By Metal Devastation Radio
There are plenty of bands making noise in the underground, but every once in a while you come across an artist whose music is tied directly to the life they've lived. For “RavenHawk” of Six String Revolver , the songs are more than just riffs, hooks and volume. They are a vehicle for telling stories, confronting darkness and, in his words, being “the voice for the voiceless.”
RavenHawk recently joined The Zach Moonshine Show for a wide-ranging conversation covering the band's history, their latest album Be Somebody , the stories behind several of their songs, growing up in a high-control religious environment, his love of classic rock and metal, the importance of physical music and magazines, the growing presence of AI in music, and what lies ahead for Six String Revolver.
One of the songs discussed during the interview was “Sick Mind,” a track RavenHawk describes as a statement song dealing with online predators and the dangers facing children on the internet.
“You see injustice in the world like that, man. You want to speak out,” RavenHawk explained. “And the way I know how to speak out is through our music.”
That philosophy appears to run throughout Six String Revolver's material. RavenHawk says longtime producer Chris Richardson once told him to “be the voice for the voiceless,” a phrase that has stayed with him.
FROM A LAST-MINUTE GIG TO SIX STRING REVOLVER
Six String Revolver came together in somewhat unconventional fashion.
RavenHawk had previously stepped away from music after a former band dissolved. Then came an opportunity to open for Saving Abel and P.O.D.
There was just one problem.
He didn't actually have a band.
“I got a call to open up for Saving Abel, the band, Saving Abel and P.O.D.,” RavenHawk recalled. “And I was like, ‘Oh, I don't have a band, but OK, I want to do it.’”
So he assembled what he describes as some of the best musicians he could find locally and revived the Six String Revolver name from an earlier project.
The newly assembled lineup went directly onto the stage opening for P.O.D. and Saving Abel, and according to RavenHawk, things took off from there.
One of the key pieces of the Six String Revolver lineup is guitarist Hawkeye Pierce, whom RavenHawk describes as a “living legend” around Southern Utah.
“He really is the sixth string of Six String Revolver,” RavenHawk said. “If I'm the revolver, he's the sixth string.”
MUSIC AS AN ESCAPE
Perhaps the most revealing portion of the conversation came when RavenHawk discussed his childhood.
Born into a doomsday religious cult, he grew up in an environment where music and popular culture were heavily restricted. His parents were members of the group, and RavenHawk says his childhood was dominated by fear, control and the belief that the end of the world could arrive at any moment.
His first major musical obsession came from an unlikely source: a library book about Jim Morrison.
“I ran across the book called No One Gets Out of Here Alive , the Jim Morrison story,” he explained.
He hadn't even heard The Doors at that point.
After reading about Morrison, however, RavenHawk knew exactly what he wanted.
“I was like, ‘I want to be freaking Jim Morrison.’”
A video of The Doors performing at the Hollywood Bowl cemented it.
From there, he began secretly seeking out music and eventually discovered bands including Guns N' Roses.
RavenHawk says music ultimately became his escape from the environment in which he was raised.
“I went out and got in a band and started touring with a band,” he said. “Music was basically my escape from all of this that I had to go through.”
He later wrote an entire book about his experiences and says helping people who have escaped high-control groups has become an important part of his life.
“DEAD JAIL ROCK'N'ROLL” IS PERSONAL
That personal history also finds its way directly into the Six String Revolver catalog.
RavenHawk discussed “Dead Jail Rock'n'Roll,” explaining that the song contains an event from his own life.
“I once threw a knife at my boss's ever-loving head,” he said. “That's an absolute true story.”
The song reflects his deep resistance to being controlled, something he connects directly to his childhood.
“I was taught to be a slave my whole life,” RavenHawk explained. “I just can't do it, man.”
For him, rock and roll represents the opposite of that experience.
“That's what rock'n'roll is about, man. Freedom.”
THE INFLUENCE OF JIM MORRISON, AXL ROSE AND THE CLASSIC ERA
RavenHawk's musical education may have started with The Doors, but his influences eventually expanded into the hard rock and metal world.
Guns N' Roses made a particularly strong impact.
When he heard Axl Rose's vocals on Appetite for Destruction , he heard something raw and unpredictable that connected with him.
RavenHawk also spoke about how reading stories about musicians who had survived difficult childhoods affected him personally. He specifically discussed Axl Rose's background and the way discovering similarities between their experiences gave him inspiration.
“If he can do it from a very similar environment, why can't I?” RavenHawk recalled thinking.
That became part of the reason he chose to tell his own story publicly.
“Maybe it'll be some kid listening and going, ‘Hey, that guy can do it. I can do it too.’”
SIX STRING REVOLVER AND THE HUMAN ELEMENT OF MUSIC
The conversation eventually turned toward the current state of the music industry and the growing presence of artificial intelligence.
RavenHawk isn't completely opposed to AI as a tool. He explained that he can see value in using technology to build out a song idea when presenting material to other musicians.
But when it comes to Six String Revolver, he is clear about one thing.
“No AI on it at all,” he said.
