Artist description The sound of BLACKBIRD ABBEY is strongly rooted in 60's style pop, reminiscent yet with a contemporary sound. Freelance journalist Dennis Walkling describes them as combining the jangly guitar ring of The Byrds and the ear-candy glitz of The Monkees with the harmonies of The Everly Brothers.Vocalists/guitarists, C.H. Valentine and Jay Rauchwarg forge a unique chemistry, mixing lush vocal and musical arrangements with straight ahead, no-nonsense songcrafting. Bassist/vocalist, Neil Carpenter and drummer, JD Fosse add the strong, swinging backbeat that anchors every tune.

Music Style POWER POP

Musical Influences THE BEATLES, BARENAKED LADIES, 311

Similar Artists THE REMBRANDTS, CROWDED HOUSE, BARENAKED LADIES

Artist History Blackbird Abbey came onto the scene in 1995 as The Ravens. Their early work paid homageto heroes like The Beatles, The Everly Brothers, Badfinger and The Byrds. By the time their first CD had been released they had already broadened their palette while stillretaining a love for hooky melodies and harmonies. Their debut, So Rare and New; showcased the unique chemistry of Vocalists/guitarists C.H. Valentine and Jay Rauchwarg.The songs mixed lush vocal and musical arrangements with straight ahead, no-nonsensesongcrafting. The new album; simply titled Blackbird Abbey, builds upon that ethic and thanks to years of playing and engineer Mark Mason’s skillful knob tweaking; displays more power and intensity as well as tighter arrangements.

Group Members THE PLAYERSC.H. Valentine - C.H. was raised playing bluegrass and country music with his family. Singing comes second nature to C.H. His influences range from Hank Williams to Motown and of course, The Beatles! C.H. is one of the principal songwriters and plays a pretty mean guitar as well. Jay Rauchwarg - Jay grew up listening to the bubblegum pop and light rock and folk from his sister’s record collection along with his brother’s heavy arena rock and the crooner records of his parents. Jay is a schooled musician, having received a scholarship for voice and guitar study. Jay always loved to sing but never found the right blend till he began writing and harmonizing with C.H. Neil Carpenter - Neil’s mom is a Beatle “fanatic”. Fortunately for the band, Neil didn’t rebel. As a small child he took up drums only to switch to bass during his early teens in order to write songs. He credits Neil Diamond and Jon Bon Jovi as some of his faves and has this strange infatuation for teeny bop girl singers. JD Fosse – JD is a jazz and funk drummer who hails from Connecticut. Growing up in a musical family, JD began his musical training at age 7. He has played in a variety of jazz and rock bands and had the honor of playing with an 80-piece symphony orchestra at age 17. His influences run the gamut from Buddy Rich and Tower of Power to The Red Hot Chili Peppersand 311. JD is the newest addition to Blackbird Abbey.

Instruments Lead guitar, rhythm guitar, mandolin, bass guitar, drums, keyboards, vocal harmonies

Albums BLACKBIRD ABBEY, SO RARE AND NEW (released as THE RAVENS)

Press Reviews With a sound reminiscent of 60's pop and Beatlesque harmonies, the Ravens (now Blackbird Abbey) still keep their material fresh and contemporary. Each song was memorable, their set was well-rehearsed and their harmonies were nothing short of outstanding. CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE / May 1998Their musical vibe recalls The Byrds, The Rembrandts or Gin Blossoms... ORLANDO WEEKLY / July 25 to 31 1996...because of the high-quality songwriting and the enchanting vocal harmonies the four-piece infuse into each three minute wonder. ORLANDO WEEKLY / October 9 to 15, 1997Persevering a jangly-stringed, hamony-soaked style that harkens back to The Byrds, CSN&Y, and extremely early Eagles... JAM MAGAZINE / November 21-December 4, 1997HEY Y'ALL,Thanks so much for dropping by copies of the Blackbird Abbey disc to thestudio. I don't know about the other guys, but I finally got some time tosit and listen to the C.D. the other day and it sounds great! Reallyenjoyable and a lot of fun to listen to. I hope that all goes well andsuccessful for you guys! I'll certainly be proud to play it for peoplevisiting the studio. Also, compliments on the cool Hammond-organ work.Mark did a good job capturing that module & making it sound realistic. Ilook forward to seeing a five-star review in Jam mag!!!Once again, all the best and look forward to seeing you guys at someshows. Take Care,Ed KroutPhat Planet

Location ORLANDO, FL - USA

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