EMQ’s With CrowsVsRavens
EMQ’s With CrowsVsRavens
Hi Everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with USA Atmospheric Metal band, CrowsVsRavens. Huge thanks to their Bass Player/ Songwriter, Rope Ganjee for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Hi, I’m Rope Ganjee, I am the songwriter and bass player for CrowsVsRavens. We are somewhat of a unique band with a strange beginning. When I was much younger in the late 1980s, I played bass in a progressive metal band (with another good friend who eventually went on to found Symphony X!) After we disbanded, I went into a different career and while I was always a fanatic music fan, I stopped playing bass for well over 20 years! Then, during the Covid pandemic, I went out and bought a bass and insanely fiended- out re-learning to play, getting my chops back and then started writing and recording music. Dying to put something together, I started reaching out to other musicians who I thought would work really well with the material that I was writing. I first reached out to my longtime friend Rich Grabowsky, who now lives in London, (we have been best friends forever are grew up together in NJ) and he started playing guitar on many tracks. I then started reaching out to other musicians and vocalists to record tracks for the first record (We Shall Have to Learn). The players came from various parts of the world. I repeated the process for the second album, (Within the Depths) finding the right guys for each track, and with the third album, Revised Reality, I stuck with a few key players who just fit the sound best- Chris A Bohm (Texas) as drummer on all tracks, Rich Grabowsky (London) , Filippo Rosat (Italy) and Martin Arroyo (Argentina) on guitars, Ariel Perchuk (Argentina) and Tom Wolley (NJ) on keyboards, and Ged Cartwright (Scotland) and Trever Laake (California) on vocals. The different musicians and vocalists play different tracks depending on the sound and style we are going for.
Here is the band bio: With one foot firmly planted in metal and the other in “the atmosphere,” CrowsVsRavens creates dynamic music without the restriction of strictly adhering to any specific niche genre. They employ enough shifting musicscapes, odd time signatures and key changes to give them a prog edge, but always with strong melodies, riffs, grooves and hooks, and a heaviness that make them readily accessible to the most die-hard metal, rock or prog fans. Clearly influenced by a number of monstrous metal and prog bands, (Rush, Dream Theatre, Queensryche, Iron Maiden, Fates Warning), their unique “old school” style makes comparisons to other bands difficult, while at the same time, it gives them a wide crossover appeal. While nearly all songs are written and produced by bassist Rope Ganjee, he utilizes the immense creative talents of guitarist Rich Grabowsky (as well as Filippo Rosati and Martin Arroyo), drummer Chris Bohm, vocalists Ged Cartwright and Trever Laake, as well as several talented keyboardists (Tom Woolley, Ariel Perchuk, Francesco Finori) to create a diverse, yet strikingly cohesive sound. CrowsVsRavens’ debut album, We Shall Have to Learn, showcased the diversity of their influences, while their second release, Within the Depths, (a full storyline concept album with a dark sci-fi theme), represents a more harmonious, ever-evolving sound. Their third release, Revised Reality, is perhaps the most ambitious, creative, well-crafted and professionally produced album yet. Spearheaded by lifelong friends Rope Ganjee (New Jersey) and Rich Grabowsky (London), CrowsVsRavens is a recording project with contributors from various parts of the world. Revised Reality collaborators hail from New Jersey, London, Texas, California, Scotland, Italy and Argentina.
How did you come up with your band name?
I love the dark and cryptic nature of Crows and Ravens and just came up with the name. Crows and Ravens are very similar but actually fight with one another.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
I live in New Jersey but the other players are from all over the world. It is truly a unique music project.
Rich Grabowsky- guitars (London)
Filippo Rosati – guitars (Rome)
Martin Arroyo- guitars (Argentina)
Chris A Bohm- drums (Austin Texas)
Ariel Perchuck- keyboards (Argentina)
Tom Wolley- keyboards (New Jersey)
Ged Cartwright- vocals (Scotland)
Trever Laake – vocals (California)
So we are a kind of mish-mash creation. While I write all the songs, I use the right guys for each part. I couldn’t be happier with all these great players and vocalists! I think this makes us rather unique as a band.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Revised Reality is a full-length album. The first 4 songs are all somewhat of a mini-concept album in that they tell a story and are thematically/conceptually linked and are sung by Ged Cartwright. The next five songs are all stand-alone songs that each explore their own theme. Revised Reality, explores themes of propaganda and manipulation. The Terror explores the ill-fated 1845 Franklin expedition to find the northwest passage- rumours of brutal horrors abound and no crew members were ever heard from again. The Space Between is about a time traveller who, attempting to correct his past, struggles with free will and predestination. Red October explores the historical horrors of communist totalitarianism and contains numerous actual primary source quotes from communist dictators and idealogues. Fated Day explores the themes of sorrow and loss of innocence.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Without a doubt, some monstrous prog and metal bands such as Rush, Fates Warning, Iron Maiden, Dream Theatre, Queensryche. While I think you can perhaps hear some of the influences in the music, I am very confident that we don’t sound like any other band. We definitely have an “old school” prog metal sound but are definitely hard to classify with our many various influences. Many of our songs employ different styles and genres. When I started this project, I wanted very much not to have to adhere strictly to any specific niche genre, but rather, wanted full musical freedom in the writing. In the end, we are probably something most akin to what you would call prog metal. However, we can be too proggy for rock, too heavy for alt, not heavy enough for metal- but I like that we are true to ourselves and don’t care where we fit in or don’t fit in.
What first got you into music?
I was a true metal head in high school and eventually wandered deep into prog rock. I really love a wide-variety of music but at heart I’m a metal head.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Ray Alder of Fates Warning is by far my favourite vocalist of all time, and I would kill to have him sing on a song of ours!
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Any festival in Europe would be magical!
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
I’m still waiting!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Thank you for taking the time to discover our music, it is created with 100% integrity and without any compromise. Please share it with friends and other like-minded fans. My only goal is for like-minded music lovers to discover and enjoy it!
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Dio
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I love that playing and writing is ALWAYS fresh and exciting. It never gets boring and there are so many avenues to explore. There is always something new to learn or discover in your playing or in someone else’s playing! It is an endless creative journey!
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
That it would not be so damn hard for independent bands to get any exposure, especially if they have a great sound!
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Fates Warning- Awaken the Guardian
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs or Downloads?
Whatever you have is best!
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Being that we are a recording project from around the world, there are no gigs unfortunately- just albums!
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
History teacher, photographer
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
George Orwell, Alexander the Great, Geddy Lee, Joe Rogan, Sigmund Freud
What’s next for the band?
We are going to continue writing new material and recording another album as we speak. I can do this forever!
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Spotify:
YouTube: (ALL videos for the entire new album- great visual accompaniment!) https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvpQm7Dibwj6-GZTBQYsoS_qKxHMheszV&si=ewDiXhwdV_m34522
Facebook: (Full band BIO, album notes, credits…) https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564003064364
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/crowsvsravens?igsh=MWMwNDdhajVrcnU3cQ&utm_source=qr
Bandcamp:
https://crowsvsravens.bandcamp.com
There’s a long-standing food-based debate here in the UK. And we’d like your help. So… A Jaffa cake – is it a cake or a biscuit? Discuss!
I’m from the US, so I’m not sure. I like Digestives if that helps!
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
A huge thanks you for taking the time to discover and enjoy the music! It’s so hard for independent bands to get any exposure so please like, comment and subscribe and share with your friends! Cheers!
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