The Raveonettes

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Raveonettes


Img_capt = The Raveonettes live in Rome, 2008
Img_size =
Landscape = yes
Background = group_or_band
Alias =
Origin = Copenhagen, Denmark
Genre = Noise pop, surf rock, indie rock
Years_active = 2001–present
Label = Sony Records
Associated_acts =
URL = http://www.raveonettes.com/
Current_members = Sune Rose Wagner
Sharin Foo
Past_members = Manoj Ramdas
Jakob Hoyer
Anders Christiensen

The Raveonettes are a Danish rock and roll duo consisting of Sune Rose Wagner (on guitar, instruments, vocals) and Sharin Foo (on bass, guitar and vocals). Their music is characterized by close two-part vocal harmonies inspired by The Everly Brothers [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16151932] coupled with hard-edged electric guitar overlaid with liberal doses of noise. Their songs juxtapose the structural and chordal simplicity of 50s and 60s rock with intense electric instrumentation, driving beats and often dark lyrical content, similar to another of the band's influences, The Velvet Underground. "We are not scared of being blunt about what the references are in our music," said Sharin Foo. "For instance, if you look at our name, The Raveonettes, it's a complete direct reference to The Ronettes and Buddy Holly "Rave On". So, in that sense, we're pretty clear about it." [ [http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/The_Raveonettes_on_love%2C_death%2C_desire_and_war#On_influences Interview with The Raveonettes] , David Shankbone, "Wikinews", October 16, 2007]

Biography

The duo met in Copenhagen and, after forming the band, began recording "Whip It On" at Once Was & Sauna Recording Studio, a former Sony Studios facility. They booked the studio for three weeks during non-session down time late in 2001 and handled all production chores by themselves. Adding guitarist Manoj Ramdas and jazz drummer Jakob Hoyer, the Raveonettes booked one of their first gigs at the SPOT festival in Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark. After the release of "Whip it on" Hoyer and Ramdas would contribute to the next 3 Raveonettes albums along with other additional musicians although by the time "Lust Lust Lust" was released Sune and Sharin would be the only two musicians credited showing a return to the dynamic around the time of the mini album.

Officially the band was discovered by Rolling Stone editor David Fricke at the SPOT festival and his rave review of them immediately resulted in a number of offers from the major labels. Unofficially the band discovered that David Fricke would be present at the SPOT festival, and they rushed a band together and headed for the festival.

"Whip It On" (in which every song was under three minutes and in the key of B-flat minor) was named "Best Rock Album of the Year" at the Danish Music Awards (Denmark's Grammy equivalent) on March 1, 2003 while the Raveonettes were picked by "Rolling Stone" and "Q Magazine" as being among the harbingers of the "Next Wave" of contemporary music.

In 2006 Blender named Sharin Foo one of rock's hottest women, alongside Courtney Love, Joan Jett, and Liz Phair. ["http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?ID=2295&src=blender_ed]

"Chain Gang of Love"

The band's first full-length album, "Chain Gang of Love" (in which all but two songs were under three minutes, and all were in the key of B flat "major"), was produced by the legendary Richard Gottehrer — the author of rock classics like "My Boyfriend's Back" and "I Want Candy" as well as the producer for hit albums by Blondie, the Go-Go's, Richard Hell & the Voidoids, and many more — and the Raveonettes' own Sune Rose Wagner. The album was recorded in Denmark and New York on October 9-17, November 6-12, and December 4-10, 2002 and mixed in London in early 2003. The thirteen songs on "Chain Gang of Love" are written by Sune Rose Wagner with the exception of "That Great Love Sound", which Sune co-wrote with Gottehrer. Portions of this song were featured in a US ad for K-Mart. The album has often been compared to "Psychocandy", the debut album by The Jesus and Mary ChainFact|date=February 2007.

