Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
This band has no press
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Hailing from the tiny Oregon Coast Range town of Swisshome are THE RAVENTONES, a "rural bohemian soul" duo consisting of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist TR Kelley and drummer/percussionist Randy Hamme.
Bandleader TR Kelley's easy & engaging stage presence readily reflects her 20+ years of gigging everywhere from rowdy roadhouses and smoky jazz clubs to big outdoor festival stages. Before the launching of THE RAVENTONES, TR was known primarily as a bassist & vocalist the late 90's Oregon fem-folk powerhouse Babes With Axes.
An expressive and intense vocalist, TR's smoky alto voice is most often compared to Phoebe Snow and Joan Armatrading. Her current favorite axe is a baritone electric guitar, a very low-tuned six-string hybrid of bass and guitar that in TR's aggressive hands becomes a whole band unto itself. The barky, twangy, freight-train roar of this big guitar fills so much sonic space, the listeners often ask, "I hear bass, but who's playing it?"
TR's brawny approach to her acoustic guitar has been colored by the late Michael Hedges in many ways. Low altered tunings, percussive techniques and signal processing technology are all utilized for maximum sonic and psychic impact. It’s not all pyrotechnics however, delicate fingerstyle ballads show TR’s quieter side in a soft light.
Sound engineer and former venue manager Randy Hamme has only
recently emerged in public as a drummer, yet his amazing mind-meld
with TR's music, his innovative rock solid frameworks and retro percussion textures leave no doubt that he's found his natural niche, in front of a red-sparkle vintage drumkit, physically and metaphorically driving the Raven-bus around the Left coast.
The sheer amount of real-time music generated by this duo is amazing. There are no loopers, samples or computers in this show, just two people riding the wave of creation energy as it happens. When they take the stage and turn it "on", heads turn and hearts listen.
The RAVENTONES first album, "odd birds", is now available for order at www.cdbaby.com and is beginning to receive nationwide airplay on college and independent radio stations.
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