John Gallagher - Raven (England)
When and where were you born? Are you originally from Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, UK? When did you first begin playing music and what was it that initially fascinated you about it? I understand you also have a brother that plays music. What was it like growing up with a sibling that had the same passion and love for music such as yourself?
October 8th 1958 in Newcastle-Upon -Tyne England... English by birth, but Geordie by the grace of God! We went on holiday to Spain in 1973 or so and Mark got a classical guitar as a gift there... We’d share it and started to figure stuff out on it... We literally wore that thing out. We grew up in a very much blue collar family in a working class area... A tough Northern industrial city.. not for the faint of heart. My brother Mark and I started the band so yeah he plays music... We have always very much been a team... Us against the world!
Who were some of your influences early on? Where would you go to see shows in your community and what groups/performances stood out to you the most during that time?
Oh everything... Initially I’d say the glam bands that were on “ top of the pops” the UK version of “ American Bandstand” so Slade... Sweet... T.Rex... etc. We loved Status Quo too... This broadened to a laundry list of hard rock bands of that era... We’d go to Newcastle City Hall... A 2000 seat concert venue that’s just an amazing place… The 1st show we saw was Slade with the Sensational Alex Harvey band as openers... Both were superb and this was a life changing experience. We then saw almost every act that came to play there... And when we were old enough.. shows at the 18 and older venue - The Mayfair ballroom - one of THE best rock venues that ever existed... So we saw Status Quo... Budgie... Wishbone Ash... Rainbow... Ian Gillan... Uriah Heep... Rory Gallagher... UFO... All phenomenal! This was our education... seeing our heroes up close and soaking it all up.
What would you and your friends do for fun back in the day? Did you participate in any groups prior to Raven? How did you guys initially meet Paul Bowden? How did the name for the group come to be? Did you guys have an overall vision for the band when first starting out?
Most teenagers of our age ended up aimlessly committing Random acts of vandalism… But we actually avoided that by immersing ourselves in learning to play! Paul lived about 5 min walk away down the next street and we’d known him since we moved to our house in... 1968, or so. One day in 1974 him & Mark came up to me and said “ we are gonna form a band and you are gonna play the bass!” And I was like… ”absolutely “. We had no clue... Couldn’t play at that point but came up with the name by pulling names literally out of a hat... Bugged our parents for cheap electric guitars and woodshedded! We just wanted to play exciting music like our heroes.
Before the band recorded their debut LP in ‘81, the band had been together since ‘74. What was the band up to during those initial 6/7 years? When did the group make their debut live performance and what was that experience like for you?
We really did our apprenticeship. Learned to play... Learned the craft of playing live, projecting and winning over an audience no matter how indifferent they may have been! Our 1st show was at our high school in December 1975... I fell down the stairs backstage before we went on... Paul accidentally walked off the stage into thin air when we DID go on... We did a set of half covers and half originals- things like “ now I’m here” by Queen... “ roll over lay down” by Status Quo... And “ Stealin’” by Uriah Heep!
You guys went through quite a bit of line up changes during those formable years. Can you tell me about that? Tell me about writing as well as recording the band’s debut LP in ‘81. When and where did recording take place? What were those experiences like for you creating those songs with your bandmates? How did the deal with Neat Records come about?
The core of the band from its inception to 1979 was Mark, Paul and I... With a revolving cast of drummers. Paul quit in 1979... Was getting married... Spending too much time in the pub etc. We got a new drummer Rob Hunter... We had an interim guitarist for a few months that didn’t work out and we decided to go as a 3 piece - game changer! Once we went 3 piece we wrote like crazy - the songs were just pouring out of us… And played wherever we could... At one show in town the manager of another local act “ the Tygers of pantang” came up and asked if we’d like to do a single for Neat Records... To which we immediately said “ yes!” The ensuing single “ Don’t need your money” was a breakout hit for us... Was well reviewed and as it was played on Radio one was heard by none other than Ozzy Osbourne... Who let us open on 4 dates of his first UK tour!!! This was followed by dates around the UK with Motorhead... Iron Maiden... Samson... Angel Witch... During all this we started recording the 1st album ..” Rock Until You Drop” - a few days here, a few days there. Very piecemeal due to our tour schedule but remarkably cohesive overall... The reviews were uniformly excellent.
The following year in ‘82, the band recorded its sophomore LP “Wiped Out”. Can you tell me about writing and recording that record? What did you want to achieve and/or express on this album that differed from the previous debut?
We were developing and expanding our sound and ability, we knew the crazier the songs were.. the crazier the audience would be. So we planned a relentless album theater refused to back off... This time we did the entire album along with the “ crash bang wallop” EP in 6 days... Recorded AND mixed... And a few of the songs were literally written on the spot!
The band would go on to record very extensively throughout the 80's and 90’s. When you reflect back on those years in the band, what do you find yourself contemplating on most often? What are you most proud of during its first 10 years, or so?
This was another form of apprenticeship... Trying to capture the live intensity and out that energy into an album. During that 1981-91 period we had unimaginable success and also failure at times... Rob left the band in 1987... Joe Hasselvander’s joined later the same year and we just pushed ahead.
What have you been up to more recently both in Raven as well as outside of the band?
The last 5 years have been eventful to say the least... Joe had to quit the band due to heart issues... Mike Heller joined as his replacement in 2017 and we haven’t looked back... Major tours of Europe, South America, Japan, China and the US all before the pandemic... The recording and release of our best reviewed album yet - “ Metal City” in September 2020... During the covid doldrums... We toured the US in 2021 and immediately started work on a brand new album... Writing and demoing a mountain of songs!
Anything new on the horizon that for Raven fans all around the world?
The new album is in the can and current being mixed for a May 2023 release... We are currently in the midst of a 45 date North American tour where we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of our” Wiped out” album by playing it in its entirety... The tour ended with us opening for Metallica in Fort Lauderdale on November 6th on a special show to celebrate the lives and achievements of Jon & Marsha Zazula... Who changed our lives and Metallica’s irrevocably for the better. Next year is shaping up to be even busier… We are in the Chris Jericho “ four leaf clover“ cruise then go to the UK to play the “all for one”! album in it’s entirety as it will be THAT albums 40th anniversary!!
Is there anything else you would like to further share with the readers?
Thank you for the support and we hope to see you on the road soon!!!!