The band's music is performed by the musicians themselves, with the record having been recorded in California with engineer Tom and produced by the band's drummer, known as Monster.
For RavenHawk, the imperfections of human musicianship are part of what makes rock and metal special.
He wants to hear what an artist has experienced, what they have to say and what they bring to the music.
“I want to hear the passion. I want to hear the message,” he said.
He also wants the complete album experience, from the lyrics and artwork to the production choices and the little details hidden inside the recordings.
That human connection is something he doesn't believe can simply be replicated by a machine.
BRING BACK THE MAGAZINES
The discussion also took a nostalgic turn as RavenHawk and Zach Moonshine talked about the golden era of metal magazines.
Titles such as Metal Edge , Hit Parader , Circus , Metal Maniac and RIP were all part of the conversation, along with the posters, advertisements and interviews that introduced an entire generation of fans to new bands.
Before streaming algorithms and social media feeds, the record store and magazine rack were discovery engines.
You bought a cassette. You read the liner notes. You checked out the advertisements. You saw a band you'd never heard of and went looking for their music.
For RavenHawk, that physical connection still matters.
He wants to know who made the music, what the musicians are doing, what they believe in and what their lives look like outside the songs.
It's also one reason he believes the human side of underground music remains so important in the age of AI.
BE SOMEBODY AND WHAT COMES NEXT
Six String Revolver is currently promoting its latest album, Be Somebody , while also working on new videos and continuing to push the band's music forward.
The road ahead, however, has included a major challenge.
Guitarist Hawkeye Pierce is currently battling stage 3 cancer and had recently undergone surgery at the time of the interview.
Despite the difficult circumstances, RavenHawk remains determined to keep the band's music moving.
“He's going to come back better than ever,” he said.
And apparently Hawkeye hasn't lost his sense of humor.
While recovering in the hospital, he has reportedly been attempting to convince hospital staff to ditch their scrubs in favor of Six String Revolver merchandise. He has even tried recruiting nurses for the band's imaginary dance team.
So far, hospital policy has prevented the campaign from succeeding.
But Hawkeye apparently isn't giving up.
A LADDER IN THE SKY
Outside of Six String Revolver, RavenHawk has also released a solo song titled “Ladder in the Sky,” written years ago and recently released by Rage Breed around the 25th anniversary of September 11.
Although the song moves outside the normal Six String Revolver style, RavenHawk says it allowed him to revisit material he'd written long ago.
He also revealed that his experience as a volunteer firefighter influenced the song's focus on the firefighters who rushed into danger during the attacks.
Whatever questions people may have about the events themselves, RavenHawk says the people who risked and lost their lives trying to save others deserve to be remembered.
THE REVOLVER KEEPS SPINNING
What comes through most clearly during the conversation with RavenHawk is that Six String Revolver isn't simply another band releasing another album.
The music is connected to a lifetime of experiences.
From discovering Jim Morrison in a library to secretly listening to rock and metal as a kid, from escaping an abusive environment to building a career in music, RavenHawk has spent decades turning those experiences into songs.
And now, with Be Somebody out in the world and Six String Revolver continuing to release music, that story is still being written.
“I love expressing myself,” RavenHawk said. “I love trying to help other people that are in need of a message and a story that they can grab onto, that can inspire them.”
In an era where an endless stream of new music can disappear almost as quickly as it arrives, that's perhaps the most important thing an underground artist can do.
Have something real to say.
Then turn it up loud.
Full Track List From the Show:
1 - Another Demon - Reduced to Ash
2 - Soul Of Sheol - Paradise Is Not For Us
3 - Sharp n' Loud - Armored sexy girl
4 - ELICERE - Erased I : The dome
5 - Mistress - Terrified eyes
6 - Adam Zar Novafall - Ashes Don't Lie
The Zach Moonshine Intro
7 - Ozzy Osbourne - Suicide Solution - Live From Blizzard Of Ozz Tour
8 - MIDNIGHT - You Can't Stop Steel (Live)
9 - L.A. Guns - Space Truckin'
10 - Peeling Flesh - Murderous Intent (feat. Mike from Missing Link)
11 - 200 Stab Wounds - Pangs of Conscience
Six String Revolver - Interview featuring Sick Mind/Death, Jail, Rock & Roll
12 - NervoChaos - Embrace Chaos
13 - THE BLEEDING - Born in a Casket
14 - Falling In Reverse - "Joseph" (feat. Corey Taylor and Serj Tankian)/God Is A Weapon - Feat Marilyn Manson
15 - Droid Killer - 2030 JiHad
16 - Templum Silva - The Soil Soaked Our Blood
17 - Netherdred - Necrodancer
18 - PS:23 - The Angel They Call Evil
19 - Frequency Overload - Buoyancy
20 - Culak - Crossfire
21 - Estertor - Evil Black Church
22 - Phenomy - Death May Die
23 - Black Hole Zion - I Don't Care if This Thing Crashes
Streaming now on mixcloud:
https://metaldevastationradio.com/thebeast/blog/29421/six-string-revolvers-ravenhawk-talks-be-somebody-breaking-free-music-ai-and-the-power-of-rock-and-roll?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger
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