The Ravages is a recently born Beijing garage rock band with raw energy and psychedelic sounds. All four members have a solid background in the Beijing music scene playing from many different local bands such as Boss Cuts, SHA!, Oldy Baby, and PoetryXMusic. Unlike other rock bands, The Ravages have a unique instrument, a keyboard bass! Their influences and inspirations for the band’s sound and first album include The Cramps, Rocket Science, The Misfits, and The Pixies.
Their debut album The Ravages, covers a mixture of alternative, garage, and psychedelic, reminding of the 90s grunge sound. Greatly ranging in dynamic with their set of songs, the album is tastefully seasoned with distortion, loud fuzz, instrument feedback, and bold organ. A band member Nathan (vocalist/guitar), describes their album as “a set of songs your booger brains can move too”.
Meet The Band
Nathan | Vocal/Guitar
Daniel | Guitar
David | Keyboard
Ryan | Drums
The Special Tape
Releasing their first album The Ravages, the band has made a special tape for the album.
The debut album premiered as a cassette release listening party in early July hosted by Great Leap Brewing. In celebration for their music, a beer has been specially made by Da Yue Beer for the band called “The Ravages IPA”.
Q&A
Which one song do you think best introduces your band to new listeners?
Nathan: We like Brain Sale. It sounds the most like the band as a group.
How did your band get its name?
Nathan: I think Daniel made it.
Daniel: Yeah I wanted the name to be a throw back to band names of the 60s like Barbarians, the Zombies, the Ramains etc. but also a name that captures the sonics and timbre of the band.
What makes your band unique?
David: Keyboard bass!
Nathan: David, wait no, he’s in every band! Keyboard bass!
Ryan: We have a drum set.
What made you decide to from this new band, since you all came from different bands?
David: When I was recording for Boss Cuts, Daniel introduced me to an Australian band called Rocket Science and it was the first time I had heard electric organ being played that aggressively before. He and I then started talking about starting a really loud, raunchy garage rock band.
Daniel: Boss Cuts was winding down and I’ve wanted to do a straight up garage band for a long time. I was finding surf rock somewhat limiting in terms of songwriting and sound so I wanted to branch out.
Ryan: I was the last to join. The first time I heard the first full song in practice I could hear these guys knew exactly what they were doing and I felt like already knew too. This combination of sound and song structures is hard to come by here. I knew I wanted to latch on.
What do you look forward to the most in your music journey?
David: I love playing shows. Writing music is fulfilling in its own way, but for me its ultimately all about performing together as a band. Preferably out on the road.
Nathan: Writing, shows, and recordings.
Ryan: Putting drums to something someone else writes and seeing the charge they get when they get to hear it the first time.
Do you have any hobbies apart from music?
David: Beer and Chicken. Can those be considered hobbies?
Nathan: drink, food, movie, book, gym, clean
Daniel: Trampolining
Ryan: Torturing myself with more Chinese learning
If you were to only pick one song to perform for the rest of your life, which would you choose?
Nathan: Last Caress
Daniel: Good Vibrations
What can we expect from your debut album?
David: Loud and abrasive garage bangers.
Nathan: A set of songs your booger brains can move to.
Ryan: listening the first time and wondering if some of the songs are still the same band.
What’s the song creation process in the band like?
David: Usually Daniel will come up with a chord progression or Nathan will bring in a song he wrote. Ryan and I fill in the rhythm section. Sometimes they make me write a solo. Which takes ages to figure how to play while simultaneously holding down the bass lines. But those are some of my favorite moments in our performances.
Daniel: It varies. Nathan tends to come in with songs that are more fully formed. I used to do that with other bands but it felt a bit alienating for the other players. Also I would often end up being a bit of a dictator as I wanted everything to be as I had written it. So I changed my approach to bringing in some sketches then have everyone own the means of production.
What are your inspirations?
David: Rocket Science, The Doors, A little bit of the Strokes
Nathan: Pixies, Shinobu, The Cramps, Guantanamo Baywatch, Misfits
Daniel: The Sonics, the Stooges, Rocket Science, the Black Lips, the Mystery Lights, the Schizophonics
Ryan: Pile, Small Brown Bike, O’ Death, Water Liars, Murder by Death
Who is Barbra Ann in our song Barbra Ann?
Nathan: She is the same Barbara Ann in the Beach Boys song similarly titled Barbara Ann
Daniel: Nathan is the Tom Stoppard of the Ravages
Ryan: The lady whose fault it is whenever I mess that song up live.
What is your ideal state of mind for being creative?
David: Running through a section of music over and over again at home early in the morning. With a huge cup of coffee on hand.
Nathan: Watching a great movie or reading a great book, jacked on coffee, clean house and shoes on.
Daniel: Coffee, beer, triggering Nathan
Ryan: Being away from a screen unless, like Nathan said, it’s a great movie.
How is performing live and creating music over message connected?
Nathan: For me, performing and creating are very different. Performing means the song is done (for now).
If your music were food, would it be sour, sweet, spicy, salty or bitter?
David: Sour spicy
Nathan: Bitter sweet
Daniel: Salty sour, spicy sour, bitter sour, sour sour
Ryan: Ma. Also, La.
You’ve all played in various Beijing bands? Tell us about your experience as foreign musicians in China?
David: Overall its been great. Over the years I've had the opportunity to play with various bands in different venues all over the country. Touring has been great because its allowed me to see a lot of the country that I normally wouldn't have and try all the different specialty dishes from each region. But I think I most enjoy the feeling of playing a packed out live house, with all our mates up front heckling us and banging around. Festival shows are always a blast as well- theres nothing quite like the intensity of going out in front of thousands of people. Chinese audiences are generally really enthusiastic and energetic, especially at the bigger shows.
Ryan: There’s a lot of opportunity for creativity and even more could open up someday, for everyone, if scenes could find a way to become less segregated.
