Ra Ra Riot
Ra Ra Riot | |
|---|---|
 Ra Ra Riot playing at the9:30 Clubin Washington, D.C. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Syracuse, New York,U.S. |
| Genres | Indie rock,baroque pop |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Rebel Group V2 Barsuk Arts & Crafts México Only in Dreams |
| Members | Wes Miles Mathieu Santos Milo Bonacci Rebecca Zeller Kenny Bernard |
| Past members | John Ryan Pike Shaw Flick Cameron Wisch Michael Ashley Gabriel Duquette Alexandra Lawn |
| Website | www.rarariot.com |
Ra Ra Riotis an Americanindie rockband consisting of vocalist Wes Miles, bassistMathieu Santos,guitarist Milo Bonacci, violinist Rebecca Zeller and drummer Kenny Bernard.
History[edit]
Ra Ra Riot formed in January 2006,[1]playing at houses and venues around theSyracuse Universitycampus.[2]They recorded a demo in February 2006. The band started to attract attention due to their energetic live shows, enough to gain an appearance at theCMJMusic Marathon, fewer than six months after their formation. Following this appearance, their live show received the first of several favorable reviews fromSpin,who called them "one of the best young bands we've heard in a really long time".[3]They went on to open forArt BrutandBow Wow WowinNew York City,toured theUKtwice on their own,[4]then returned, opening for theEditors[5](footage of which can be found onCrackle); they also touredNorth AmericasupportingTokyo Police Club.Their first solo headlining tour of the U.S. was completed in 2007, and in early 2008, they embarked on a second.[6]The band was also invited to play the Iceland Airwaves Festival inReykjavík,Iceland.They recorded three sessions on the national online radio stationWOXYand three for the acclaimed[7]Daytrottersessions at Futureappletree Studio 1 inRock Island,Illinois.
In 2007, they made their first appearance atSouth by Southwestand headlined a show at theSeaport Music Festivalin New York City. The band returned to appear again at the South by Southwest Music Conference in March 2008.[8]
On June 2, 2007, at 3 a.m., the band's original drummer, John Ryan Pike ofHamilton, Massachusetts,went missing under suspicious circumstances at a party at Wilbur's Point inFairhaven, Massachusetts,after a show inProvidence, Rhode Island.A search party discovered his cellphone on the beach atBuzzards Bay.His body was discovered June 3, 2007, at 4:10 p.m. in Buzzards Bay; Pike was believed to have drowned. No foul play was suspected.[9]Ra Ra Riot issued a statement a few weeks after Pike's funeral that they would continue as a band.
In July 2007, an eponymous six-song EP was released on the Rebel Group label. In the winter of 2007, the band signed to major labelV2 Records.To celebrate their new label deal, Ra Ra Riot released "Dying Is Fine"and" Each Year (RAC Mix) "on7 "vinylas anA/B single.In December 2007, the band announced that they had finished recording songs for their debut studio album.
On May 19, 2008, the band announced that they had signed toBarsuk Records.They released their debut album,The Rhumb Line,on August 19, 2008, in North America, and on September 22, 2008, inEuropevia V2/Cooperative Music.Themusic videofor "Can You Tell" won Best Music Video at the 2009Finger LakesFilm Festival on November 7, 2009.
In the spring of 2009, Barsuk released theCan You TellEP, featuring remixes, early demos and live recordings. The band released their second studio album,The Orchard,on August 24, 2010.[10]It was produced by Ra Ra Riot andAndrew Maury.Nine of the 10 tracks were mixed byDeath Cab for Cutie'sChris Walla,while one was mixed byVampire Weekend'sRostam Batmanglij.
In January 2011, Ra Ra Riot were nominated for the 10th annual Independent Music Awards in the Pop/Rock Album category forThe Orchard.[11]Also in 2011, their song "Boy" was featured in aHonda Civiccommercial and used in an episode ( "A History of Violins" ) of the TV showRoyal Painsas well as in an episode ofShameless.On February 10, 2012, cellist Alexandra Lawn announced that she was leaving the band.
The band's third studio album,Beta Love,was released on January 22, 2013, coinciding with a live worldwide Internet broadcast of the band's concert that night atMusic Hall of Williamsburgin Brooklyn, New York. The album was the band's first full-length since the departure of Lawn and marked a shift in their musical style away from their earlierbaroque popand more towardssynthpop.[12]A video was produced for the song "Dance With Me".[13]
On February 19, 2016, Ra Ra Riot released their fourth studio album,Need Your Light.The album was produced byRyan Hadlock(Lumineers,Vance Joy) with additional production by Batmanglij, who produced and co-wrote the title track as well as the popular single "Water."
On May 17, 2019, the band shared a new song, “Flowers”, along with the announcement of their fifth studio album,Superbloom.The album, released on August 9, saw the band collaborate with Rostam once again.
