Recently I played a set at Cockatoo Island as part of a gig I curated called Postfolkrocktronica Picnic. I briefly played a set of my own, and then debuted an exciting new duo I've been working on with Ollie Bown of Icarus, using custom looping and processing software created by him and workshopped together.
We've got a ways to go, but there's a tremendous amount of potential for some really cool stuff there…

So, first up some solo Raven. This is (most of) a piece without a name that I created for the Goodbye Sarajevo event at this year's Sydney Writers' Festival.

And here's a possibly bewildering excerpt from the Bown/Hollo duo, sometime after Ollie dropped the tempo of the piece and warped everything. You can't really hear the way the beats are synchronised with the cello loops, but hopefully it's pretty at least:

I've been a bit slack with promoing this one, but on Tuesday evening coming, the 9th of August, I'm playing a live Raven set twice (45 minutes, then the same again later on) at the Jurassic Lounge at the Australian Museum.
The linked show outline says "Atrium DJ", but rest assured I'm playing live! Lots of cello+loops like the video in the previous post, and the usual laptop glitchiness as well — all with live visuals from Barry Saunders.

For those who missed last night's gig (see previous post), or who want to relive a little bit of it, Paul Threthni has posted some pics and also took this video of my last piece, an as-yet-unnamed loop pedal and cello piece:

It's missing the stupendous bass warmth and general wondrousness of the sound at the venue, but it's pretty good sounding for a camera video, and I'm glad to be able to present one of my newest pieces ‐ I'm pretty proud of it. Now for a name…

I'm very excited to present the beautiful flyer above for a gig I have curated under the Utility Fog banner featuring Raven (as requested by Joe of The Gate) along with some of my favourite Australian musicians.
It's on Saturday the 30th of July, and features Gail Priest, Ollie Bown of Icarus, and a rare appearance in Sydney of Melbourne's Part Timer.
It'll be teh awes.

Joe has a great promo page over at The Gate site with some handy blurbs on the musicians. Note the location: 42 Langston Pl, Epping is basically right across from Epping Station. 25 minute train trip from Central Station. Get on it!

ABC Radio National’s been taken over by the weirdos for the summer, and a wonderful thing it is! I got to go in to RN Breakfast a couple of weeks ago and talk to The Chaser's Julian Morrow, who's holding the seat warm for Fran Kelly over the summer break. I talked about my "favourite album of the year" — impossible to choose one, especially a breakfast-friendly one, but I did alright: listen here.

More importantly for the Raven-ous side of things, The Night Air has taken over the evenings for January (at least 8:30-10pm or something), and Brent Clough has invited me to play a set, so listen in around:
9pm, Friday January 7th
to hear Raven playing live on Radio National! I think I'll play about 3 tracks and have a chat as well.

Very excited to be playing two gigs in the lovely back room at Hardware Gallery, at 263 Enmore Rd, Enmore.

On Saturday, November the 6th I am very pleased to be playing at the album launch of one my favourite Sydney sound artists, Gail Priest. Also playing are Jon Watts and Sounds of Homes (an Endgame Records supergroup with Shane Fahey, Tegan Northwood and filmmaker/performance artist Honi Ryan). Should be fantastic.
Facebook event here, for those that way inclined.

On Friday, November the 19th I'm playing at one of the best new monthly events to appear this year, Sound Series (Facebook group). Also held at Hardware Gallery, Sound Series features impeccably-curated lineups by Romy Caen of sound art & experimental musicians from Sydney & interstate. Also playing on this night will be Melbourne's wonderful cinematic postrock group The Spheres, (sadly they can't make it!) Brisbane's guitar-pickin' laptopiste Anonymeye, Ivan Lisyak and others.
Facebook event here.

I've got a few gigs coming up really soon!
First one is THIS SUNDAY, the 3rd of October, at the semi-secret b0hemian gr0ve in Surry Hills. You might want to email me or something to find out exactly where it is. I'll be playing around 7:30pm or so.
…And it's gone! And was described by the 'grove as a "hypnotically beautiful set". ACCOLADES!

Second is a huge event which all involved are hoping that, um, people come along to! Featuring the wonderful Ollie Bown of Icarus, now based in Melbourne, along with Shoeb Ahmad and Evan Dorrian of Spartak and Adrian Lim-Klumpes of 3ofmillions.
This semi-ad hoc quintet will perform in various different duos, trios, and as a full group, improvising around cello, piano, guitar, drum kit, many pedals and laptops, along with Ollie's algorithmic rhythms and responsive computer programs.
Support will be from the glitchy hip-hop of Cleptoclectics.
Best of all, the setting is the wooden-paneled surrounds of Megaphon Recording Studios, at Floor 2, Building 8, 70 Edith St, St Peters.
Facebook event here.

Shoeb put together a special FREE download compilation for this show, with almost all exclusive tracks. An unreleased Raven track and tracks by the other performers can be found here – download now!

Outside of Sydney OMG, on Friday the 22nd of October I'm playing another solo gig, this time in Canberra. Courtesy of the aforementioned Shoeb Ahmad, it's part of his series of sound gigs at the Street Theatre, and should be awesome. Will update with further details, but also playing will be a string quartet by Julian Day, and the beautiful piano post-rock of Sophie Hutchings (with yours truly on cello).

And finallllly, on Friday the 19th of November I'm playing at the Sound Series at Hardware Gallery, 263 Enmore Rd, Enmore. This is an awesome gallery space and they hold fantastic gigs there, so it's highly recommended – plus of course I'll be playing!

More details as they come for these later gigs, but that's a good ol' summary.