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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The Other Side - Producer Jim Diamond

Producer Jim Diamond's name has become synonymous with Detroit "garage rock." His Motor City-based studio Ghetto Recorders has recorded some of Detroit's most popular bands among handfuls of heavy hitters from all over the U.S. and beyond. The White Stripes, The Von Bondies, Andre Williams, GLG's own The White Ravens, Electric Six.....and so, so, so many more Detroit acts. People from all over flock to the his studio to get the "Jim Diamond" sound that can only be described as a bit gritty, like the state of downtown and just very, well, "Detroit." People just know his style. Growing up in Trenton, Michigan, Diamond began playing in bands in 1978. Not just a few bands, this man is well versed. He has played bass, guitar and occasionally organ and sax in about a dozen bands including The Dirtbombs, Doop and the Inside Outlaws, and Bantam Rooster. His studio career began at Harvest Music and Sound Design in Lansing, MI in 1989 as an engineer. He opened Ghetto Recorders in 1996 and has become an iconic producer to any fan of Detroit music. (p.s. That's Jim being cheeky in the middle with the check)

1. How would you describe your role as a producer?
I would say that varies from band to band depending on what they want to do. Some people want a lot of input on everything, other people just want to bang it out and have you tell them when it sucks or not. My job is always changing.

2. How long have been producing?
I guess since I started engineering professionally in 1989. One of the guys I worked for way back, he always told me that bands want your input, that was a good lesson to learn. I am much more involved now than when I was beginning. Back then I was still trying to figure out the board!


3. Who/what albums are the some of the most noteworthy artists you've produced in the past?
The White Stripes, Electric Six, Dirtbombs, The Romantics...in Argentina, Andrea Alvarez. In Australia, Rocket Science. Andre Williams, Kim Fowley, The Von Bondies. I have a record coming out with power-pop legend Paul Collins later this month. Lots of underground people over the years and in different countries.

4. What bands are you currently working with?
Just worked on a record over the weekend with local singer/songwriter Jeni Lee Richey and the Great Tribulation. Recording in progress with Jason Stollsteimer ... he has a new group called The Hounds Below. Have records coming up this fall with Left Lane Cruiser and Hacienda, both on Alive Records out of L.A. Then looking like I'll head to Australia in November to do a couple bands down there in Brisbane.

5. Do you mainly work out of one studio or do you go where a band needs you?
I work out of my studio mainly, Ghetto Recorders, but when I travel, I'll go anywhere, as long as they have a tape machine to record to.

6.How do you know if you, as a producer, are a good match for a band?
Well, I have to like the music,that is first and foremost. They'll send me demos and I'll see which songs I like, stuff like that,we'll take it from there. Generally, people who don't like my work won't want me and I wouldn't like them anyways! I usually get a good fit.

7. What's the best piece of advice you'd give a band that thinks they are ready to record?
Practice and get your stuff down tight. Nothing worse than the band trying to learn the songs in the studio, it's an expensive rehearsal space! Get it down before you come in, then we can get creative.

8. What kind of inside experience does being a musician yourself help with producing?
That is huge, my experience as a musician helps every facet of producing. I know what will work musically, how to approach songs. I can't imagine producing records and not being a musician.

9. What's your favorite thing about producing?
It's like putting together a puzzle, hearing something take form, creating something from nothing, I love that.

10. What's your least favorite thing about producing?
Waiting around for bands to learn the song. People not being prepared.

11. In addition to the music you are working on, what albums have you been listening to lately? Does it ever effect your producing?
Very much... I have been listening to Jefferson Airplane, ....'60s San Francisco stuff. It changes all the time, I love music and am a fan first and foremost.

