Interview with Chris Brebner of RAVENHALL.
KIA ORA! HOW ARE YOU?
Good thanks Shelley, crazy times we’re living in!
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WHO IS RAVENHALL?
Joe Ravenhall – Guitar
Chris Brebner – Vocals
Damian Hilt – Drums
Alan Treanor – Bass
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HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC TO SOMEONE WHO HASN’T HEARD IT?
I always struggle with this one… passionate acoustic guitar driven songs and evocative storytelling, we also incorporate a slight electronic edge in the padding and percussion to add more dynamics and create a full soundscape.
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HOW HAS 2020 AND 2021 BEEN FOR YOU BOTH MUSICALLY AND PERSONALLY?
Personally, it’s been a tough couple of years for a few of us in the band, I’ve just purchased a new construction company (9 days before the second lockdown!) which has definitely come with some challenges. I believe lockdown has put pressure on all of our relationships and mental health in varying forms but we’ve all helped each other through the challenges & come through it stronger than before. The hard times resulted in some great inspiration musically as well so it’s seen Joe & I write a few more songs than we would usually have. When the emotions are high, the music’s good. We’re also very proud of the latest EP so it was nice to have a jewel in the crown after all the chaos of the last two years.
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SO I WAS LOOKING AT YOUR SPOTIFY AND SAW YOU HAVE RELEASED A TRACK HERE THERE BUT LAST YEAR YOU RELEASED A FEW AND THIS YEAR YOU HAD THE EP. DID LOCKDOWN HAVE MUCH TO DO WITH THE SURGE IN NEW MUSIC?
Definitely. Joe & I have small home studios set up that we could send tracks back & forth to each other and Joe has been dipping his toes in the engineering & producing pool so with the extra time Lockdowns have provided we’ve really grown as recording artists. The Coming Storm EP was a reward to ourselves in a way. To spend a full week in Parachute Studios with Christian Tjandrawinata producing was unreal. Although you pay considerably more for the experience, the end product is something we could never have hoped to replicate in a home studio.
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WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS LIKE? HOW DO YOU GO FROM IDEA TO FINISHED PRODUCT?
Joe is always writing. We’ll meet up at my house for a few beers and he’ll run through the riffs he’s been creating. Sometimes just a verse or sometimes he has the whole song planned already. I’ll try a few vocal melodies with him until we agree on the sound then I’ll write the lyrics. Songs can take anywhere from 20 minutes to write (Such as ‘Love Like That’) or in some cases we’ll spend weeks working on a track until we’re happy. Once we have the track ready to go acoustically, we’ll meet up with the full band and run ideas until the song is complete and ready for inclusion in a show.
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HOW DO YOU DEICDE ON YOUR COVER ART FOR SINGLES AND THE EP?
I go onto a site called Pexels where artists have put a range of visual art up for free download and use. I’ll try and find an image that encompasses what the song is about lyrically then put together an album cover on a website called Canva. I’ll usually have five to ten drafts and send it to the band for approval before uploading to the world. I really enjoy the process.
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YOU JUST RELEASED YOUR NEW EP ‘THE COMING STORM’, IT IS AN INCREDIBLE EP! HOW HAS THE RELEASE AND RECEPTION OF THE EP BEEN FOR YOU?
Thanks so much! We had planned for a small set of shows in Auckland & Tauranga to celebrate the release, but Covid put a stop to that unfortunately. The response has been amazing, I think the songs are resonating with people because of how honest they are and also the production value on the tracks is something you don’t hear everyday locally. The EP is really speaking to peoples hearts and we’re extremely proud & honoured to hear peoples reactions.
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HOW DID THE ‘WHISKEY ON THE WATER’ COLLABORATION WITH JEREMY REDMORE & DAVID FRANSEN COME ABOUT?
Jeremy & I have been friends since we were 8 years old growing up in Tauranga. We used to support each others shows back in the day. I always wanted to write and record a song with him but we just never found the time to get together and make it happen until recently. Jeremy is an incredible songwriter who I truly respect so it was a great experience to sit down and write ‘Whisky’ with him. The song is about fishing with my grandfather when I was a child. Jeremy and I talked for a long time about the experience and then crafted the music around it which is back to front of how I usually operate. David Fransen is my cousin and was in the studio filming the music video for ‘Love Like That’ he’s also a fantastic musician so as the song was about our grandfather, I told him to grab a guitar and jump on the track with us. Joe, David & Christian literally ran through the song twice and then we recorded it live which is what you hear on the album. It was an honour to have them on the track and a wonderful tribute to my Grandfather.
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FOR YOUR ‘LOVE LIKE THAT’ VIDEO, YOU RELEASE AN IN-STUDIO STYLE PERFORMANCE VIDEO. WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO DO THAT FOR THE VIDEO?
Parachute studios is truly beautiful. The lighting and setup is made for recording a music video and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to truly capture what it was like recording the EP there. I’ve always wanted to do a studio video and when my cousin said his company All Good Media could fit us in I jumped at the chance. It’s great looking back at the video and remembering the experience too, we’re wrapped with the result.
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IS THERE MUCH PLANNED FOR RAVENHALL (AS MUCH AS CAN BE PLANNED RIGHT NOW)?
We’d love to get back out there and play some shows!!! I think the last three gigs we’ve planned have had six different delays due to Covid so it’s been a frustrating experience. We’ve always been a live band, the connection with the audience is what fuels us so hopefully we can at least do a small set of shows early next year. In the interim, we’re still writing feverishly and we’re keen to put out a full length album in the next twelve months.
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SOME FUN QUESTIONS:
FAVE SNACK?
Purple Pals.
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OVERUSED PHRASE?
You don’t get better at something by not doing it (Drives my kids insane)
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IF YOU COULD START A RUMOUR ABOUT YOURSELF, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
That we’re releasing an album next year and supporting it with a nationwide tour, the power of positive thinking right?
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