Picture sleeve to the Ravyns split-single with Don Felder.
How can anyone wax nostalgic over the ’80s without mentioning the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High? The soundtrack was a big seller on equal with the film featuring popular radio hits from Sammy Hagar and Billy Squire that were exclusive to the film. Another, albeit, lesser hit from the film was “Raised on the Radio,” by a new-wave pop outfit out of Baltimore, Maryland, the Ravyns. Sadly, the Ravyns inclusion in the popular movie didn’t turn their 1984 debut album into big seller.
The Ravyns’ keyboardist Kyf Brewer eventually resurfaced as the leader of Company of Wolves, a band co-founded with ex-John Waite drummer Frankie LaRocka. A harder rocking concern, the Wolves managed to squeeze out one low-charting FM hit single, “Call of the Wild,” for Mercury Records before disbanding.
When John Waite left the Babys for a solo career, he recruited LaRocka, as well as guitarist Ivan Kral—both veterans of the New York rock scene—for his 1984 solo debut, Ignition. Pat Benatar’s guitarist Neil Geraldo produced the album, which featured John’s huge video hit, “Change” —that song was a cover of a failed single written by Holly Knight for her two-album, new wave concern, Spider, which experienced minor FM success with “In Between the Lines, the title cut from the second and final album; their self-titled debut featured the hit, “New Romance (It’s Always a Mystery).”
Company of Wolves.
After his membership in Waite’s band—and before teaming up with Kyf Brewer—LaRocka and Kral formed Eastern Bloc with ex-Holly and the Italians guitarist Mark Sidgewick, issuing one album in 1987. Kral was an ex-member of the Patti Smith group: he co-wrote Patti’s late’70s follow-up hit to “Because the Night,” later covered by U2 during their Rattle and Hum period: “Dancing Barefoot.”
As for Kyf, he returned with the Kyf Brewer Band, releasing the album, Me and My Big Mouth in 1997 on Ichiban Records. He also recorded and toured with Billy Squire and Michael Bolton. He got his pre-Ravyns start in the late 1970s in Baltimore with Climbadonkey; while never issuing an album proper, the popular local band placed songs on “locals only” compilation albums issues by WKTK 105 FM and 98 Rock.
The Ravyns have since reunited and thriving in 2025 on Facebook. They released two albums since, one in 1999, another in 2014, while Company of Wolves returned with three more in 1997, 2001, and 2025.
So, does anyone remember watching these videos on MTV or MuchMusic? Good times! Where’s my Steele Breeze and Tommy Tutone albums?
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