Musician or composer
Ravens
Category: Musician or composer
Ravens
Ravens are a group formed in late 2012 with three members, all of whom had played with other groups previously, but who decided to get together to create a new kind of music based on what they perceived from 'inspiration' and spiritual experience, rather than hard slog and perspiration. If they succeed [and there is no reason why they shouldn't given their natural talent] they might be one of the first set of musicians for a very long time to produce 'celestial music' on a regular basis. The group members are:
- Singer songwriter and drummer – Robert Dann
- Singer songwriter and Keyboard player- Robert Last aka The Fox
- Singer Songwriter and Guitarist Richard McTague
Their music is already very different and hauntingly beautiful. But their ambition is to create far more songs like this. What they have produced so far is particularly noteworthy given that they all live in different counties and currently have day jobs.
At the moment the discussion is centering around the need to find 'the lost chord' and the band seek particular inspiration from William Byrd , Thomas Tallis [1505-1585] and other composers who lived and worked before Western Music began to drift towards Equal-temperament. The current tuning of instruments around the standard Concert pitch, is not ideal to represent 'heard music', as such they are experimenting with different frequencies and soundscapes more in line with Plato and Pythagorus's ratios. If they manage to find the 'lost chord' there will be a barrage of musicians who will fall on their knees with gratitude. Pete Townshend of the Who, for example, has been trying to recreate the celestial music he heard as a child the whole of his life.
All of them experimented at one time with 'interesting' substances and undoubtedly the door was opened for them by these actions, Rob the Fox had his door opened for him by the mis-prescription of Codeine and for a short while suffered the same fate as Howard Hughes. But now they get their inspiration by much subtler means.
Robert Dann uses Communing with nature and methods of Relaxation. He has the added advantage of being naturally left handed – although his granny and father made him use his right hand when he was small, so he is now ambidextrous.
Rob the Fox was born very premature and thus is naturally spiritually inclined with a highly developed ear not only for music but significantly frequencies which normally lie outside the threshold of human hearing.
As an artist, Richard McTague lends a pictorial, cinematographic angle to the band's soundscapes and imagery, often suggesting lyrical phrases which complement the musical moods set up by the rest of the band. He also created the cover artwork for the band's EP which can be seen on their website.
The Ravens named themselves after the Common Raven (Corvus corax) because they hoped that they could help to cast aside the barrage of bad press that these highly intelligent and companionable birds have received over the years.
You can hear some of their music on Sound of Ravens, but there is an added interest to the observation I have provided.
'Celestial' music can act as the inspiration if heard by others, of inspiring them in a sort of constructive chain reaction. The film that you see on the observation was produced by Howard Ashley Storey without his ever having met the group or discussed their needs. He was directly inspired by their music and came up with the themes and animations that now accompany their song 'Brothers'.
The group are currently creating new music and working on a live set that will include filmed accompaniment in the manner of Syd Barrett's early Pink Floyd shows. Live dates will be announced on their website and via social media.
Observations
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