“RAVENSCROFT” Interview by David Maloney
First off I would like to thank you for taking the time and answering some questions for our online publication Metalheads Forever Magazine. How are you guys doing? Hope all is well in the world Of RavensCroft. Could you tell our readers about the band members and their respective roles within the band?
(Ralph Speaking) Hey David, we’re doing great! Thank you so much for featuring Ravenscroft in Metalheads Forever Magazine, it is indeed an honor!
On Bass we have the Thunderous Mr. Devin Baker, on Guitars we have the Electrifying Mr. Brett “Octane” Gorke, on Drums we have the Master Blaster Mr. Pat Magrath, and my is Ralph Buso, I am the Frontman/Vocalist.
Together, we are Ravenscroft!
Ravenscroft hail from Costa Mesa, Orange County California, is that correct? Can you tell us how the band was formed? Give us some insight to the Rock/Metal scene in your area?
(Brett Speaking) Two band members live in orange county myself (Brett Gorke) and Devin Baker. Ralph lives in Redlands and Pat lives in Covina. The metal scene in orange county is thriving. Of course we know that the NAMM show is held at the Anaheim convention center and there are many clubs that cater to metal in our areas. A couple of the larger clubs in orange county would be the Grove of Anaheim and the observatory which is just down the street from my (Brett Gorke) house.
(Ralph Speaking) The band was formed by myself (Ralph Buso) and the original Guitarist, who is no longer with the band. Prior to Brett stepping in as our new Guitarist, he actually introduced us to Devin Baker, who has been our Bassist since the conception of the band.
Ravenscroft was officially a band on January 18th 2014.
I’ve read on several occasions you guys are a blue collar, lunchbox kind of Rock band, in terms of the hard work put forth by each member. Is that a fair assessment? You are a seasoned foursome of musicians whose individual backgrounds and eclectic sound and hard work deliver a Melodic alternative rock sound. Would it be fair to say you are intuitively inspired and focused? And you have committed your lives to music and being successful?
(Brett Speaking) LOL I like that a blue-collar lunchbox kind of band ! Yes that is very true, each member of the band has a job or tasks that they handle such as social media, website update, marketing and advertisement etc. Since we are an unsigned band, we have to do these things ourselves and we are very serious about it. Intuitively inspired and focused absolutely! The commitment is definitely real, we pour all of our extra time, money and effort into Ravenscroft. But it’s a labor of love, we believe in this project and what we’re doing. I’m the new guy in this band, and so far I’ve written some of the best music I’ve written in my life during the last couple years I’ve been in Ravenscroft!
What bands helped to cultivate and influence your sound?
(Devin Speaking) New school meets old school hard rock! Black Sabbath meets Through Fire, Alice in Chains meets Disturbed, Tool meets Godsmack, Korn meets The Foo Fighters.
I’m not a fan of categorizing sounds into Genres but in this case we must to describe the distinct sound this band possesses. You have a very unique sound and style all your own. I’ve read you are influenced by 60’s era blues and acid rock while having a harder rock sound from the 70’s mixed with 80’s heavy metal though to 90’s grunge. Is that a accurate assessment? How do you feel about such labeling? Could you please describe your sound in your own words?
(Devin Speaking) I would add to that, that we fit into today’s sound as well. We could easily share the stage with bands like Avenged Sevenfold, Volbeat, and Shinedown!
(Brett Speaking) Again I’m the new guy in the band so I’m going to be bringing a whole new set of influences as you’ll see in the new Ravenscroft songs starting with our latest single “The Chase”. Some of those influences I will bring would be Alice in chains, maybe a little Zack Wylde, Devin Townsend, and some of my older school influences like Judas Priest, thin Lizzy,TNT and Ozzy…. there are so many more I could name.
I’ve heard your sound be summed up as a “ Five – Star dinner of Music” can you explain this statement a little further please?
(Ralph Speaking) LOL I believe that statement is in reference to us having the full package. Like a five star dinner…You won’t walk away unfulfilled!
Who is behind the writing? It’s politically driven and makes one think, very emotional and provokes deep thought and brings many emotions to the table. Is the writing process a collective effort or more individualized?
(Brett Speaking) We are all a part of the writing process. Sometimes our songs are written off of Ralph’s a cappella, other times music is written off of Devin’s bass riff or Brett’s guitar riff. Pat our Drummer fills in the rest and helps a lot with arrangements. Ralph writes all the lyrics, and as far as the music goes Ralph has quite a bit to do with that as well. Most of the time when Ralph comes up with an a cappella it will be accompanied by keyboards, giving us a vague reference as to what he’s hearing behind his vocals. I think Ravenscroft thrives on the political and religious landscape. It absolutely helps with some of the lyrical content.
Does today’s Political and Religious landscape affect the band’s thought process and help with writing some of the lyrical content? To me some pain and anguish is provoked with some of the more ballad type songs. Is this due to personal pain and suffering and bad experiences? Or just summing up the human emotions that are relevant to all of us in one form or another ?
(Ralph Speaking) It’s absolutely a little mix of all of the things you mentioned above!
I grew up in a very hostile environment, my father was brutally murder when I was very young, and that paved the path that would lead to me becoming a songwriter and musician. It was either become a part of the problem, or become a part of the solution! I chose to write, and become a storyteller…in hopes of offering some inspiration and hope to others.
There is no doubt your music transcends a lot of current issues but at the same time is very relatable and very relevent to the listener. Is this part of a bigger picture as you write your music?
(Brett Speaking) No doubt we want to relate to our fans and touch our fans by showing them they’re no different than us. We all go through struggles, only by uniting together can we get through it!
It’s not all serious you have some very fun and energetic music as well, overall you do a rare feat and delivery a little something for everyone. That is something to be very proud of, is this your mindset to reach your audience and impact them artistically in as many ways as possible?
(Ralph Speaking) On some level yes we do, however we also write about whatever is going on in our lives, past or present. We also write music that we ourselves would like to listen to, so it makes it easy, since most of our fans have very similar tastes in music!
What are your thoughts on today’s music and the future of rock and metal in general?
(Brett Speaking) My thought on today’s music is there are so many fantastic musicians and bands out there. So you need to have a special formula to stand out. It doesn’t always have to be a talent show, it has to be a team. Good music isn’t always the technical, sometimes simple is better. Rock and metal are here to stay, and I think The future is getting bigger and brighter!
(Devin Speaking) It appears that the music scene today is more difficult than ever to breakthrough, but the four of us are determined to break down any walls in our way!
Rock will never die! Rock fans feel the music from head to toe, and won’t ever let their music die. And if we have anything to say about it…We will continue to do our part to keep the passion going strong!
In closing what can we expect from Ravenscroft in the second half of 2017 heading into 2018? Do you have any final comments or advice for your fans new and old and to the readers of this publication?
(Devin Speaking) New songs, new videos, and lots more shows!
(Ralph Speaking) We are working on some mini tours, and trying very hard to get booked on some of the bigger festivals coming up in 2018! We would like to thank all of our loyal and supportive fans…without you guys, we are NOTHING!!
I would like to thank you once more for taking the time to speak with us and I would like to wish you all the best with your future endeavors.
(Ralph Speaking) Once again, thank you very much for the interview David, it was our pleasure!
David Maloney/MHF Magazine
