Rainravens - Garden Rocket (2007)

An acoustic rock quartet formed in Austin, Texas, USA, the Rainravens comprise Andy Van Dyke (vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica), Dave Ducharme-Jones (guitar, vocals), Herb Belofsky (drums, vocals) and Dave Evertson (bass, vocals). The group’s musical textures are centred on delicate four-way harmonies, with lovelorn lyrics written by Van Dyke, who had previously recorded two solo cassettes entitled Spark and Politics & Allergies. Rainravens came into being after evolving from the Andy Van Dyke Band, then Drop The Gun, who also released an independent cassette. The Rainraven’s debut album for Demon Records was recorded and mixed in 1995 at the Woodshed in Austin, with co-production by Gary Hickinbotham. The 11 original songs attempted to evoke ‘the lyrical invention of Steve Earle and Jackson Browne with the melodicism of commercially successful acts such as the Eagles’. Possibly the most effective song was ‘What Are You Doing Tonight’, which documented a typical Friday night in Austin, the protagonist picking up his girlfriend and then driving around without any particular destination.