The Other Side highlights those talented and very important folks behind the scenes of the music that we listen to. The Other Side will feature producers, engineers, booking agents, band photographers, online radio DJs, etc. It's pretty awesome.
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The White Ravens' Will Bennett Scores Award Winning Short Film

Add “film score composer” to the list of amazing things The White Ravens’ Will Bennett has done in his young career. As part of the 48 Hour Film Project, Bennett wrote and recorded (at Jim Diamond’s Detroit studio) the score for No Tears for the Tin Man, a five minute android murder mystery shot in black and white by William Cole, director of the White Ravens’ latest music video “Sparks.”



Bennett received a rough cut of the film Sunday morning, which he took to Ghetto Recorders studio, working with Jim Diamond to record a piano track for the score, improvising along with the movie in a fashion similar to that used by silent movie pianists. According to Bennett, "I tried to create dark and minor music to go with the plot of the movie in which androids are being murdered and to create something original in movie music that I hadn't heard before. A human detective is working with an android assistant to solve the mystery and he turns out to be the murderer himself - or is he a murderer because the victim isn't human? The detective's android assistant, Halle, doesn't want to cooperate with the detective but has no choice. The detective and Halle receive an award in front of an applauding crowd with a newspaper headline praising the detective. At this point I added a happy major upbeat march for ironic contrast while the detective was receiving an award for murdering androids." Listen and you can hear Bennett's sister and band mate Amy, as Mitsy, a voice that carries through the piece.

Will Cole, the team's leader/director/producer was most gratified, "I really appreciated him being able to work so promptly and not only to make the music so quickly. Even before we even gave him the footage, he nailed the mood. Once Will made the music, it really breathed life into the film."

The short film, No Tears for the Tin Man, garnered two awards in the Detroit 48 Hour Film Project for Best Film Noir and est Costume. The Detroit 48 Hour Film Project, is part of an international film project that is being carried out this year in 76 cities around the world. Teams are assembled under a team leader, each team receiving a movie assignment consisting of a character, prop, line of dialogue and genre on a Friday night and having until Sunday evening to shoot, edit and complete a 3-7 minute film. The Detroit films premiered the week of July 25 at the Main Art Theater in Royal Oak, Michigan.
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The White Ravens to Rock Borders Bookstores

The White Ravens celebrate the release of the Jim Diamond-produced Gargoyles and Weather Vanes with in-store performances at a bevy of Borders Bookstores.

Ann Arbor’s brother/sister indie-pop duo, The White Ravens, will play a series of in-store performances at Ann Arbor/Detroit Borders stores beginning with their CD release show on July 6th at the Downtown Ann Arbor Borders. The show will begin at 7:00 PM, and along with all of the other Borders performances, will be free for all ages.

Bookstores are a perfect place for The White Ravens to celebrate the release of their CD. Amy Bennett, who writes the lyrics, sings and plays bass, finds both books and bookstores inspirational. “When I read a story, whether it is by J.R.R. Tolkien or Ayn Rand, I use the ideas of the authors as springboards to dive into my own mind, and discover what stories are lurking in its depths. In turn, in my lyrics I try to create galaxies for my listeners to explore, which will hopefully ignite some of their own thinking. For this reason, bookstores hold a special significance to me. Bookstores can be magical places, gateways to a myriad of universes into which one need only dip their mind, and with a little thought, pull out something amazing.”



The White Ravens Borders Bookstores Tour Dates
Tuesday, July 6th
CD RELEASE SHOW Borders – Downtown Ann Arbor
612 E. Liberty Street, Ann Arbor, MI
(734) 668-7652
7:00 PM

Saturday, July 10th
Borders – Waters Place
3140 Lohr Rd., Ann Arbor, MI
(734) 997-8884
2:00 PM

Friday, July 16th
Borders – Canton
43435 Ford Rd., Canton, MI
(734) 844-2090
8:00 PM

photo by Nick Kopystynsky
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Magnet Magazine - The White Ravens

There's a lot of buzz floating around The White Ravens and it's as sweet as honey to announce just some of their latest news. A CD release show for July 6 in Ann Arbor, a write up from Magnet Magazine, an interview with Absolute Punk and more.

