website. Nice fast paced punk tune with a metal edge, I love it when this is done in this category.

The performance of this song is great. This band is tight and plays awesomely together.

The guitars rule. You gotta love a hard guitar driven song like this one.

The vocalist rules. You don't hear too many female vocalist in this genre and she does it right. She has a great range, great voice, and could probably sing any type of genre if she wanted to. However, she does this song and punk overall a lot of justice. Thumbs up for this vocalist, she rules.

This song is produced very well. Great sound and great overall recording, thumbs up for production on this one.

Overall, a great song, this band really has their shit together, I can't believe they are not signed yet. Keep it up.
Reviewed by: somewhatslack from Flint, Michigan - Garageband.com

Get Punk'd With the Revelevens
By Emily Campbell
Examiner Staff Writer

Baltimore-based punk band The
Revelevens have decided to do things the hard way.

“We’re a little more technical
and we’re female-fronted, which is
a big difference [from most punk
bands],” Revelevens bassist Mike
Trail said. “We’re a punk band but
there’s more to it than three-chord
Ramones stuff.”

Lead vocalist Carrie Donovan
agreed. “We’re a melodic punk band, sometimes called ‘horror rock,’ ” she said, comparing their sound to the Misfits but “more complicated musically.”

The Revelevens are gearing up
for their show Saturday with the Sin
City Gamblers, Kat D e l u x e and Danny Kay at the Full Moon Saloon.

T h e band consists of 29-yearold Donovan, 27-year-old Trail, 28-year-old guitarist Shaun Rafferty, 29-year-old guitarist Bill Wertz and 30-year-old drummer Steve “Honus” Baumgartner. The members had all been a part of other bands before Donovan started The Revelevens two years ago.

The band recently finished a twoweek national tour to Las Vegas and back, promoting its recent album, which was released in June. Titled “Show Me On the Chicken Where the Music Touched You,” the CD is the band’s full-length debut, consists of 15 songs recorded over one weekend.

Donovan said that her ultimate
goal for the band would be to get label representation, but that she would be satisfied gaining fans by continuing to play locally. Trail agreed, saying he’s just in it “to play rock and roll. The idea of being signed is secondary to just playing,” he said.

As for motivation to getting people to come to the show, Trail replied that there would be “cheap booze, loud music and fun.”

What more motivation could you need?
- Baltimore Examiner

The Revelevens - Welcome to Baltimore (myspace.com/therevelevens)

With fast-talkin’ (actually singing) Carrie Donovan on vocals, Shaun Rafferty’s melodic, buzzing guitar, Billy Wertz’s pumpin’ bass, and Honus pounding out a drumbeat that matches Carrie’s non-stop verbal assault, you have a raucous punkabilly band - The Revelevens!

Songs like “Die, You Zombie Bastards,” “Arsenic and Old Lace,” and “Punk Rock Show” all have the best moonshine-swilling, twisted, and primitive county blues back-beats around! In fact, the latter song besides being a blustery, rock ‘n’ roller call-to-arms, also sounds like an answer song to Blink’s “Rock Show,” only this time The Revelevens get it right.

The album's crawling trek through the lives of folks who could never had been contenders (and know it), is reminiscent of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and especially Social Distortion. But the ever-present danger of all-things bad, is overshadowed by the gut-busting melodies and a power supply (the whole band), that, although there is shtick found in some of the lyrics, the entire album just swoops down and pins you to the ground from start to finish. Neither pisstakes or homage’s are on Welcome to Baltimore, these guys don’t write hate, or love songs-at least not the kind you’re probably use to-they simply write what they feel, hear, and see. And as they say, a mind my friend, is a terrible thing to taste!

Sure, they may be hicks from the wrong side of town, but hey, so were Southern Culture On The Skids, and Social Distortion, as far as being able to tell it like it as, as far as real life stories, with brawn and brains. They Revelevens are as likely to write about social decay (“Stagnation”), as well as hit you with a wink and a smirk (“Cover Bands“). Hell, the entire album sounds like a full-throttle, barrage from the garage, as far as speed, power, and almighty rock ‘n’ roll are concerned. The Ramones or The Cramps got nuthin’ on these cats, other than they did it first. The Revelevens are the real deal!! - Jersey Beat