Little Raven was formed in 2014 by singer/songwriter Rafael Green (formerly vocalist and songwriter for That’s Rugby in Boston, MA), bassist Keenan-Keaton Payne and drummer Kyle Edmonston.

After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2013, Rafael moved to Nashville to collaborate on a new project with college friend Keenan and they began practicing material late at night in Keenan’s room between indie horror film marathons and long fire pit talks. They then found Kyle who was hooked after hearing their demos. Within weeks he was ferried down the country roads, over the lush hills and past the galloping horses to Little Raven’s first rehearsal (like poetry), during which Kyle stomped the floor with his Chuck Taylors in lieu of a kick pedal (thus the nickname Thunderfoot…but don’t call him that, he hates that). The three quickly bonded over their shared influences of Radiohead, The Mars Volta, Incubus, Jeff Buckley, and music that swirls the brain around, and concocted their sound of haunting tenor vocals and unique troubadour guitar picking, catchy bass grooves, and tight signature drum beats.

They’ve been called folk-rock, freak-pop, quirk rock, prog-folk, jazz-grass, lyrical jazz indie rock, and chamber pop, often leaving genre titles up to the imaginations of fans and audiences. They released their debut On Your Shoulder EP in 2016, with the tracks “Save Yourself” and the self-titled “Little Raven” paving the way for their funky-yet-atmospheric vibe. They’re looking to release their second venture, the Black And Blue EP, by the end of this summer, with the singles “Run Away” and “The Code” exhibiting their more rock sound with a fresh twist.

In this episode of our Mid Tenn Listens podcast, Little Raven joins us to discuss their newest release, influences, navigating the digital music world, the smorgasbord of styles that fuel their songwriting and much more.

Watch the full video interview below or subscribe on YouTube so you don’t miss an episode.