"Pretty in Black"

The band's album "Pretty in Black" broadened their musical palette, featuring guest vocals from Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes as well as guest instrumental spots from Maureen Tucker (of The Velvet Underground) and Martin Rev. This was their first album in which Sharin Foo did not play bass, instead The Raveonettes added bass player Anders Christensen who had toured with seminal jazz drummer Paul Motion, amongst others. Christensen recorded on the album and now tours with the band. At the end of the 2005 tour, guitar player Manoj Ramdas left the band to concentrate on his new band SPEKTR.

The video for the single "Love in a Trashcan", directed by Peder Pedersen, features pink bars and blocks with words like "Vamp" and "Teaser" scrawling by the band members, and is reminiscent of an early-1960s cosmetic ad.

Instrumentation

While live the band use mainly Fender instruments (Sune uses a number of Jazzmasters while Sharin opts for either Mustang or Jazz bass, and a Jazzmaster), Sune plays a number of different guitars and basses on their albums, including different Fenders, Gibsons and Gretsches. In the fall of 2005, the tour van containing the band's equipment (including Sune's prized 1960 Jazzmaster and Sharin's treasured Gretsch 6120) was stolen during their tour of the US.

The band have a some line up changes over each record which are as follows

Whip It OnSharin FooSune Rose Wagner(Specific instruments not known)

Chain Gang Of LoveSune Rose Wagner: Guitars and VocalsSharin Foo: Basses and VocalManoj Ramdas: GuitarsJakob Hoyer: Drums

Pretty In BlackSune Rose Wagner,Guitars/Vocals/Synth,Percussion/Drums/Bass/ProgrammingSharin Foo: Vocals,PercussionJakob Hoyer: Drums,PercussionAnders Christiensen: Bass,Percussion,OrganManoj Ramdas: Guitar

Lust Lust LustSune Rose WagnerSharin Foo(Specific instruments not known)

Discography

tudio albums

*"Whip It On" (2002)
*"Chain Gang of Love" (2003) #43 UK
*"Pretty in Black" (2005) #71 UK
*"Lust Lust Lust" (2007)
*"Sometimes They Drop By EP" (2008)

Singles

* 2002 "Attack of the Ghostriders" #73 UK
* 2003 "That Great Love Sound" #34 UK
* 2003 "Heartbreak Stroll" #49 UK
* 2004 "That Great Love Sound" (Re-issue) #52 UK
* 2005 "Ode to LA" (10" only)
* 2005 "Love in a Trashcan" #26 UK
* 2007 "Dead Sound" (7" Only)
* 2008 "You Want The Candy" #15 UK Indie (7" Only)

oundtracks

*"" (2005) song: "My Boyfriend's Back" (The Angels cover)

References

*cite news|last=Errico|first=Mike|url=http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?ID=2295&src=blender_ed|title=Hottest Women of. . .Rock|publisher=Blender Magazine Online|date=December 2006|accessdate=2007-02-09 ["http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?ID=2295&src=blender_ed]

Video: [http://www.gather.com/viewVideo.jsp?id=11821949021861779 Raveonettes "Dead Sound" live at The Current/Free Yr Radio SXSW 2008 broadcast]

Interviews

* [http://www.bmoretunes.com/?page_id=166 Interview with Sune Rose Wagner at www.bmoretunes.com]
* [http://thescenestar.typepad.com/ss/2007/06/interview_the_r.html The Scenestar - May 2007]
* [http://www.noripcord.com/?q=node/515 Interview with Raveonettes' Sharin Foo at No Ripcord]
* [http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/cale/2007/03/14/byt-interview-the-raveonettes/ Psycho Interview at Brightest Young Things]
* [http://blastmagazine.com/2008/04/qa-with-the-raveonettes-sune-rose-wagner/ Interview with Sune Rose Wagner at Blast]
* [http://kingbobbysix.blogspot.com/2008/04/raveonettes-interview.html Interview with Sharin Foo by Rob Townsend]

External links

* [http://www.theraveonettes.com/ The Raveonettes' website]
* [http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=raveonettes The Raveonettes' entry] at Trouser Press
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:qdua6j5271e0~T0 The Raveonettes' entry] at Allmusic
* [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/icopyright_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1994184 Hollywood Reporter Concert Review]