THE RAVENTONES: odd birds

The Raventones

odd birds

© 2003 TR Kelley/Darkwater Music (783707748023)

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With her smoky alto voice, baritone guitars and fretless bass, TR Kelley and drummer Randy Hamme cook up a rootsy melange of original "bohemian geek soul" and Joni-&-Jaco-style jazz from the rural rainforest of western Oregon.

tracks

1 Two-tone Touring Car
2 Walk With Me
3 I Surrender
4 Yellow Moon
5 Unfolding
6 Do You Want Me to Go
7 I See You See Me
8 Hush
9 Dynamix
10 White Crosses
11 Blue Interlude
12 Southbound #5 Blues

notes

Former Babes With Axes bassist/songwriter/guitarist tr kelley has returned to the Oregon music scene, fronting a psychic and sonic freight-train power-duo with drummer Randy Hamme. They call their collaboration THE RAVENTONES, and their first album together is entitled "odd birds", a subtle nod to kelley's acceptance and celebration of autism/Asperger's Syndrome.

tr kelley's roots are in honky-tonk, surf, & blues overlaid with the altered tunings, creative textures and and organic elegance of rural Oregon counterculture folk psychedelia.

From that foundation, The Raventones build a deep rootsy mix of low-tuned guitars, vintage-style drums & smoky vocals in a genre they describe as "rural bohemian soul".

Driven by deep twangy baritone electric guitar on some tracks, low-alter-tuned acoustic on others, the songs range from the brawny surf-n-soul attack of "walk with me", to the dark jazzy intimacy of "i surrender". Anchored by the swish & sparkle of Randy Hamme's vintage drum tones, the songs are fully realized yet never overproduced.

Before his public emergence as a drummer, Hamme worked as a sound engineer. His creative use of both analog and digital formats in the recording process for this CD is evident in the lush saturation of the instrumental tracks and the intimacy and power of the vocals.

The Raventones - "odd birds" is a deeply vibrant quilt of ideas. Bossa-nova, raw acoustic slide blues, a live mono soundscape, even an 80's style power ballad all make an appearance. Yet these seemingly disparate styles hang together beautifully in the cohesiveness of tr kelley instrumentation and production concepts.

Stylistically, there are echoes of Ray Charles, Patsy Cline and the Ventures swirled in with Joni Mitchell, Jaco Pastorius and Michael Hedges, but tr's way of mixing it all up, pitching it down low and giving it room to breathe & groove without cluttered production make it a truly unique listen.

QUOTES

"Laid back guitars for surfing in the rain. ..... Kelley's vocals are hypnotic, a surge of power that makes the bulbs glow......."
Sara Warfield, WOW Hall Notes, Eugene Oregon

"( The Raventones' album) "Odd Birds" is a winner...... for its variety, evident talent and songs to get lost in."
Natasha Chilingerian, Oregon Daily Emerald

"TR Kelley is known to fans of Babes with Axes as the one with the growly voice who wouldn't take any lip from society. She brings an entirely different approach to the Raventones, one with a lot more depth, like the guitars and basses she plays with such feeling."
Mike Kelsey, WFHB-FM Bloomington, Indiana

"TR's voice is amazing in its tone and variety.... she moves from a powerful ballad to a dreamy, atmospheric piece, to a Delta blues."
Arthur Elliott, Radio 99.7FM, Brisbane, Australia

"Passion, nostalgia and joy...one of the Northwest's musical treasures"
Eugene Weekly 12/26/02

"On the surface, Kelley sounds somewhat like a disciple of Joni Mitchell in her Hejira and Don Juan's Reckless Daughter era. However, Kelley's guitar tunings are a little more reminiscent of Michael Hedges than Joni Mitchell, and that's Kelley herself playing bass."
Daniel Nestlerode, FAMA Internet Music Review

reviews

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  • Nothing short of stunning.
    author: Lili Finn

    I bought this CD on impulse after reading tr kelley's wise works on a Yahoo group we are both members of. Since I got it a few days ago, it's been on constant repeat in my CD player. I loved it on first hearing, but was even more amazed to learn that tr kelley is THE one-and-only guitar artist on this CD. The complex, mellow, sweet and moody spell woven within this music will haunt me and delight me for years to come.

  • Cookin' fretless bass, cymbals, and vocals!
    author: M. Garbo Seltzer

    Randy Hamme's percussion is perfect on this CD, giving energy and life to tracks like "Yellow Moon" and "Two-Tone Touring Car." TR Kelley's vocal slides and fretless bass work are both controlled and free at the same time. odd birds is both instantly likeable and a CD I like to keep in rotation so I can hear little percussion and guitar bits I never noticed before.

  • Her Voice is powerful and Lyrics are deeply moving
    author: Candy M

    I am a big fan ! This CD is great ! Her voice is powerful and the lyrics are deep! I love the song White Crosses !! It send's chill's through me!

  • TR's talent should be shared by the multitudes - Fabulous
    author: Kim Mann

    White Crosses, what can I say. I've seen them along my old stretch of the hiway, and her song brought tears to my eyes. Her words make it easy to visualize the beauty and wickediness of the mountains gauntlet. Her talent should not be held behind these mts.

  • TR's lyrics allowed me to see into her soul - great!
    author: Phillis Mann

    This cd should be shared by all. I loved all of her songs, especially White Crosses.

  • Gives me chills! What a voice, So much soul!
    author: Mike Kraemer

    T.R. Kelley in any of her incarnations is fantastic, and this new vehicle is nothing short of that. T.R. and Randy complement and charge each other, building on one another's strengths. Yellow Moon makes me swoon! I look forward to more from this duo in the future!

  • Awsome! Can take you to a***** high A celebration of music power
    author: JoAn Avant Breth

    Have heard lots of great music by this artist The masses should be exposed to this superb cd. I especially like yellow moon, southbound #5 blues and I see you see me. What voice and mood changes. Catches snatches of life and throws it at you with unbridled verve.

  • Thumbs Up!
    author: Peg Mefferd

    Mesh of words, music, voice and instruments are nothing but pure talent. Touchs the soul. Unique blending of soul, jazz, blues and country. White Crosses, Southbound #5 Blues, Yellow Moon and I Surrender are my top picks though I like them all.

  • awesome
    author: Brandon R. Farmer

    Every song on this CD is awesome. It has a unique feel to it that's driving, yet deep; heartfelt. TR's voice makes the music come alive. The job they did on the mixing was killer too. I had the opportunity too see them live a while ago, it was quite impressive. In particular I really loved yellow moon, dynamix, white crosses, and southbound #5 blues. Seriously great music!

  • great
    author: Vickie Callison

    I have listen to alot of T.R.'s music but this cd is the best!!Walk With Me gets you fired up and then White Crosses can really touch the heart.It is a CD worth having!!

  • Heard these songs at TR's shows; glad to have them on CD!
    author: Sharon Trigg

    Wow, the Raventones has an incredible range of music on Odd Birds. I especially love the bossa nova sound of Yellow Moon and the tentative hurt of Do You Want Me to Go. You can hold your lighter up for the anthemic White Crosses. TR Kelley belts it out like nobody's business, but she also whispers soft and tender. Treat yourself to Odd Birds.

  • I am constantly amazed by TR's versatility and talent as a singer, songwriter an
    author: Sharron Innes

    Wow, I have all of TR's CD's, and this one takes a walk on the wild side. I am a blues, jazz, and country fan, and this CD covers them all for me; especially Walk with Me, Yellow Moon and White Crosses.

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