Magnet just might be falling in love with Detroit's newest duo, The White Ravens. The indie-rock bible featured the band for their MP3 At 3PM feature. With a fabulous full photo of Will and Amy Bennett, Magnet chose their MP3 with "Sparks," and "Tick-Tock," from their upcoming July 6 release Gargoyles and Weather Vanes.

“Sparks,” the first single from the upcoming LP, is a bright and happy number with a really sharp bass line that fills out the piano’s melody nicely." Thanks Magnet. A peek at the website's comments and people agree!

Absolute Punk interviewed Amy and Will, in which the siblings offered some pretty whimsical answers. It's a fun read. A favorite might be Amy's answer to AP's usual question "What is your vacation spot of choice?" The singer's answer: "If I could choose any place to vacation, I'd choose Paul McCartney's chin. It would be really, really neat to get a glimpse into his daily life. Also, on his chin I could probably sustain myself on the crumbs that fall out of his mouth. I bet he eats wonderful food." The remaining interview is filled with great content.

And last but not least, actually, the most, come celebrate record release of Ggargoyles and Weather Vanes with the band's in-store performance at Borders Downtown Ann Arbor on July 6. At 7 p.m on Tuesday, July 6 fans will hear songs from the duo's Jim Diamond (The White Stripes, The Ponys) produced album. If you've only heard snippets from Gargoyles and Weather Vanes, be prepared to be blown away by the band's live show. With a full band rounding out the sound of the Bennett siblings, the live show really turns their rough and tumble piano-driven pop melodies into something even bigger and brighter to bop along to.

The White Ravens Tour Dates
Thursday, June 24- The Neutral Zone w/ The Astronomers

Saturday, June 26 - Ann Arbor Summer Festival - Top of the Park

Top of the Park: Grassrootz Stage at Ingalls Mall, 5:30 pm, Ann Arbor, MI

Tuesday, July 6 - CD Release, Borders Bookstore, Downtown Ann Arbor, MI, 7 pm

Saturday, July 10 - Borders, Saline Road, Ann Arbor, MI

Friday, July 16 - Borders, Canton, MI, 8 pm

Friday, July 23, Ann Arbor Art Fair, Ann Arbor, MI, 7-8 pm

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Jim Diamond Did This With The White Stripes and The Ponys

You may or may not know that Jim Diamond produced The White Stripes' De Stijl and self-titled  albums and The Ponys' Laced With Romance. That's why we were thrilled when we found out Diamond was producing, The White Ravens' (the brainchild of brother and sister duo Amy and Will Bennett) album, Gargoyles and Weather Vanes. The quirky collection of  piano-driven pop melodies will be available on July 6th, but we're giving you a sneak peak with two songs available for download now.

At Ghetto Recorders, Diamond aided the duo’s juxtaposition of naiveté and wisdom, by honing Amy’s voice with wunderkind composer Will’s (who is only 17 by the way) vast talents. The White Ravens rounded out their sound with drummer Liberty DeVitto (Billy Joel’s long-time drummer) who recorded with the pair at the studio.

With a whirl of complex but catchy arrangements and layers of instruments and sounds, each one of Gargoyles’ songs tells their own story. The classic rock touches (saxophone!) of “Rainstorm” tell a tale from their grandfather’s memoirs, the tenderly rolling piano and instrumental breakdowns of “Broken Halves” sings of love gone wrong while the pure pop of “Draco,” is based on the book Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. Almost two years in the making, while each song on Gargoyles could be stripped down to a simple keyboard, it’s the smartly placed sounds and arrangements that make the album soar. “It represents two years of our creative lives growing as musicians and performers. It has our genetic imprint on it,” quips Amy.

Gargoyles and Weather Vanes Track Listing
1. Sparks
2. Tick Tock
3. Rubber Band
4. Atomic Panda
5. Detritus
6. Broken Halves
7. 30 Stories
8. Call It A Hit
9. Rabbit
10. Rainstorm
11. Draco
12. Eulogy Click Here to Read More..