User:Doni Raven/sandbox/Doni Raven

Originally born in Southend on sea Essex England Craig Stephen Johnson later moved to Australia where he embarked on his musical career in his early twenties appearing as front man for various bands at music venues around Sydney Australia.

Later on in his career he took to the stage as Doni Raven first releasing the self titled E.P Doni Raven and the blackjack wolfpack. The group performed at scores of venues throughout Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and more recently resurfacing as Doni Raven in northern NSW.

Now living in Byron Bay with his family he has incorporated himself amongst various different art forms, performing live composition to his own independently filmed and directed silent film "Doni Raven" where he has also teamed up with abstract artist Hamish Gordon to bring something more alive and visual to the shows with painting and projections.

Accentually as far as songwriting goes poetry has always been there throughout his journey with the release of his first self-published book of poetry and songs Among the shadows.

Starting out in his early teens he kept various journals, notebooks, scrapbooks, voice recordings and constructed phrases built from dissected newspaper articles. To him it was everything to develop the way to vent thoughts or feelings; it would accommodate his true passion for poetry and then songwriting.

As far as the Doni Raven experience goes; Raven's sound is said to reach the depths of danger rock spliced with the flavours of spaghetti western, hence the quote given... PICTURE THE SHADOWS MEETS NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS WRITING THE THEME TUNE TO A PULP FICTION FILM.

Having the vocal likeness of Leonard Cohen or Nick Cave, Raven delivers his words in a rich velvety husky tone with a clear but honest poetic justice; backed his band the Collective Insanity the 5 piece dives into the realms of picturesque riffs and melodies, reaching interpretations of the melodramatic and blissful alternative rock/ murder Ballads.