Album Notes

Frank Raven and Dave Menet have been fixtures on the Midwest music scene for many years. Originally performing & recording together in the legendary Blue Watusis, later in Frank Raven and the Blue Watusis & also The Frank Raven Band, they have appeared everywhere from funky blues nightclubs to restaurants, cafes, concerts and festivals performing their killer original songs, moody instrumental improvisations, and classic blues favorites. Currently performing as an acoustic duo, their latest cd "Cadillac Baby...Live & Raw" is the first to feature all acoustic duets.

Frank Raven is a veteran of legendary Chicago bands bohemia,
Slammin'Watusis, The Blue Watusis, Iggy Yokam and His Famous Pogo Ponies, and The Frank Raven Band. Some of his earliest playing experiences on the Chicago scene include Blue Monday Jam Sessions with Lefty Dizz and Buddy Guy at the original Checkerboard Lounge on 43rd Street and a 4-year stint leading the Fast Frank Band of which John Milward, critic for the Chicago Reader and later Rolling Stone Magazine, wrote "This band makes the Ramones look like the Stones". Frank has studied music with Edward Wilkerson Jr. at the AACM School of Music and with Delmark recording artist Rich Corpolongo. Frank's recording credits include 6 records with bohemia including a Billboard "Hot Pick" and 2 albums with Sony Epic recording artists The Slammin' Watusis. His contributions on blues harp, saxophone, and songwriting helped set these groups apart from the pack and transcend their rock roots to become true examples of Chicago style music. The Blue Watusis "Welcome to the House of the Blues", Frank Raven and the Blue Watusis "Blues on a Stick", The Frank Raven Band's "Sunday Driver" and Chicago Breakdown", and most recently Frank Raven and Dave Menet's "Cadillac Baby...Live & Raw" all feature songs written by Frank Raven and his longtime songwriting partner Jim Desmond. Frank's harp playing is showcased on the as yet unreleased Iggy Yoakam album produced by John Langford and Dave Trumfio. His solo recordings include the highly acclaimed "The Sadness of Winter" and "This Dream's on Me". As a guest soloist he has played on countless recordings for groups such as The Insiders, The Juleps, Texas Rubies, Pat Hall & The Fat Guys, and Prong.

Guitarist Dave Menet is a virtuoso picker who can be tasty and blistering, sometimes in the same breath. The interplay between Dave's guitar and Frank's harmonica is a highlight of their live shows as they trade licks back & forth and inspire each other to new heights of musical ecstasy. Dave's experience includes playing & recording with The Blue Watusis, Frank Raven & the Blue Watusis, The Frank Raven Band, I Speak Jive and Ronnie Baker Brooks & Nick Moss & the Fliptops. Cadillac Baby...Live & Raw features 3 songs co-written by Dave & 1 song "Sunny Afternoon" written & perfomed solo. Dave's style has been compared to Peter Green and Michael Bloomfield, but in the end he is his own man.