Saturday, June 11, 2011

What a (Ra Ra) Riot

You may not be familiar with the band Ra Ra Riot- unless you're from Syracuse, New York, that is. The band, consisting of 6 members, spent their first months playing at frat houses and small venues around the Syracuse University campus and gained notoriety shortly after recording their first demo in 2006. They've performed at music festivals such as South by Southwest several times and have already released two albums, one of which was mixed entirely by Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla. Their song "Boy" was recently featured on an episode of (one of my favorite summer shows) "Royal Pains" on USA, and their song "Too Dramatic" is rapidly gaining radio exposure on indie rock stations.

What makes this band unique for me is their range of instruments and the genre in which they classify themselves. Aside from the talented albeit typical drummer, bassist and lead singer, characteristic of all indie rock bands, Ra Ra Riot enhances their sound thanks to the use of violin and cello, helping them to steer away from the "indie" sound and embrace the "baroque."

Check out my favorites at their MySpace page, including "Can You Tell," "Boy," "Shadowcasting," and "Too Dramatic" (video below).

http://www.myspace.com/rarariot