In their own words, Coridian describe themselves in this way; "take fireball vocal powerhouse Dity and the hard hitting, harder grooving Raven brothers, bind them together and you get Coridian. It's the four-piece Auckland based who are fast becoming one of the best new names in Kiwi rock".
Chris Chick from Muzic.net.nz had the opportunity during the COVID-19 lockdown to interview the band whilst they took some time out on their sofas, here's what went down.
How have you as a band, and individually, been coping with the COVID-19 situation and the lock down?
Band: We miss practising, we generally write altogether rather than sending each other files so it’s quite hard and missing the social aspect of it all. However, it's all for the greater good.
Kris (drums): I have been working from home, so it has actually kept me fairly sane, plus heaps of band admin to deal with keeps me busy. Also, how good are video chat apps!
Nick (bass): My house is really clean now.
Mike (guitar): Personally, I’ve been writing for the new album, playing a lot, and working on my guitars and set up. I know the other lads have been hard at work behind the scenes. Hopefully Nick has practiced something haha. I work outside so It’s not easy being confined to a house all day but I get out as much as I can.
Dity (vocals): I’ve also been working from home 4 days a week. It’s been great staying home with the furbs and loved ones. Also get more time to exercise (since I’m not sitting in traffic twice a day). I’ve been spending my other spare time for the band too - writing music & creating content.
What positives can you take away both musically and personally from such an unprecedented time?
Mike: I’ve thought more about the depth of sound and music and explored different avenues and styles. Trying to remain focused and positive, which isn’t easy in these times.
Dity: It’s given me a lot less distractions. No reasons to go out and focus more internally. Being time rich for a change, allowing me to work on music and band stuff that’s needed attention for a while. Personally, it’s been a good time for me and my partner to make the most of our time together - keep the relationship fresh with date nights (at home) and focusing on the up side to this very strange time.
How would you describe your music and the band to a new listener?
Mike: "It’s fuc*ing awesome man, definitely check it out it’s right up your alley". I mean everyone interprets music their own way. Who knows? Dope AF.
Kris: The easiest label would be alternative rock, but I think our music encompasses a lot more than that and from all our collective influences there are lots of little hints and bits and pieces of various genres.
Dity: Progressive. Emotive. Multi-faceted. Rock.
What has been your most memorable moment so far (within the music world) on this crazy roller coaster ride we call life?
Kris: Supporting POD at the Studio. That was a childhood dream.
Nick: Playing the Powerstation supporting Devilskin and Skillet was a huge deal for us.
Mike: Playing the Powerstation and playing and making music with my brothers and sharing stages with a bunch of rad people and that people actually come to our shows.
Dity: Our track Reflections helped quite a few people since its release. I had received PMs from fans and friends on how it resonated with them and helped them through their dark times. Which was a huge moment - lyrically that song meant a lot to me, and to have others resonate with the words and music is a surreal feeling.
How difficult or painless has the journey been so far as a group?
Kris: It's defo not been easy, the positives have outweighed the negatives but you can see why a lot of bands and musicians give up, being an independent band that mainstream radio doesn't want to touch is a challenge, but we have had a lot of rewards from it too! We love playing music too much to wanna stop anytime soon. Plus, we have some awesome supporters out there that come to our shows and buy our merch, which always feels good.
Mike: I would say in the grand scheme of things it’s been pretty painless. We’ve created this for ourselves and sure some difficulties arise but that’s how we learn and get better.
Dity: It was painless to join this band, and it’s been easy to write our songs, the band dynamics are amazing. Even with the minor creative differences, we know how to mitigate the hurdles and continue to create great content. The difficulty... (and many other bands may agree) is getting a break or trying to surface above all the other amazing talent out there. Being in a band isn’t just making music anymore - it’s a full time job with publicity, promotion and pleasing. Doing this independently is challenging, especially in an ever shifting landscape. But fu*k it, we love the challenge, right?
A question for each performer in the group, who would you say you are most influenced by and why?
Kris: My biggest drum influence would be Abe Cunningham of Deftones, master of groove, unique beats and a great example of being a drummer who can crossover into multiple genres.
Nick: So many! Bassists like Ryan Martine from Mudvayne, Justin Chancellor from Tool, John Butler as a musician and person are super inspiring.
Mike: I’ve had many influences (that I’ve realised) over the years and they’ve probably all formed into an overall influence on my playing, writing and performing. Adam Jones, Peter Green, David Gilmour, Brent Hinds, Pete Townsend, Richard (toneking) Raven. I could continue.
Dity: I have a few vocal “mentors” from Brandon Boyd (Incubus), Ian Kenny (Karnivool) to even Hayley Williams (Paramore) and Justin Timberlake. I like to pick up different techniques these singers bring to their genre, then I mash them all up in a lyrical lasagne. I also appreciate the meaning and themes people like Brandon Boyd bring to his lyrics.
Where do you think the next stage of your progression is to the point where you can say you have made it a bit further up the ladder?
Mike: The ladder is unpredictable and basically a death trap for bands. We do this not because we are looking up but because we want to make good music and have fun and enjoy life. We learnt the hard way but continue to push our music through. We want to make dope albums and videos. Anything else is a bonus.
Kris: That’s a hard one... defo make a full length album :). I think like a lot of bands we have hit the glass ceiling in NZ, so I would say the next step would be progressing in the overseas market but always growing our NZ fanbase too.
Dity: A personal goal would be to release a full album with the band. (which may be in the works) Otherwise, getting some international credibility would be a nice step up the ladder.
What are you most thankful for?
Kris: All the rad opportunities that we have been able to experience, whether through our own hard work or from people helping us, we have been very well supported and always try to be thankful.
Dity: People wanting to listen to our music. Haha. Music is such a subjective thing, and writing original music is even more so - So having strangers enjoy what we create is still a funny feeling. Getting support from strangers that become friends because we all bond over the same thing. It’s such a humbling feeling and a drive for me to keep making good things. Mike: people who believe in what we do and support us.
Nick: Having the fanbase that we have.
If you could play in any venue around the world, where would that be?
Kris: Would love to play Donnington/Download Festival or something like that.
Nick: Homegrown.
Mike: A venue that sounds good. Royal Albert Hall maybe?
Dity: Currently it may have to be in my lounge.. Haha. But a bucket list venue would be Wembley stadium or a festival like Glastonbury.
Tell our readers one thing about yourself that we would never have heard before.
Kris: Massive fan of Ru Paul's Drag Race.
Nick: I like slow cooked BBQ but I hate brisket (too much like jelly).
Mike: I love a good cup of tea.
Dity: I listen to a lot of movie scores - the music helps me relax and at times inspires vocal melodies and song writing ideas.
What exciting things have you got in store for your listeners?
Kris: This year we have a lot coming. We have another single coming out May 8th, our 3rd release Eldur drops May 22nd, we have our mini doco series, more videos, we are currently half way through writing our next release Hava and hopefully some awesome gigs?
Mike: New music, new music and some new music. Also, massive shout out to all our musician friends & whanau during these crazy iso times, keep pumping out the amazing songs.
Coridian is an alternative/progressive rock group from Auckland, New Zealand.
Formed in 2015, the band consists of brothers Mike Raven (Guitars/Keys), Kris Raven (Drums/Percussion), Nick Raven (Bass) & Dity Maharaj (Vocals/Artwork)
They’ve been described as, “Raven brothers (Mike, Kris and Nick respectively) work as a well-oiled machine; the gear box of which is Maharaj, his vocals taking the band from a hum to a scream within seconds” (Ambient Light)