The Raventones: Press

"Laid back guitars for surfing in the rain. ..... Kelley's vocals are hypnotic, a surge of power that makes the bulbs glow......."

"The Raventones' funky, bluesy, strangely complete sound sets a new standard for the capabilities of a solo rhythm section".

" .....themes of love, life, humanity, pain, struggles, and relationships. ...easy on the ears and stays primarily in the low end of the sound spectrum. Knowledge of the fact that TR Kelley has Asperger’s Syndrome is irrelevant to enjoying and appreciating the quality of this work. Her songs at times hint at her different perspective and her sense of advocacy."

"Local twosome packs punch into genre-bending music
The Raventones bounce from funk to country with invigorating results"

"When you go looking for TR Kelley's influences, look deeply because they can be subtle. On the surface, Kelley sounds like a disciple of Joni Mitchell around the time that Mitchell released Hejira and Don Juan's Reckless Daughter. Kelley utilizes numerous alternate tunings on her guitars, the bass parts are fluid and melodic, Kelley's voice swoops from a deep alto to a clear soprano. However, Kelley's guitar tunings are a little more reminiscent of Michael Hedges than Joni Mitchell, and that's Kelley herself playing bass."

Click the link to see a live TV performance of "Walk With Me" by The Raventones introduced by host Chuck Carney.

"Today, TR Kelley uses music to venture out into the terrifying world of activism, seeking to help improve the quality of life for other autistic people. She calls it "autistic-culture edu-tainment." When she has a guitar strapped across her torso, her speech is clearer and she tells her story with and between songs."

"The Raventones' show (at the autism retreat) opened with delicious eye contact of a most autistic stripe: no expectations to do-si-do properly with a pair of eyeballs but rather an invitation to alight our hummingbird gazes into a sproingy tiara of eyeball candy.
TR's velvet voice purrs, roars and ululates, sometimes by turns, sometimes all at once, as she shares her companionable patter between her instrumental kin, her drummer who never misses a beat, her audience, and all our cat friends in the world. The truth she reverberates is for all of us."

(see the "eyeball hat" on the photos page)

"TR Kelley was known to fans of Babes with Axes as the one with the growly voice who wouldn't take any lip from society. She brings an entirely different approach to the Raventones, one with a lot more depth, like the guitars and basses she plays with such feeling."

"TR Kelley's voice is amazing in its tone and variety.... she moves easily from a powerful ballad to a dreamy, atmospheric piece, to a Delta blues."

"TR Kelley champions Mad Pride and Neurodiversity."

".....songs of racous social satire and quiet intimacy, all sung with the mastery of a voice that grabs your soul and holds on."