ADAM BRAVIN OF SHE WANTS REVENGE

Posted by: Meikee Magnetic , July 15, 2016

We recently discovered Tuesday night in Hollywood is one of the most exclusive and hottest nights in the city of angels. It takes a card of black to get you through the golden doors, to go underground, deep below into the world of #allblackeverything. Behind the throne of one’s and two’s is the maestro ready to ‘Tear You Apart’ until you get ‘Out Of Control’. We had the pleasure to meet Adam Bravin at his event Cloak and Dagger in Los Angeles after his ear pleasing DJ set. His solo project “Love, Ecstasy and Terror” is getting ready to be unleashed onto the world. Dark Beauty is thrilled to bring you this exclusive feature…

Interview Meikee Magnetic

Where were you born and where are you dwelling now?
I was born in Tarzana, CA. I live in Silver Lake, CA.

Adam, let’s turn back the dial of time to the time you and Justin Warfield met. How did that story begin?
I was DJing the first party I ever DJ’d when I was 15. Justin lived in the same neighborhood and rolled up into the backyard on his skateboard where the party was, I believe he was 13. I was playing a record that nobody had ever heard before, “Boyz-in-the-Hood” by Eazy-E. Justin came running up to me to ask what the hell the song was. I told him, he thanked me and we have been friends ever since.

Your albums typically consist of hard lyrics of loss and over excess. In your album Valley Heart it sounded like you moved past that into a more heartfelt romanticism. What happened that made you go in this direction?
Justin writes the lyrics, so I can’t really speak for him as far as lyrics are concerned, but I can say that we had written two albums back to back and when we sat down to write Valley Heart, we knew that whatever we did, we didn’t want to repeat ourselves in any way.

It’s been ten years since you debuted your 1st album. What have you learned as an artist since the birth of that album?
When we made that album, I had been producing mostly hip hop up until that point. I learned to play bass while making that record and pretty much learned how to write songs in a way that I had never written them in before. Since we’ve started playing our debut album in its entirety recently, I’ve had the chance to revisit a lot of the songs that I haven’t really listened to in years. I can clearly see that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing in many ways, but I think that’s what makes that album so amazing. I was approaching it from a hip hop perspective and from the perspective of a DJ. Justin was the one who brought the experience of a songwriter and the experience of someone with amazing taste in tone, having been in numerous very special projects and bands over the years. The combination of two guys from the San Fernando Valley, who were both into so many different styles of music, was exactly what was needed to make that record. 10 years later, having learned so much from Justin and all the musicians and songwriters I’ve had the opportunity to meet and tour with, I’ve definitely grown as a songwriter myself. I would not be who I am as an artist, had it not been for Justin and She Wants Revenge.

What is your definition of success?
Doing something you love and creating a life based around it.

Can you pinpoint the exact moment that ultimately led you to an entire lifetime of wanting to share music with people:
I was in fourth grade. I didn’t have very many friends. I used to record music off of the radio onto cassettes and create these “mixes”. One day I brought my tape deck and one of my tapes to school. I played my “mix” for some kids at lunch time and they all started dancing around, having fun. It was the first time I can remember being part of a group, included in something other than something mandatory. The kids had so much fun, they asked me to bring more music the following day, which I did. That was the moment that would ultimately lead to becoming a DJ.

I’ve read your Facebook posts, your a man of the people and extend yourself to anyone in need. I see you have a very big heart and seem very AWAKE, very admirable. What gift would you like to leave the people of our planet?
I would like to leave something beautiful behind.

We’re all excited about your tour, what can your fans expect during your live performances, any new musical toys, stage props or visuals?
It’s actually super stripped down. On stage, it’s Justin, myself, our original drummer Scott Ellis and our guitar player, Thomas Froggatt. It’s just the four of us playing the debut album in its entirety. I think the only difference now is that I’m using a midi setup for the first time instead of lugging around all my vintage analog synths. I will say that we’re all playing better than we’ve ever played before and Justin sounds the best I’ve ever heard him as a vocalist.

Every Tuesday in Hollywood you run and DJ the exclusive members only club Cloak&Dagger. Watching and hearing you play you know your listening to a musician where the magic happens between the tracks. Genre doesn’t interest you, it’s what you like and that’s what keeps it fresh. How do you go about choosing members to this Dark click?
The only requirement to be a member of Cloak&Dagger is that everyone must bring something beautiful to the room. Whether it be their fashion, their style, their dancing, their personality, their laughter, their conversation, their smile, etc. Everyone contributes to a dark and beautiful environment I’ve spent a lot of time and worked very hard at curating. The trick is to figure out how to get the membership card, that’s the hard part.

What have been some of the more memorable nights at Cloak&Dagger?
There have been a number of amazing nights there, unfortunately, I can’t talk about anything that goes on in there.

What’s next for She Wants Revenge?
We will continue to tour for the remainder of the year and potentially into 2017. I don’t see another album on the horizon, but we may write and record another song or two, who knows, stranger things have happened.

What’s next for Adam Bravin?
I’m finishing up a solo project called LOVE, ECSTASY and TERROR. It’s along the same lines as She Wants Revenge, but I’m singing on this one. I never, ever sang before, so it’s pretty crazy. I’ve had the opportunity to work with a lot of my friends on this album, including Daniel Ash (Bauhaus), Jonny Radtke (Filter) Dita Von Teese, Esthero, Tony Kanal (No Doubt) Justin Warfield from She Wants Revenge and a few others. The first single will be out soon…