On February 20, 2024, the band announced the RA RA RIOT: REDIVIVUS tour, partially supporting Vampire Weekend.[14]
On May 1, 2024, Ra Ra Riot released their first new song in five years, "The Wish", co-written and produced by Rostam Batmanglij.[15]
Members[edit]
Current members[edit]
- Wes Miles – lead vocals, keyboards, occasional acoustic guitar(2006–present)
- Mathieu Santos – bass guitar, backing vocals(2006–present)
- Milo Bonacci – guitar, keyboards(2006–present)
- Rebecca Zeller – violin, backing vocals(2006–present)
- Kenny Bernard – drums, programming(2011–present)
Former members[edit]
- Shaw Flick – lead vocals(2006)
- John Pike – drums(2006–2007; died 2007)
- Alexandra Lawn – cello(2006–2012)
- Michael Ashley – drums(2007)
- Cameron Wisch – drums(2007–2009)
- Gabriel Duquette – drums(2009–2011)
Discography[edit]
Studio albums[edit]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [16] |
US Alt. [17] |
US Indie [18] |
US Rock [19] | ||
| The Rhumb Line |
|
109 | — | 14 | — |
| The Orchard |
|
36 | 6 | 7 | 12 |
| Beta Love |
|
69 | 16 | 11 | 23 |
| Need Your Light |
|
— | 20 | 15 | 29 |
| Superbloom |
|
— | — | 41 | — |
| "—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released | |||||
EPs[edit]
- Ra Ra RiotEP (2007, Rebel Group)
- Can You TellEP (2009,Barsuk)
Singles[edit]
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Rock Digital [21] |
JPN [16] | ||||||||
| 2007 | "Each Year" | — | — | The Rhumb Line | |||||
| "Dying Is Fine" | — | — | |||||||
| 2008 | "Ghost Under Rocks" | — | — | ||||||
| 2009 | "Can You Tell" | — | — | ||||||
| 2010 | "Boy" | 34 | — | The Orchard | |||||
| 2011 | "Too Dramatic" | — | — | ||||||
| 2012 | "Beta Love" | — | 45 | Beta Love | |||||
| 2013 | "Dance With Me" | — | — | ||||||
| 2015 | "Water" | — | —[A] | Need Your Light | |||||
| 2016 | "Absolutely" | — | — | ||||||
| 2018 | "This Time of Year" | — | — | Superbloom | |||||
| 2019 | "Flowers" | — | — | ||||||
| "Bad to Worse" | — | — | |||||||
| "War and Famine" | — | — | |||||||
| "Belladonna" | — | — | |||||||
| 2024 | "The Wish" | — | — | non-album | |||||
| "—" denotes single that did not chart or was not released | |||||||||
Notes[edit]
- ^"Water" did not enter the Oricon Singles chart, but charted at 53 on theBillboard Japan Radio Songs.[22]
References[edit]
- ^"Ra Ra Riot returns to campus for concert in Setnor Auditorium".SU News.October 23, 2012.Retrieved13 February2021.
- ^Bialczak, Mark (3 April 2011)."Ra Ra Riot revisits Syracuse University area with an ever-growing resume".The Post-Standard.Retrieved13 February2021.
- ^"SPIN.com – We Depict a Ra Ra Riot".SPIN Magazine.Retrieved2008-02-27.
- ^"Ra Ra Riot announce debut UK shows".NME.2007-04-02.Retrieved2007-08-16.
- ^"Ra Ra Riot to accompany Editors on tour".2007-09-17.Retrieved2008-02-28.
- ^"Ra Ra Riot Amped for Tour".Pitchfork Media.2007-01-23. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-02-16.Retrieved2008-02-28.
- ^"Best Music Blog Winners".Nielsen. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-12-17.Retrieved2007-12-25.
- ^"Ra Ra Riot listing at SXSW festival".South By Southwest Festivals and Conferences.2008-01-19. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-23.Retrieved2007-02-27.
- ^"Ra Ra Riot Drummer John Pike Found Dead".NME.2007-06-04.Retrieved2008-02-28.
- ^"Ra Ra Riot Ready New Record | News".Pitchfork. 2010-05-25.Retrieved2013-02-06.
- ^"Ra Ra Riot".Independentmusicawards.com.Retrieved2013-02-06.
- ^Martins, Chris (2012-11-13)."Ra Ra Riot's Dancey 'Beta Love' Swaps Strings for Synths, Reinvents Band | SPIN | SPIN Mix | Songs".SPIN.Retrieved2013-02-06.
- ^"Ra Ra Riot" Dance with Me "Official Video | Uncovered".Archived fromthe originalon March 18, 2013.RetrievedMarch 8,2013.
- ^"Ra Ra Riot site".Ra Ra Riot.Retrieved3 May2024.
- ^"Ra Ra Riot Return With First New Song in Five Years: Listen".Pitchfork.Retrieved3 May2024.
- ^ab"Ra Ra Riot Chart History: Billboard 200".Billboard.RetrievedAugust 12,2019.
- ^"Ra Ra Riot Chart History: Alternative Albums".Billboard.RetrievedAugust 12,2019.
- ^"Ra Ra Riot Chart History: Independent Albums".Billboard.RetrievedAugust 12,2019.
- ^"Ra Ra Riot Chart History: Rock Albums".Billboard.RetrievedAugust 12,2019.
- ^Bloom, Madison (May 18, 2019)."Ra Ra Riot Announce New Album Superbloom, Share New Song" Flowers ": Listen".Pitchfork.RetrievedMay 21,2019.
- ^"Billboard.biz".Billboard.biz.
- ^Billboard Japan Radio Songs | Charts | Billboard JAPAN(in Japanese; retrieved February 11, 2016)
External links[edit]
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
