This time on The NAS 10 Questions, we get to know Max Ravenhill, a British songer-songwriter based in Droitwich UK with a diverse and ecclectic mix of styles including pop, rock, country, reggae, and indian classical. Influences include Brother Beyond, Cliff and the Shadows, The BeeGees, and the Beatles to name a few.
The track "Silence No More (Instrumental)" is featured on NAS Playlists.
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1. Tell us a little about where you are from and what you are currently doing.
I'm a solo artist living in Droitwich, UK. Currently, I am working on a new album featuring all original songs, and preparing for performing at summer festivals. I'm also learning more traditional Indian music on the sitar to perform alongside original compositions.
2. What inspired you to start playing and making music?
Initially, it was seeing the 80s band Brother Beyond when I was about 7. That was really my transition from kids songs to pop music. Shortly after, watching an old video of Cliff and the Shadows in concert in the 80s, inspired me to learn guitar and they were a huge inspiration to follow a passion for music.
𝟯. Who are your biggest musical influences? How would you describe your style or genre?
As just mentioned, to begin with, Brother Beyond (especially their frontman Nathan Moore), Cliff and the Shadows were my earliest influences. Other early influences include the Bee Gees, and the Beatles. I was also very influenced by the solo careers of Robin Gibb, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. The Beatles really inspired me to start writing my own songs when I was about 15. Other key influences since then have been rather eclectic, including Indian classical music (especially Ravi Shankar), Japanese artists (ZONE, Aya Matsuura, X-Japan, Malice Mizer), Pet Shop Boys, Julian Lennon, John Denver, David Bowie, Anime music, and music from around the 1920s. My personal style has developed with a mixture of all of these and my music has covered many genres including rock, pop, country, indie, reggae and Indian classical.
4. What are your goals in the music industry or as an artist?
My goal used to be of the usual fame and fortune but now, I would like to make a living through my music, enjoying performing and recoding my own songs, writing and working with others and generally creating music people can enjoy. There are a few artists I would love to work with or write for too. These include Miyu Nagase, Aya Matsuura, Mana, Cliff Richard, and Julian Lennon. It would be wonderful to do something with them so that would be one of my bigger goals.
5. Tell us about your creative process when you make new music.
My creative process depends on the kind of music I'm creating. For my regular music (guitar and vocals), I would usually sit down with my guitar and some lyric ideas in mind and start playing around with them to see what happens. My sitar-based compositions generally come from improvisations based around elements of Indian classical music. Once I have the basic structure of a song, I will try and film it then start recording it shortly after. For recording I have been using Garageband which has been my preferred choice for years. When I create music, I also usually tend to think about creating full albums as I love the idea of an album as a musical piece of art.
6. What is your all-time favorite song by another artist and why?
There are far too many to choose a single fave but at the moment, one would have to be Endless Rain by X-Japan. I love how moving it is, the power and the guitar solo is one of my all time faves.
7. What is the best advice you have either given or received in terms of music?
I think the best bit of advice I've received has come from friends at a regular open mic I attend which was just to do it. Very simple. It has been inspirational, especially when I've had low moments - just get out there and do it.
8. Proudest accomplishment?
In the past I've organised and performed for several charity events which I always feel proud to be part of, supporting causes that mean a lot to me. But I guess, really, my proudest accomplishment is just simply the fact that I am still doing my music, still trying to develop and learn, and still support and work with others. That means a lot to me.
9. Just for fun! What's been your most embarrassing moment so far?
To be honest, I don't tend to get embarrassed as such. Generally speaking I feel if I'm trying my best (with music or otherwise) and something doesn't go quite right, then at least I've tried. There have been several songs I've had to perform live with various bands that have made me want to crawl under the table though...shan't say which ones.
𝟭0. Tell us about your lowest and highest points in music so far.
Low points have included times where I've tried working with others and it just hasn't worked out for one reason or another. I love creating music and performing with others so when it doesn't work out it is disappointing
One high was performing at The Gig in Hollywood, LA. I was going to LA on holiday and just wrote to a few venues to see if I could play on the off chance and The Gig offered me a 25 min slot. I was still living at home with my parents at the time and hadn't told them I'd got the gig so didn't take a guitar to America with me. Instead, I bought a travel acoustic guitar from a shop on Sunset Boulevard a few days before the gig and used that. My name was up in lights at the front of the venue on the night and I went down well. That was one of my first gigs too. However, that then led to one of my low points as I came back to the UK feeling positive and expecting to be able to do more gigs like that around my local area but it just didn't happen, I couldn't find any opportunities other than one open mic with hardly anyone there. At the time, it was quite soul destroying and it took me a while before I wanted to play live again.
Charity gigs are always a high point as I feel I am using my music for something worthwhile.
In 2005 I did my first paid gig as part of BBC WM's Mad About Music event in Birmingham, UK, which was a lot of fun, especially as I was performing on and off throughout the day.
I have also very much enjoyed performing with a rock 'n' roll/blues band, Scarbelly Blues, over the years. We really gelled and did so many great gigs together.
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