Raven Black @ Club X; 08/11/17 Show Review & Interview by R.G.B. Robb

Raven Black @ Club X; 08/11/17 Show Review & Interview words by R.G.B. Robb/pictures by Patrick Carnahan (Cracked Glass Photography)— The music business can be a heartless bitch. There are times when you see bands who bask in the warm glow of mediocrity, but due to some sort of lucky break—or a connection that owes a favor perhaps—they are able to attain heights of success with relative ease. And then there are times when you see a band do everything within their power to achieve that same success, ending with the same results, but having to see the road more often than not. The latest, and greatest, group I have seen that falls into the latter group would be Raven Black. Vocalist Raven Black spoke with Echoing Magazine the night that the band which carries her name headlined the second-to-last show of their Hex O’Clock Tour at Club X. Though only a little past the midpoint of 2017, Black says that this tour, along with many successes the band has achieved over the last couple of years, has been brewing since last year. “The Mushroomhead [tour] was an offer that we received in September of 2016, so we immediately went into the studio and finished our E.P., [then] released on that tour. But because of that tour, so many different offers came up that we felt that we needed to go out there and get the E.P. out more. [There were] so many places we haven’t been, so many people that don’t know about us. So we made sure that we had to keep touring. We did the music video, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Scars,” in February with our friends in Mushroomhead at their studio in Cleveland—the backdrop in our video is the Mushroomhead backdrop for their show in Agora. Then we set out to do the South By Southwest show, so we did a quick routing tour in March; we’ve just constantly been getting new offers. We wanted to finish [the full-length release] 13 this year, but the opportunities keep coming. So we thought, ‘you know what, it might be premature for us to release 13 because a lot of people don’t have the Seven Sins E.P. yet, and the new music video just came out.’ We definitely wanted to let it, at least ‘settle’ before releasing something else.” However, when it comes to their live show, the only appropriate term would be the complete opposite; unsettling. By upping the stagecraft and setting by dotting the stage with morbid pieces of artwork, the audience knows this is going to be a different show than has been seen previously. Black and her band—completed by guitarist The Doctor, bassist Stitches, and drummer Muppet—know how to make an entrance. From a wall of smoke comes the black and white umbrella swung by Black like an insane child. This is rounded by a soundscape of affected children laughing in the background, immediately followed by the black, hulking, skeleton-like appearance of the other band members. Musically they have evolved to a stew of the menacing childlike whimsy of One-Eyed Doll, the punk/grunge attitude of Babes In Toyland, replete by meeting the heavy nu-metal flavor of Coal Chamber—however Black has a much more broad vocal range than Dez Fafara, even though her voice had some limitations due to the no-days off/guttural scream approach. This is all rounded out by a stage presentation reminiscent of Beetlejuice on acid. Asked if it was she that drew all of the artwork—a brooding display of blood, clocks, and imagery based off of the makeup and masks that all the members wear—her answer was somewhat surprising. “The artwork is my concept, what I envision, and I sought out an artist to illustrate my vision. I wanted to reach out to somebody that I could give a little more creative freedom with what I had in mind. I came across one of my fans, [I] met on the Mushroomhead tour. She came up to the band and had a postcard with a beautiful illustration and she gave it to us as a gift. I reached out to her and added her on Instagram and kept in touch. I asked her if she was busy and wanted to do some painting. I flew her to my home and she spent about two weeks at my house painting.” The setlist had many fan-favorites—“Twinkle Twinkle Little Scars” and “13,” in particular—along with newer tracks which had range, but kept their core sound intact. Though a personal favorite is “Doll House,” “Break The Box” is also worth mentioning. A tone of excitement crosses her voice when she speaks of the future plans when it comes to these songs. “We’re planning on recording those songs. We wrote them during a ‘writing retreat’ back in May. We went to New Orleans for a week and a half and rented some studio time there and just wrote and jammed together. We wrote three songs: “Break The Silence,” “Break The Box,” and “Doll House.” “Break The Silence,” we’ve played during this tour to gauge the crowd’s reaction. It’s a little bit more mid-tempo, for me it’s a little more political; I think that’s kind of where we were at, at that moment, with everything going on in the world.” Though Black insists that most of their songs aren’t in the political arena, it does have its place in the bigger picture. “13 was always been planned to have the Seven Sins songs on there, but with an additional set of songs that really get a little heavier and darker, and that introduce you to the other members of the band. Seven Sins specifically introduced [the character] Raven. This is all going to make more sense in the future when we come out with our comic book, the storyline. Not a lot of people know, but the order of the songs on Seven Sins actually take you on her journey from broken innocence to redemption and gaining control. It’s basically setting you [up] for the next section, which will be the full album.” Their show is predicated on theatrics, and though on a smaller scale for now, all the band members know how to utilize their characters for effect. The Doctor’s heavy riffing with a skull-face and undertaker motif. Stitches is like a cross between Frankenstein’s monster and Jason Voorhees. Muppet’s insanity in the vein of a black-metal Animal—you immediately see where the name comes from. With props ranging from brooms, to hat changes, to a blackened funeral gown, it’s a complete experience. With plans to tour every four months or so, Black says that the sky is really the limit as far as the next year looks for the group. “What we’re hoping for, our goal, is to get on bigger tours with bigger bands so that we end up on a label that can give us the backing and support we need to do the full production that we envision. We’re still setting out and accomplishing everything we’ve set out to do. In a year, we’re hoping that by doing a few more big support tours, being in front of a lot more people, gaining more exposure. You know, last year we didn’t have a publicist, we didn’t have a booking agent, we didn’t have a manager, we didn’t have a radio agent. We had us and a producer. This year we have all of those things. Next year, I’m very confident we’re going to continue to grow and develop, and hopefully there will be a bigger label involved. But the big vision? To go beyond the musical tour and play metal shows. We want to do something to the degree of a dark metal carnival and that’s been since day one how we’ve been introduced. We want to be the dark metal carnival that comes to town. I want a big production. I want a black and red circus tent that’s the size of a stage venue that we’ve filled, and the experience begins from the moment you purchase your ticket. So that when you see the black and red tent, you know Raven Black and the dark metal carnival is in town.” I have yet to miss a show of theirs near my area, I have made it a note to go out. For someone who can choose to write about a number of different bands, I think the proof is in the pudding. I really have no intentions of missing any of their upcoming performances, and I highly recommend you not miss out yourself.