Ravenna Woods joined Sonicbids in the hopes of reaching out to large festivals in North America, and now they’ve been chosen for the “Road to KAHBang! Music Festival” opening up for Hey Marseilles (another Sonicbids band) on their East Coast six city tour. They’ve been a Sonicbids member for less than a year, but are quickly making waves in their hometown of Seattle, WA and beyond. With this tour, they’ll get the chance to expand to the East Coast for the first time. Pretty cool for a band that was started in the complete isolation of the Marshall Islands.
An Island Life
Chris Cunningham (vocals, guitar, mandolin, percussion) started his musical journey in 2007 when he was hired as a teacher for a boarding school in the Marshall Islands. To keep him company, he only brought an acoustic guitar and 4-track recorder with him. It was here that the idea was planted for Ravenna Woods.
During his time on the islands, Chris started to experiment with the styling of acoustic music and song formation. “I hope that the accessible nature of the band’s sound helps introduce people to less conventional percussion patterns, song structures and instrumentation,” Chris states. In the isolation of the islands he created the beginnings of songs using his acoustic guitar, a ukulele, and choral music. He would take this love of unconventional writing back to Seattle with him.
Seattle: From Grunge to Gong
Chris returned to Seattle in 2008. At the time, he was unhappy with the way the music industry was moving. Seattle, the birthplace of grunge music, is now home to a new wave of musicians, and the music heard on the radio and TV didn’t interest Chris in the slightest. On his own, he kept experimenting with his new music and hoped to find others that shared similar interests.
Upon his return, Chris met Brantley Duke (vocals, xylophone, percussion), a local record engineer and musician. Chris and Brantley had grown up in the same town their whole lives, but had never met until then. At the time, Brantley was recording a band that Chris knew, and soon their discussions turned to music and writing. They bonded over their mutual love of composers like Danny Elfman, and Balinese Gamelan music, which features a distinct orchestra including metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs played in polyrhythmic and syncopated patterns. Within two months of meeting, the two began writing and playing music together showcasing their common interest of dark melodies and intricate vocal harmonies.
The two met Matt Bager (percussion, vocals) at a local show in Seattle. Matt had heard demos of Chris and Brantley’s musical experimentation and showed interest in what they were pursuing. Soon, Matt was brought onboard for the project. They decided to call their new band Ravenna Woods. “The band is named after a small group of woods near the University District of Seattle. It’s one of the few patches of virgin wood still standing in the city,” explains Chris.
A Little Help From My Friends
In 2009, the band started to play live shows in the Seattle area, and found that though their music may be unconventional they still had a lot of support in the scene. A network of friends and family banded together to help propel the band to new levels. “We’ve been extremely lucky,” Chris remarks. “We’ve had friends step up and basically become pseudo managers for the band. And each member does their part to keep the ball rolling.” The three members had been playing in the Seattle scene for almost 10 years with previous projects; so many audiences were excited to hear what new sound Ravenna Woods would bring to the table. “Playing live comes very naturally to us. We have an uncanny chemistry on and off of the stage,” Chris says.
But even more important than the songs, the band attributes their live success to the one-on-one interaction they have with all of their fans at every show. Their onstage banter and audience interaction keeps the fans coming back, and the band takes time to meet everyone in the crowd after the show to have a drink and get to know one another. “Even if there are two hundred plus people in a venue, we’ll still take the time to go into the crowd and interact with them. We aren’t going to isolate ourselves backstage like some bands,” Chris states. “You have to have fun with people. You can’t take yourself too seriously.”
Blowing The Proverbial Conch Shell
Recently, Prince made the statement that “the internet is dead.” But for the members of Ravenna Woods that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The band attributes most of the growth and reach of their band to the internet and all the forms of social media within our reach today. “The internet is a great way to spread the word about your music as a fledgling band,” Chris says. “Putting your music online is akin to having your album available in every record store in the world. It’s done nothing but help us at this point.” For example, the band submitted their music to online music blog Seattle Show Gal, which then led to their getting radio play on KEXP reaching a whole new audience. The band uses this cycle of exposure to push the band to new limits.
In the end it’s all about creating a network. And even though social media is king nowadays, the band still uses traditional guerilla marketing tactics like flyering at local venues and stores to spread the word. “Actually, I just blow a giant conch shell before all of our shows to announce that we’re about to start playing,” Chris jokes. “To any bands out there that are struggling to get people out to their shows, let me just suggest the giant magic conch shell technique.”
Check out Ravenna Woods EPK and listen to their latest songs: http://www.sonicbids.com/RavennaWoods
