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 GEARED catches up with premier Brisbane psychedelic harmonists DRAWN FROM BEES’ guitarist RAVEN DANGER JONES – who presently resides in Melbourne, but regularly travels up north.
GEARED: What’s currently happening in the DFB camp, Raven?
RAVEN DANGER JONES: We are putting the finishing touches on our new album, which we’ve spent 18 months working on. A few weeks ago, we sat down and listened to the 21 songs we’ve recorded – it was like working on different areas of a painting, then standing back and seeing the entirety of the work fitting together. This album is the most unique thing we’ve created. We have approached arrangement and concepts in songs in way no other band out there is doing right now, which I am really proud of. The aim is to have it out by May.
G: You currently live in Melbourne while the rest of the band are based in Brisbane – does that get in the way of rehearsing?
RDJ: Having a band based across two cities requires focus and dedication to working on your open parts. We rehearse when I am up in Brisbane and when we tour. As far as recording goes, we send a lot of files back and forth and get together in the Brisbane studio when we can. It’s working and the great thing is it’s helped DFB gain a bit more impact in Melbourne as I am down here looking for opportunities constantly. I am also meeting lots of nice Melbourne musos and discovering rocking Melbourne bands like Pony Face – imagine if Nick Cave and The Drones had sex and someone got pregnant.
G: I’ve always been intrigued by your guitar – can you tell me where you got it?
RDJ: My guitar was custom-made by The Guitar Repairers in Red Hill. It’s the coolest guitar ever created by mankind. The concept is a Tele shape with a Gold Top Les Paul style and vintage binding. It’s got P-90s, which are the fattest pick-ups on planet Earth. They buzz like a swarm of angry locusts live, but they are my favorite sound: crunchy, present and warm!
G: What’s your current amp?
RDJ: I use a custom cabinet specifically designed to work with my guitar pedal. As far as amps go, my favorite amp is a boutique called The Dr. Z (which I used to get my main tone) – it was Lindsay Buckingham’s favourite amp. I also like Fender DeVilles, Vox and Matchless, but can’t afford to own them all yet.
G: What’s currently sitting on your pedalboard?
RDJ: I use the Line 6 HD500 for all my sounds. A lot of purists have asked me about my live tone; I used to tell them I use digital amp modeling and they would then tell me how analogue is way better. My reaction for the last year has been to lie to everyone who asks me that is all super-rare analogue gear. They always agree and tell me they can ‘hear it’. To date, out of about 20-30 different people I’ve had this discussion with, not a single person actually picked up that I was bullshiting them. So this either means my HD500 has awesome modelling or they’re just so attached to a purist concept they’re not actually listening anymore.
Having said that, our band use a mixture of both analogue and digital equipment; I don’t believe one is better than the other. They both have a place for a specific purpose. Radiohead use this approach too – whatever works for the context. Don’t be an exclusionist based on ideology.
G: As a guitarist, which players have been major formative influences for you?
RDJ: George Harrison, Lindsay Buckingham, Rowland S. Howard, Billy Corgan and Johnny Greenwood.
G: Are there any players that inspire you these days?
RDJ: Always. I’ve been obsessed with Rowland S. Howard after seeing Autoluminescent recently. As Nick Cave described him, he is totally stubborn, single-minded and won’t listen to anyone else – I am like that, too.
I have never been that much of a solo-focused player. I always dig guitarists that try to do something new and original – Harrison and Buckingham played some awesome solos, but if it’s texture or sound that works in the song, then that’s an even more creative way to play guitar. Hence why I love Greenwood and Howard’s approach. For me, it’s about your part making the song stronger.
G: At the moment, what are your favorite DFB tracks to play live?
RDJ: Whistling Bones – a song about a female serial killer off our new album. Stand Against The Storm, which is a brilliant piece of work… oh yeah I wrote that one, didn’t I? Another new one, Eliza, which Dan [James; singer/guitarist] wrote, has a big ‘70s prog-rock sound and is wicked fun to play live.
DRAWN FROM BEES’ Dusty Midnight Cowboys tour brings them to Woodland on Friday Feb 17 (supported by Green Stone Garden and Howling Rabbits), Toowoomba’s Move Mountains Festival on Sun Feb 26 and the Gold Coast Arts Festival on Sat Mar 3 (free/all-ages). www.drawnfrombees.com
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