The White Ravens Begin New Era: Bar Gigs

Ann Arbor, MI (September 1, 2010) — Turning 18 is a rite of passage for anyone, but for a touring musician like The White Ravens’ Will Bennett, it’s a real door-opener. Literally. The Ann Arbor purveyors of quirky, intelligent pop can now bring their unique sound to a whole new audience: bar goers. One of their first stops is right in their own backyard, The Blind Pig on September 22nd with Ann Arbor jangle-folkie Nathan K and English, an indie prog-rock trio from West Bloomfield.

The core of The White Ravens is the brother-sister duo of Amy and Will Bennett. Amy writes and delivers the lyrics and plays bass, while Will writes the music and plays keyboards. This arrangement began when the siblings were 11 and 12 years old. Since then, they’ve been quite busy, recording two full-length albums, winning a 2010 Toronto Independent Music Award for Best USA band, appearing on Toronto’s Breakfast TV, composing short film scores and launching their first east coast tour. They are joined live by Vince Russo on drums and Andrew Brown on guitar.

The White Ravens’ latest release, Gargoyles and Weathervanes is filled with catchy indie pop gems like “Sparks,” which Magnet’s MP3 at 3PM called “a bright and happy number with a really sharp bass line that fills out the piano’s melody nicely”. The LP was recorded by Jim Diamond at Ghetto Recorders, and features Liberty DeVitto, Billy Joel’s drummer for thirty years.


The White Ravens
The Blind Pig, Ann Arbor, MI
September 22, 2010
18+
Cover: $8
Show Time: 9:30 PM
Also on the Bill: English and Nathan K


The White Ravens Tour Dates
9/1/10 Borders, Hyannis, MA
9/2/10 All Asia, Cambridge, MA
9/3/10 Campfire Festival, Cambridge, MA
9/4/10 Campfire Festival, Cambridge, MA
9/10/10 Plymouth Fall Festival, Plymouth, MI
9/14/10 The Savoy, Ypsilanti, MI
9/18/10 Backyard Bash for Community Records, Prospect Park, Ypsilanti, MI
9/22/10 The Blind Pig, Ann Arbor, MI
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Avi Wisnia at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on June 11th

Philadelphia native Avi Wisnia will perform his Brazilian bossa nova on Friday June 11th at the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s “Art After 5.”

Philadelphia Museum of Art says of the Art After 5 Series, “Friday evenings take on a whole new groove with Art After 5, a unique blend of entertainment from 5:00–8:45 p.m. in the Great Stair Hall. With an eclectic mix of international music on the first Friday of each month, and recognized and emerging jazz artists performing all other Fridays, it’s a stylish way to start your weekend.” Wisnia is likely to have the most interesting style of jazz music the Art After 5 Series has ever seen! Wisnia will follow up almost a month later when he hits Cambridge, MA on July 11 at Club Passim.

Wisnia releases his debut full-length album Something New nationally on June 29th. Recorded by Grammy-winning producer Glen Barratt (Amos Lee), Something New’s unpredictable cover songs only highlight the main attraction of his new collection of songs: his incomparable mish-mash of piano-pop meets bossa nova pop gems.

Having played major festival such as SXSW and CMJ, Wisnia says of his live performances, which always seem to be unpredictable and chock full of great stories to tell afterwards, “There have been shows where the band and I improvise songs on the spot, or ask audience members to come up and sing on kazoo. In one instance, the bartender who was shaking a martini at the bar ended up being an add-on percussionist. Another time, I had lost my egg shaker and asked the audience to pass me a pack of Tic Tacs. Instead, someone threw on stage a bottle of menstrual relief pills (it sounded fantastic). You have to be spontaneous and cater to the crowd and the moment."

Avi Wisnia Tour Dates

Friday June 11, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Art After 5 Event, Grand Stair Hall
Show: 5pm-9pm
Tickets: Free after Museum admission

Sunday July 11, Club Passim, Cambridge, MA
Door Time 5:30 PM
Show Time 7:00 PM
Opening Act: Caleb Hawley
Cover: $12/$10 (Club Passim Members) Click Here to Read More..

Avi Wisnia Celebrates Glen Barratt Produced NY Record Release on June 3rd

Avi Wisnia will be joined on stage with a full band performance at the Triad Theater to celebrate the release of his debut full-length album Something New. Recorded by Grammy-winning producer Glen Barratt (Amos Lee), Something New’s unpredictable cover songs only highlight the main attraction of his new collection of songs: his incomparable mish-mash of piano-pop meets bossa nova pop gems.

The Big Takeover's Jack Rabid, says of Wisnia, "Like a cross between Dr. John, Professor Longhair, Ben Folds, Joni Mitchell, and early Billy Joel. But his approach is refracted through the prism of Brazilian bossa nova, occasional acoustic guitar folk forays, and ‘70s singer/songwriter fare—“I Wish That I Could Stop Writing Songs About You” and “The Back of Your Hand” are especially Mitchell-esque, and “Goodnight” sounds like Art Garfunkel doing jazz—then sings with a smoothly smoky voice that recalls Elvis Costello and Joe Pernice both in sound and delivery.”

Wisnia uses the piano keys to create lush ballads, and his lyrics can be just as melancholic are they are whimsical, depending the song. He uses his quirky bossa nova-turned pop music in a variety of manners on Something New. His penchant to take the usual and flip it upside down can be heard on the album’s “cover” songs (The Cure’s “Love Song” and TLC’s “No Scrubs”). The title track of Something New could be the perfect song to sum up his mélange of genres that you’ve never heard mixed together before.

Want a taste of what you can expect? Download "New Year" and Wisnia's cover of TLC's "No Scrubs". Like what you hear? Reserve your tickets before it's too late! Click Here to Read More..