You might not instantly recognize the name of Dave Rave but in Canadian music circles, he is as familiar as maple syrup is to the rest of the country. Having gotten his start as a member of Canadian punk legends Teenage Head, Rave has also performed alongside late Big Star leader Alex Chilton and producer Daniel Lanois while churning out a truly respectable discography of music that allows him to indulge his every musical whim including pop, jazz, folk and more.
Rave’s newest single Anne-Marie (You Tube clip is below) is a heavenly slice of power-pop, sounding as though it is straight from the 60’s and showing that Rave is only getting better with age.
You can head over to Dave Rave’s Bandcamp site for a free download of Anne-Marie.
I recently had the chance to have a quick chat with Dave about being a cult favorite and who he considers to be the greatest influences on his work.
Does it offend you that you have been given “cult status” designation? Do you feel this is an easy out for those not familiar with your work output?
No, it doesn’t offend me at all. To be associated with so many other great musicians who have been given ‘cult status designation’ is a great honour. I feel that the truly great music writers don’t bestow that title easily and it’s taken me a long time to achieve it, so it’s appreciated.
Does being able to follow whatever musical whim you’d like and not be pegged as part of any one genre a liberating thing for you?
Absolutely. To be able to have the freedom to write what’s around me, what I’m hearing, what’s in the air at the time, regardless of genre or what I think will be the next hit is what keeps it interesting for me.
What are your thoughts on how the music business model has changed over the past 10 years? Is it a good or bad thing in your opinion?
I think that the changes have been good for me. I’m now performing around the world in ways that are much easier than they were before and it’s easier to let people know what you are doing and get them to your shows or your new song.
Who do you feel has made the biggest impact on your work as a musician?
Business-wise it was when I first started working with Lisa Millar when she was at Bullseye Records 10 years ago and my career became more focussed and less scattered. Musically in the last ten years, it’s been Miles Davis and Mark McCarron. Both have expanded my musical vocabulary beyond what I thought was possible.
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