Ravens - Live at South Orange Elks

New Jersey's Ravens have quite the musical pedigree, Chris Daly was a member of 108, Jawbreaker and Texas is the Reason, while Zack Kurland's played with Sweet Diesel, Green Dragon and Altered States.

With a roster like that great things were imminent and the duo duly delivered on 2024's S/T debut full-length. Zack Kurland actually sent me a copy of the record not so long ago and which has barely left my record player since. When the band posted up on Instagram that they were putting out Live at South Orange Elks, I was excited by the prospect of finally being able to cover one of their albums for Clean Sheets as well as paying back Zack for his generosity.

'Intro' is exactly that, crowd noise and the band warming up, not essential but setting the tone nevertheless. The album starts a proper with 'Get On, Get On' and from the off 70's Glam Rockers T-Rex and Sweet sprung to mind, which is interesting seeing as I've never been a fan of those bands. However its a fun listen, its retro charms reminiscent of Redd Kross, all that's missing are the platforms and glitter. “Demon Path to Hell' by contrast lives up to its name with the desert rock fuzzed up tones of Kyuss. Terence Fletcher (from the film Whiplash), this is most definitely my tempo. Is 'Sea Storm in Heaven' a reference to The Verve's brilliant debut?, who knows, there are similarities. The sound for instance imbibes from the same Psych pool as the Wigan quartet, a Stoogesy vibe slipped in for good measure, making it an irresistible number.

'I Try' has a very cool slacker sensibility both with the laid-back vocals, tribal drumming and Sabbathian Stoner riffing. I thought 'Amen' was my favourite track by the lads (sadly not included in this live set), it now has competition. Absolutely wonderful. To Whom You Were Born' which opened the band's aforementioned debut is a Lungfish cover is a testament to Ravens talents as they manage to do a great if not better interpretation of it. The original's Post-Hardcore is toned down and given a rock solid beat that fits perfectly into Ravens set. 'Revolution 0' sees Spacemen 3 and Hawkwind influences coming to the fore, the track in possession of a propulsive beat and an otherworldly ambience. Oh and more importantly it rocks like a motherfucker.

Having not listened to The Grateful Dead in quite some time, I'd forgotten how much I loved Workingman's Dead. Subsequently the cover of 'New Speedway Boogie' a cut from it is stomping Blues Rock and a good deal louder than the hippy, laid-back original. The band pay tribute to Jerry Garcia in the lead up to the song and I'm sure if he's looking down he'd be proud at what a kickass take this is. 'Empathy Song' is akin to a dronier version of Jane's Addiction, think the more sprawling numbers from Ritual de lo Habitual, as a fan of that band and sound, this was one I could definitely get into. I mentioned The Stooges earlier, how appropriate then that they conclude with a cover of 'No Fun'. The truth of course being that this entire experience has most certainly been the opposite. Ravens version is pretty decent, a freestyle jam and a rollicking way of bringing this exhilarating set to its conclusion.

Unlike Kiss Alive! this is the real deal and while the majority of the setlist is comprised of tracks from the band's debut, there's some bonus goodies here for fans. Highly recommended.