LOCAL MUSIC SPOTLIGHT: The Ravens Haven
- Michael Drukarsh
- 11 minutes ago
- 4 min read
By: Michael Drukarsh - You know your band is pretty special when you are able to convince the manager of a record store to leave his home on a cold rainy evening to reopen just so you can be interviewed. Such was the case with this month’s LOCAL MUSIC SPOTLIGHT, The Ravens Haven whom I had the privilege of interviewing in Newmarket’s Wrong Way Records.
Formed in 2016 by brothers Quintin and Carter Corbett, The Ravens Haven was a vision held by Quin from as early as his junior high years doodling the band name on the back of his notebook. According to Quin, the inspiration for the name was pretty easy to come by. “It was kinda like that saying, 'God Feeds the Ravens…' and we come from an Irish background and our family crest is the raven.” Brother Carter chimed in, “For Haven we were just going down the list of what rhymes with raven… and it paints the picture of the carnage.”
Having started the guitar at age 12, Quin inspired his older brother to pick up a musical instrument so that they could jam together. Finding his way to the drums, Carter quickly learned to play along with Quin and soon the idea of a band came together. Fast forward a few years to 2022 and the newly formed The Ravens Haven began jamming the local scene in Barrie with their original bassist. However, due to other commitments that lineup didn’t work which created the opening for current bass player Julian Rayfield to join the band toward the end of 2024.
It was through mutual connections the Corbett brothers met with Julian and it didn’t take long for them to gel and once again the three piece band was out touring.
“There's a certain style, mystique to the three piece. It harkens back to Elvis Presley, Bill Back, Scotty Moore, there's just style and swagger.” says Quin of the band’s choice to stick with bass, drum and guitar. They have, however, been experimenting in the studio with other sounds. Rayfield explains, “we’ve been using other percussion instruments, the lap steel” and Cater mentions the shakers that help fill out the sound, “it really fills the noise, even with the Beatles, if you listen to isolated audio of Ringo Starr’s drumming you notice a lot of it is supported with shakers.”
When creating music, including the latest single “Where My Mind Goes” released in February of this year, Quin has taken on the position of full time lyricist. Preferring to write alone, he brings his ideas to the band while Carter and Julian bring the riff. Discussing the process, Julian notes, “Usually one of us will have a riff and we'll come into the practice and just sort of jam on it.” Quin agrees and adds that, “It always ends up becoming all three of ours, you can hear all three of us in the song.”
After seeing the band for the first time at The Spot in Newmarket, I labeled the band as 70s groove sludge and they did not disagree. With influences such as Black Sabbath and Queens of the Stone Age, along with Carter's love of prog rock including Primus, there is a definite bass heavy sound to The Ravens Havens. Despite his young age, at 22, Julian’s bass playing definitely stands out as both audiences and other bands often point out the solid groove he provides. Of course that is not to take anything away from the talent of both Quin, also 22, and older brother Carter, 24, whose vocals and drums respectively blend seamlessly with the massive bass sound to create a fantastic trippy, yet crushingly heavy vibe.
While the band did spend some time playing in venues across Toronto, the distance and time devoted to the gigs while balancing school became difficult. After some time sticking closer to home and now feeling a little “Barrie locked” The Raven’s Havens are once again looking to spread their wings and start gigging further out across the GTHA. Looking to build their name across the local circuit and draw in the big crowds, the band has played gigs in Peterborough and Hamilton as well as Newmarket, including a fantastic stripped down set at Wrong Way Records for Record Store Day. They are looking to get back to Oshawa as well in hopes of getting that name recognition while keeping true to their roots and that special fan base that has supported them from the beginning.
Releasing singles every six to eight weeks and ensuring fans can listen to their music on pretty much all streaming services, The Ravens Haven have also had singles out over the waves and were recently in the studio working on their next project. Carter is hoping to hit the nostalgic and collector market by releasing special edition cassettes of their upcoming singles. “It’s definitely the situation of what’s collectable, something you can see and hold and it’s cool”.
With the last six singles recorded at Thread Junction Studios in Barrie, The Ravens Haven have been back behind the mics teasing a five track EP for the beginning of the summer and looking forward to a huge album release party. For now you can catch the band live with upcoming shows on May 23rd at OnTheMark Vintage and at CW Coops in Barrie on June 27th.
The Ravens Haven Photo Gallery (all photos by: Michael Drukarsh)
The Ravens Haven Online
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