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The Raveonettes
EXCLUSIVE Interview: The Raveonettes
Chuck Norton, DeadJournalist.com
05.10.07
Five years ago, while walking through the CD section of a major electronics retailer, an album cover caught my eye. It looked like a movie poster from a 1950's noir film. Five minutes later, I owned the album.
It only took one listed to the EP to get me hooked. The band, Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo, blended vintage rock and pop, all in a minor cord (B-flat) to create a distinctive sound that was, and is, unmistakable.
Thus began my affection for The Raveonettes.
From that 2002 EP, Whip It On, to their last release, 2005's Pretty In Black, The Raveonettes' slick, rebellious rock 'n roll sound evolved dramatically.
Pretty in Black found the band diversifying its sound by adding a techo beat to "Twilight" (which was influenced by both '50's sci-fi and Miss Kittin) and legendary voicalist Ronnie Spector on "Ode to L.A".
On Spector's involvement, Wagner is quoted on the band's Web site as saying, "She's like a goddess. It doesn't get any bigger than that for me personally. She's the reason why I do the kind of music I do. It was really after hearing 'Be My Baby' for the first time that I thought, 'This style of music is just so incredibly good that if I can somehow preserve it through my own music then that will be my quest for life. So meeting her was just insane. And she was really nice. She came in very excited about the whole thing and was jumping around, saying, 'Oh my god, I feel like I'm 16 years old again!'"
The band's musical evolution will continue as Wagner and Foo are working on a new album, which should be released in Fall 2007.
For more information on The Raveonettes, visit their Web site at www.theraveonettes.com or their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/theraveonettes.
DeadJournalist.com is proud to bring you this exclusive interview with Sune Rose Wagner of The Raveonettes.
How is the new album coming along?
SRW: It’s pretty much done. No name yet. It will be released September/October.
Will there be any noticeable changes in The Raveonettes’ sound and style on this album?
SRW: The vocals are really the main Raveonettes sound and then I build music around those. It’ll have elements of all the albums but it’ll have some really dark stuff on there that we haven’t done before. There will be noise and groovy beats and surf guitars, etc. … In other words, amazing!
Has the writing process changed for you over the years? Have you found it easier or more difficult to craft a new album?
SRW: It’s a little more difficult because I’m very hard on myself and the music I write is very simple. It’s extremely tough to write songs like that but I’ve never had a problem actually writing the songs, it’s always more hard for me to come up with a sound and instrumentation.
Which do you enjoy more, performing live or writing and recording?
SRW: Writing, recording and listening.
The most bizarre thing that happened to the band while on tour was ... ?
SRW: When our tour manager OD’d on the freezing cold Minnesota night on a combination of pain killers, citrus flavored vodka and weed. We fired him.
What is the band’s tour plans for the remainder of 2007?
SRW: Well, we have the West Coast tour coming up then we’ll do a big show in Denmark. Then we’ll be a Midwest/Canada tour, more shows in Denmark and shows in Europe.
What artists have influenced you the most throughout your career?
SRW: Buddy Holly, Suicide, The Cramps and The Shangri-las.
What was the first concert you attended?
SRW: Guns ‘n’ Roses with Nine Inch Nails and Skid Row in Mannheim, Germany.
To whom were you listening to in 1997?
SRW: Dinosaur JR, Sonic Youth, Sebadoh and The Folk Implosion.
One Drink, One Movie, One Album:
SRW: Guiness, Breaking Away, Rachmaninov’s 2nd Symphony