The RaveUps

A couple of years ago an idea was hatched to launch a British Invasion era tribute band. Not one of those Vegas impersonator acts but a band of highly skilled and passionate musicians, playing the songs as they might have been played by the original bands in the nightclubs of England. They were loose, high energy and having fun! The Beatles, and Stones were well represented already, but no one had thought to do a Yardbirds tribute yet. Having spawned three of the greatest guitarist to come out of England, it seemed like the best choice to cover.
Always considered one of the best and most respected of the British Invasion bands, The Yardbirds unique combination of inspired musicianship and experimental genius fit the bill perfectly. From British renditions of Mississippi blues songs with a young Eric Clapton, to the edge of psychedelia with an unbridled Jeff Beck and a broodish Jimmy Page, The Yardbirds changed the early rock landscape then as it does today. A tribute to The Yardbirds presentes the challenge of creating accurate renditions of the recorded Yardbirds songs, and their free-flowing and jams called “RAVES”.
The musicians picked came from decades of professional studio, and world touring experience. We all poured over recordings, videos and books dissecting the songs, feels, instrumental parts, equipment, clothes, sights and sounds…everything we could,…to dig into the heart and soul of The Yardbirds. For the next six months we studied and practiced over twenty of the songs that were The Yardbirds best known material. Sounding like a ‘bar band’ doing Yardbirds covers was not the goal! What The RaveUps do is re-create the sound and feel of The Yardbirds in the most detail we can. Playing accurate renditions of the recorded versions of Yardbirds songs is what The RaveUps are all about.
As it turns out keeping the bar high is never-ending. The quest for accuracy in terms of songs, parts, feel and attitude is an ongoing process that we all embrace and appreciate. The more we know about The Yardbirds the more detail we hear and implement. And in the end it has become more about the journey we share and not as much about the goal or an end. Have a look and listen…The RaveUps hope you like what you find.
The RaveUps