Allen Ravenstine | |
---|---|
Born | United States | May 9, 1950
Genres | Experimental rock, new wave, art rock |
Occupation(s) | Musician, aviator |
Instruments | EML synthesizers, saxophone |
Years active | 1975–1991 |
Labels | Rough Trade, Fontana |
Associated acts | Pere Ubu, Red Crayola |
Allen Ravenstine (born May 9, 1950) is an American keyboard player, most recognized for his work in the experimental rock group Pere Ubu. In 1991, he quit music to become a commercial airline pilot.
Allen Ravenstine was born on May 9, 1950. [1] He had much exposure to music at a young age, his interest derived from his mother playing Sergei Rachmaninoff and other classical music and his father's interest in jazz and percussion records. He played the trombone in grade school but quickly lost interest. Ravenstine's first real experience as an artist came in 1971 after abandoning his college pursuits. He met visual artist Bob Bensick, who was experimenting with sending distortion into oscillators and out to a stereo system. Eventually, they discovered a way to attach lights and have them work in conjunction with the sounds being produced and decided to stage art shows. The act was short lived as Ravenstine moved out of the area and lost contact with Bensick. Soon after, Ravenstine purchased his first synthesizer, an ElectroComp EML 200, and began associating with the garage band Rocket from the Tombs and recording their performances. [2]
Ravenstine owned the apartment building called "The Plaza", which served as home and gathering place for the developing art and music scene in Cleveland in the early 70s.
Ravenstine first worked with Pere Ubu in 1975 after being asked to contribute to the band's recording of "30 Seconds Over Tokyo". However, he was discouraged by the thought of having to perform live shows and opted to discontinue his involvement with the band. After watching Pere Ubu perform at a few venues, Ravenstine changed his mind and returned as a full-time member of the band, replacing keyboardist Dave Taylor. [3] He continued his work with Pere Ubu until 1989 with the release of Cloudland , when he decided to leave the group and pursue his own interests.
Ravenstine obtained a pilot's license after Ubu's initial breakup, and after leaving the band permanently, worked as a flight instructor and charter pilot. He also completed a novel which was never published. Ravenstine largely avoided musical activity of any kind after leaving Pere Ubu, once making a guest appearance at a Red Krayola show in Los Angeles in 2004. [4] In 2012, an invitation to contribute to "I Dream of Wires: The Modular Synthesizer Documentary" led to the recording of an impromptu duo performance on the EML-101 and 200 synthesizers, with current Ubu synthesist Robert Wheeler. Culled from this were a pair of albums and singles, entitled City Desk/Farm Report, which were self-released in 2013. On June 29, 2018, he released a solo album entitled Waiting for the Bomb on Recommended Records. [5]
In reviewing Dub Housing , critic John Dougan writes, "Ravenstine, who may be one of the all-time great synth players colors the sound with ominous whooshes of distortions, blips, and blurbs that sound like a sped-up Pong game." [6]
Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. Despite a variety of long-term and recurring band members, singer David Thomas is the only constant. They released their debut album The Modern Dance in 1978 and followed with several more LPs before disbanding in 1982. Thomas reformed the group in 1987, continuing to record and tour.
The Modern Dance is the debut album by American rock band Pere Ubu. It was released in January 1978 by record label Blank.
Dub Housing is the second album by American rock band Pere Ubu. Released in 1978 by Chrysalis Records, the album is now regarded as one of their best, described by Trouser Press as "simply one of the most important post-punk recordings."
Mayo Thompson is an American musician and visual artist best known as the leader of the avant-garde rock band Red Krayola.
Electronic Music Laboratories, commonly abbreviated to EML, was an audio synthesizer company. Founded in 1968 in Vernon, Connecticut by four former engineers, the company manufactured and designed a variety of synthesizers sharing the same basic design but configured in different ways.
New Picnic Time is the third album by American rock band Pere Ubu. It was released in September 1979 by Chrysalis Records. Reportedly the album sessions were stressful and contentious, and after touring, the group disbanded. They would reform a matter of months later, with Mayo Thompson replacing founding guitarist Tom Herman. The lyrics for the song "The Voice of the Sand" are based upon the poetry of Vachel Lindsay.
The Art of Walking is the fourth full-length album by Pere Ubu. Mayo Thompson of The Red Krayola joined as guitarist for this album and slanted the proceedings further towards deconstruction and abstraction, and away from the primal rock that former guitarist Tom Herman had facilitated. The group would record one more album with Thompson, Song of the Bailing Man, before disbanding.
Song of the Bailing Man is the fifth Pere Ubu album, released in 1982. It was the final Pere Ubu album until 1988's The Tenement Year.
390° of Simulated Stereo is a live album featuring recordings from Pere Ubu's first few years of existence. In general, the recordings featured are lo-fi in nature. The album was out of print for decades, but will be reissued for Record Store Day 2021.
Terminal Tower: An Archival Collection is a compilation album by American rock band Pere Ubu. Released in 1985, the album compiles several of the band's early singles and B-sides, including the Hearthan singles recorded with founder Peter Laughner that were initially compiled on the Datapanik in Year Zero EP, and continuing through later sides recorded with Mayo Thompson.
The Tenement Year is the sixth studio album by American rock band Pere Ubu, and their first album after reuniting following their 1982 break-up. 'Classic lineup' members Tony Maimone and Allen Ravenstine, along with fellow Cleveland scenester Jim Jones and Henry Cow percussionist Chris Cutler found themselves playing with David Thomas for his 1987 album Blame the Messenger, and, discovering they sounded much like Pere Ubu, began incorporating a few Ubu numbers while touring for that album. Eventually, an official reunion was pursued, original drummer Scott Krauss was contacted, and thus the new lineup was completed and the old mantle assumed. The Tenement Year found the group veering in a loose, freewheeling, and decidedly more pop-oriented direction than in the past, though the pop leanings would become even more pronounced on subsequent albums.
Cloudland is the seventh studio album by American rock band Pere Ubu. Released in May 1989, the album was produced by Stephen Hague. The single "Waiting for Mary", the video for which achieved some MTV exposure, netted Pere Ubu their only Billboard chart success to date, reaching number 6 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.
One Man Drives While the Other Man Screams is Pere Ubu's second live album, covering the years 1978-1981. After remaining out-of-print for many years, the album was reissued in 2004.
Worlds in Collision is Pere Ubu's eighth studio album. The album continues in the glossy pop mold found on their previous studio album, Cloudland. For this album, Eric Drew Feldman takes over from departing original member Allen Ravenstine on synthesizer duties, though Ravenstine makes some guest appearances.
The Shape of Things is Pere Ubu's fourth live album. It documents a performance within the band's first few months of existence, from the brief period in which Peter Laughner was a member. Initially produced only as a tour merchandise item, it has since been released to retail.
St. Arkansas is the 12th studio album by Pere Ubu, released in 2002.
Brian Dougans is a British musician, and a member of the British electronic duo, the Future Sound of London (FSOL).
Perfect Sound Forever is one of the longest-running online-only music magazines. Along with Michael Goldberg's Addicted to Noise, it is one of the first publications to post recurring, feature-length music journalism online.
Soldier-Talk is the third studio album by the American experimental rock band The Red Crayola. It was released in 1979 by the record label Radar. By this time, Thompson had moved the project to London and expanded the band for this album to include Lora Logic of X-Ray Spex and Essential Logic and all of the members of Pere Ubu.
Lady from Shanghai is the fourteenth studio album by American band Pere Ubu. It was produced by Pere Ubu's front-man David Thomas and it was released on January 7, 2013, on Fire Records label.