By Lori Kozlowski
Images from The Raveonettes.com

They're inventive, nostalgic, new-old, vintage-mod. They're the Raveonettes - hot Danish imports who have taken American oldies and turned them into gold again by adding a modern sound.

For all you lost souls out there who are searching for another time, another place, turn on the Raveonettes and you can almost feel yourself transport back to a simpler, more bittersweet era. Their longing lyrics paired with their sweet melodies make for a record that is akin putting your heart in a time machine and sending it back to another decade.

Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo are the dynamic Danish duo who, like the White Stripes, are a male and female combo. After the release of their first album "Chain Gang of Love" in 2003, the band has followed up with "Pretty in Black," released this month.

Recently featured in Esquire, Playboy, the Los Angeles Times, Jane, Maxim, Stuff, and Filter, the band has been all over the country. They also have played the South by Southwest festival in Austin and most recently Coachella in Indio, California.

Clearly, these guys are making their mark on the American music landscape. If Buddy Holly were alive, he’d be strumming a guitar along with them.

In a recent interview with Foo, days after she and Wagner played Coachella, she had this to say about her newfound American success:

LK: So you just finished playing Coachella. How was that experience? Were there any standout moments for you?

SF: It was a really great experience. We were really excited. We played the opening day on the main stage. It was beautiful and we had a beautiful view of the mountains and people were smiling at us. We’ve always wanted to play it. It was our first west coast, California, sweaty festival.

LK: Both of you are from Denmark, so what is it that you love about American music of the 50s and 60s so much?

SF: It’s difficult to say really. It’s so nostalgic, and such simple songwriting.

LK: Your new CD, Pretty in Black, what was the inspiration behind these songs?

SF: Going back to the 50s and 60s, we always wanted to make it new and modern sounding. The lyrics are combination of things we experience on the road and lots of fiction.

LK: Which song on Pretty in Black is your favorite to perform or is really memorable to record?

SF: Live, I really like "You Say You Lie." It's really nice to play it live, especially the extended version.

LK: I have to ask since I live in LA. Tell me about "Ode to LA"? Anything significant there?

SF: Obviously, it was great that Ronnie Spector came in and recorded with us. And L.A. is a city we love very much and we wanted to capture that lightness.

LK: What about your influences? Particular musicians, other artists, writers, painters that inspire you?

SF: Stuff from Hitchcock, lots of film noir stuff. Sune is a fan of all the Beat poets. He has Jack Kerouac tattooed on his arm.

LK: Wagner has mentioned that you guys like contrast in your music. Can you talk a little bit about that...something sad paired with something sweet.

SF: We just find that there is more dimension to it, there is more tension. Tension makes it really interesting and diverse. We like layers to our music. We like it to be varied.

LK: If you were listening to a jukebox and you could only have three artists' records inside, who would they be?

SF: Probably the Rolling Stones Let it Bleed, Bob Dylan’s Highway 61, and Buddy Holly, Best of Buddy Holly.

LK: Is there a favorite American city that you like to play or visit?

SF: We always have a fun time in the Southwest. We have a few cities that we are really excited about. We’re in Portland today and I know where the vintage stores are that I like and a vegan place where I know I can get something healthy to eat. There's a wine tasting store here that I love.

The Raveonettes tour continues throughout the summer in the following cities:

2005 Minneapolis, MN 1st Avenue
May 11 2005 Chicago, IL Double Door
May 12 2005 Milwaukee, WI Mad Planet
May 13 2005 Indianapolis, IN Patio
May 14 2005 Nashville, TN Exit/In
May 16 2005 Dallas, TX Gypsy Tea Room
May 17 2005 Austin, TX The Parish
May 19 2005 New Orleans, LA Twiropa
May 20 2005 Tallahassee, FL Beta Bar
May 21 2005 Orlando, FL Social
May 22 2005 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Culture Room
May 24 2005 Tampa, FL State Theater
May 25 2005 Athens, GA 40 Watt
May 26 2005 Atlanta, GA Smith's Olde Bar
May 27 2005 Chapel Hill, NC Cat's Cradle
May 28 2005 Washington, DC Black Cat
May 29 2005 Baltimore, MD Otto Bar
May 31 2005 Hoboken, NJ / Maxwell's / SOLD OUT
June 01 2005 Philadelphia, PA North Star
June 03 2005 Montreal, QUE Petite Campus
June 04 2005 Toronto, ONT Lee's Palace
June 05 2005 Cincinnati, OH (Newport, KY) Southgate House
June 06 2005 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
June 07 2005 Boston, MA FNX Festival
June 08 2005 Detroit, MI Magic Stick
June 10 2005 Buffalo, NY Show Place Theater
June 11 2005 New York, NY Webster Hall
June 14 2005 Los Angeles, CA Spaceland
June 15 2005 Los Angeles, CA Spaceland
June 16 2005 Los Angeles, CA Spaceland
June 18 2005 San Diego, CA KBZT Festival
July 02 2005 Denmark Roskilde Festival