RAF Mod Band

RAF Mod Band hail from Portland, Oregon, which may strike you as being a little odd given their name and logo, but that s where the "odd" ends.

This paticular RAF drop their bombs in the form of 3 minute, punchy, full on, danceable tunes delivered on an array of vintage instruments and sung with English accents, ok, you may find that a little odd too, but then, think about how many bands from the UK sing with American accents, so fair play to them.

As the name suggests, well, states, they are a Mod band, one with leanings on the revival of 78/79, I am not quite that I would compare them to any particular band of that period, whilst the sounds they deliver fit in beautifully with that time, they have a distinctive sound of their own and a modern twist too giving them and the followers of that scene a fresh sound.

Photo by Lisa Rainer

RAF Mod Band are:

Chris Rich (guitar & vox), John Crawford (bass & vox), Josh Millman (guitar & vox) 

and Brad Pharis (drums)

Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Chris Rich heard the British Beat sound at a young age and never let go. An early MOD Revival devotee, he played in various bands over the years honing the 2:50 song. His MOD-inspired studio project, "The Poseurs," had singles featured on American Radio and released on the UK MOD label, Heavy Soul Records. RAF is the culmination of many years effort and countless cups of tea. His songs tell stories of teenage angst, social conflict, rain drenched streets, and the ever daunting challenge of finding one’s place in the world. 

Guitarist/Singer Josh Millman has performed well over 1000 times in a number of different bands, including the popular cover band Boys Next Door and original band The Superficials which headlined MOD festivals in America. As a producer and audio engineer, he has been involved in the creation of countless rock, jazz, blues, and hip-hop albums. Many of Josh's original compositions have been featured in TV shows and movie soundtracks. He is also a voiceover actor and is the announcer in the Wii Sports video games! 

Bassist/Songwriter John Crawford found the MOD movement in the early eighties and immersed himself in it completely. As a young MOD in San Francisco Bay Area he quickly became a target for mainstream youth that persecuted those who stood out from the crowd in anything other than sport. Such struggles form the roots for many of his songs. He formed RAF with Chris Rich in 2011 after realizing they both experienced parallel lives as young MODS. RAF is John's first project.

Photo by Erin Gustafson

Drummer Brad Pharis began playing drums in 1972. As a youth he kicked off his career drumming for Ambush. While attending the University of Oregon Brad performed in the award winning theatrical production of, The Last Dragon which toured the Pacific Northwest with sold out shows. Additionally while in college he played for Arms Akimbo an art/punk/surf band. In 1981 Arms Akimbo opened for Billy Rancher and The Unreal Gods at the Euphoria in Portland, OR. Brad joined The Surf Cowboys in 1984 then The Boys Next Door in 1986. He was the driving force for bringing TBND to Portland OR and has faithfully set the back beat of the band for twenty-six years. As a side project Brad drummed for Ms. 45 in 2004. Brad joined RAF in 2012 with Josh Millman, a move that helped solidify the foursome. He sets a strong beat and plays with devoted passion.

The band are currently working on new songs which I am sure will be equally as exciting as the 4 that are currently available to listen to on their facebook page. Keep your eyes peeled on this band, I am sure we are going to see great things from them in the future, not that what we don't already have is great, of course!

Contact, befriend, follow, keep up with all the news, like and love RAF Mod Band here:

 RAF Mod Band Facebook