Ferris’ Raven Overflows With Creative Energy
Michael Raven is excited for summer vacation for one reason - it’ll give him more time to work.
The Ferris High School senior, who dabbles in several types of music, owns a recording and distribution label.
“Talk about entrepreneurship. He puts a new face on it,” said Ferris counselor Jan Blair, who said Raven is one of the most creative students she’s worked with in 27 years as an educator. “How many kids do you know who have their own business license?”
Lately, though, Raven hasn’t had a lot of time for it. With college applications and essays and advanced placement tests…
“My brain’s been pretty empty lately,” he said.
But for these next few months, until he heads off to Reed College in Portland, Raven will concentrate on Scientist Recordings.
“I liked the image of me sitting in my lab, concocting music,” he said with a laugh.
His music is, as he describes it, “spacy, harsh electronic noise.”
“A lot of the stuff you probably wouldn’t find on the radio,” he admits.
Raven, who plays piano, guitar, trombone and computer (he likes electronic music), has always been musical. He played in the school’s wind ensemble, marching band and jazz band. But those weren’t a big enough outlet for his creative energy.
“That only satisfied part of the hunger,” he said. “I wanted to make some of my own music.”
Raven started Scientist Recordings last year, realizing he could reach more people through a bona fide business.
“I didn’t go into this with a goal of making money or being famous,” he said. “I do it because I love it.”
Blair said Raven - a computer whiz who wants to study the humanities in college - isn’t even aware of how inventive he is.
“He puts an entirely new face on today’s young thinker,” she said.
Through Scientist, Raven produces tapes for bands he meets through friends or over the Internet. He sends out regular “fanzines,” newsletters filled with his poetry and thoughts. He keeps in touch with dozens of people from around the country, as well as from Canada, England and Germany.
But mostly, Scientist is a way to trade music and ideas with fellow musicians.
“It’s thrilling I’ve found other people interested in the same music,” he said. “If I go by that, I’ve come very close to my goal with this business.”