Ravines
The Ravines are Laurie Miller on bass and vocals, Grif Torres on guitar and vocals, and Cavett Hughes on keys and vocals.
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
The Ravines cut their teeth on the 60s and kept on playing. Psychedelic-pop and folk-rock originals follow covers from Syd Barrett, Los Secretos, Patti Loveless, Dylan, Doc Boggs, the Stones. Equipment and approach are simple and direct: strong male/female harmony, guitars, bass and & keyboards interwoven over a heartbeat of drums.
Grif Torres and Laurie Miller joined forces over the winter of 1984. With Chris Hanson on drums 1993-2004 they became the Ravines, adding Cavett Hughes on keyboards in late 2002. Cavett's experience as an ensemble player, working musician and iconoclast adds harmonic interest, counterpoint and timbral variety to the burgeoning Ravines repertoire.
Arsene Kounde, Master Drummer from Benin, has performed throughout Europe and Australia since 1983, touring and recording with some of the biggest names in African and European music. Kounde heard Grif's fingerpicking and flipped--he's the drums you hear on most of the soundclips and has been the Ravines' regular drummer from 2004 through the present.
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
We play in Berkeley and around the Bay Area.
Your musical influences
Formative garage rock by British bands trying to sound black and American bands trying to sound British. We love Castaways, Aaron Neville, Alan Price, Ray Manzarek, the Shaggs, Warren Zevon as Lyme of Lyme & Cybelle, historic San Francisco psychedelia -- famous and not. Too many to mention!
What equipment do you use?
Yamaha P200, Casio 573 on top. Flea market accordion. Cube amplifier. (Low Techno!) 1966 Fender Jaguar. 1966 Fender Electric XII. Cleveland acoustic parlor guitar. Westminster P/Jazz Bass Copy. Martin acoustic bass guitar.
Anything else?
Come check us out. More accordion than ever!
