Blackbird Raum
Blackbird Raum is a folk punk band from Santa Cruz, California, formed in 2… Read Full Bio ↴Blackbird Raum is a folk punk band from Santa Cruz, California, formed in 2004 and known for their frantic live shows and anarchist politics.
Formed out of the nucleus of a squatter community living in abandoned buildings and greenbelt treehouses in Santa Cruz, CA, in 2004, the members began to learn to play folk instruments from each other and other members of the train-hopping squat culture. The band members had played in anarcho-punk, indie, metal, and ska bands and then, learning traditional music from jams, contradances and festivals, made music in the middle of punk, metal and folk. Their repertoire includes folk songs with Appalachian influenced time signature gymnastics that owe much to crust, hardcore, and metal and slower, drone influenced folk pieces with three, four, and five-part vocal harmony.
Avoiding the retro aesthetic of many other folk punk bands, they write music that addresses abusive police, modern alienation, ecological devastation, creeping ambiguity and vague fear, but also stories of resistance, mythology, a strong sense of community, and a deep love of a natural world constantly on the verge of collapse.
Critics began to take more notice when 2013's "False Weavers" saw the band change their sound. They incorporated more adventurous studio elements, bringing in many more instruments than on previous records. The earlier split with Hail Seizures saw the addition of fiddle and galician pipes, but "False Weavers" brought synthesizer, resophonic baritone guitar, bouzouki, and post-recording manipulation. There were also stylistic changes of Crass-influenced shouting interludes, and traditional folk passages in the style of Irish folk bands like Planxty and American traditional fiddlers like John Salyer.
In 2015, Blackbird Raum's fifth full-length "Destroying" continued to experiment and, after multiple tours of the US and Europe with them, included many contributions from Dublin's Lynched including spoken word passages, uilleann pipes, concertina and large amounts of Irish traditional influence. Later that year, Mars left the band to focus on activism and her side project Pale Robin. After Mars left, the band took a short break before a short tour followed by the release of an EP titled "Nevermind The Ballads" in 2016.
Members:
Caspian (2004 - ): Banjo, Fiddle, Resophonic Baritone Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Zack Religious (2004 - ): Accordion, Piano, Pump Organ, Vocals
David (2005 - ): Washtub Bass, Vocals
Allen D'Generate (2012 - ): Washboard, Percussion, Vocals
Former Members:
Mars Goetia (2005 - 2015): Musical Saw, Resophonic Mandolin, Accordion, Piano, Pump Organ, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
K.C. (2005 - 2011): Washboard, Vocals
Formed out of the nucleus of a squatter community living in abandoned buildings and greenbelt treehouses in Santa Cruz, CA, in 2004, the members began to learn to play folk instruments from each other and other members of the train-hopping squat culture. The band members had played in anarcho-punk, indie, metal, and ska bands and then, learning traditional music from jams, contradances and festivals, made music in the middle of punk, metal and folk. Their repertoire includes folk songs with Appalachian influenced time signature gymnastics that owe much to crust, hardcore, and metal and slower, drone influenced folk pieces with three, four, and five-part vocal harmony.
Avoiding the retro aesthetic of many other folk punk bands, they write music that addresses abusive police, modern alienation, ecological devastation, creeping ambiguity and vague fear, but also stories of resistance, mythology, a strong sense of community, and a deep love of a natural world constantly on the verge of collapse.
Critics began to take more notice when 2013's "False Weavers" saw the band change their sound. They incorporated more adventurous studio elements, bringing in many more instruments than on previous records. The earlier split with Hail Seizures saw the addition of fiddle and galician pipes, but "False Weavers" brought synthesizer, resophonic baritone guitar, bouzouki, and post-recording manipulation. There were also stylistic changes of Crass-influenced shouting interludes, and traditional folk passages in the style of Irish folk bands like Planxty and American traditional fiddlers like John Salyer.
In 2015, Blackbird Raum's fifth full-length "Destroying" continued to experiment and, after multiple tours of the US and Europe with them, included many contributions from Dublin's Lynched including spoken word passages, uilleann pipes, concertina and large amounts of Irish traditional influence. Later that year, Mars left the band to focus on activism and her side project Pale Robin. After Mars left, the band took a short break before a short tour followed by the release of an EP titled "Nevermind The Ballads" in 2016.
Members:
Caspian (2004 - ): Banjo, Fiddle, Resophonic Baritone Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Zack Religious (2004 - ): Accordion, Piano, Pump Organ, Vocals
David (2005 - ): Washtub Bass, Vocals
Allen D'Generate (2012 - ): Washboard, Percussion, Vocals
Former Members:
Mars Goetia (2005 - 2015): Musical Saw, Resophonic Mandolin, Accordion, Piano, Pump Organ, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
K.C. (2005 - 2011): Washboard, Vocals
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Blackbird Raum Lyrics
A Life In the Corn Syrup Every fucking night I grind my teeth The world spins faster…
A Rat In My Dream Under heel, under yoke, breathe the gas to cough and…
Adder an adder wrapped it's neck around me the serpent in it's…
All That Praises Heaven Slanders Earth the sky is limitless but the land is not the void…
Ars Goetia Birds collect the carrion Severed limbs litter the battlefi…
Catherine's Wheel I feel as though I've lost a limb because I…
cities I look down on the city It's burning, It's burning Everyth…
Coal The pillars of the world were shaking like the legs…
Conquest of Bread wide eyes under water salt burns them open keep hold of…
Crumbs crumbs from the table have fallen so few so not…
Ensemble Suicide burning down the days, let me count the ways calling up…
Everyone Up To The Wall Matching shadows with a coward Don't move slowly, dark the …
Fortuna I am a Spear Fisherman Our sardine fishermen work at night in the dark Of the…
Germinal See how fast I can run A window is closed in…
Greymare Sinking like the sickness says, "sickened while the sinking…
Grist Mill do not set music to these words the hour is late…
Hecatombe/Agustin’s you're like a doe giving her life spoke through the air,…
Honey in the Hair I fill my mouth up with air, honey in the…
Last Legs like tractionless wheels they spin in place and throw up mu…
Lucasville cracked a whisper from within the spine to give a signal…
Old One Eye when hung from this tree 'til the color left me for the…
Path of Raven my spine a walking cane my crumbling clothes and broken roa…
Reveille in the valley of the lizards past the broken TV…
Rubicon Drawn Look there's no survival here, I've been trying to tell…
Shot Coplifting If I'm amused by your distaste it's because you're ankle…
Silent Spring The silent the severed the path of raven the words…
Snare like those clever traps a bit of wire a rusty barb I've s…
Still Sick On the catapult you're still alive, the tar rests deeper…
Story From Strawmouth Burn wounds, legless dolls, houses charred and empty Flood …
The Helm of Ned Kelly crumbs from the table have fallen so few so not…
The Lash The lash is on it's golden nail inside the master's…
The Man In The Bog (Daragh reads aloud from the comic book, SWAMP THING, by…
To the Barricades! we line up to join the parade but our elbows are…
Turning Away above a frozen plain a dirty cloud is rearing up…
Valkyrie Horsewhip Reel Our master's gone; we've stole our master's horses And stol…
Whitebled black fly, white tile, bleed oil, red tile I’ve been confus…
William there is no water here there is no water here keep quiet…
Witches In others' mouths the scraping of rocks, who walk a…
Woodwose Each colder day, with stones in the kettle to last…