Winter has teased us this February with 60 degree weather and beautiful blue skies. Of course, we're reminded that it is February still and the temperature drops down to a skin crackling 30 degrees the next day. As annoying as this teasing can be, the nice days are pretty effing sweet. I usually spend those nice days cruising around with my windows down or sitting outside with ipod headphones jammed into my ears. We all have favorite spring/summer music to listen to. Music that let's us write off the daily routines and brings us to a refreshing place. For me it's music that is clear, upbeat and catchy. This spring I'll be listening to a lot of Ra Ra Riot.
I first heard of Ra Ra Riot from a friend of mine a while back but never had the patience to really sit down and listen to them. Mistake. The story of this indie band from Syracuse, New York actually starts off quite tragically. After the band had been together for a year their original drummer John Pike had gone missing and was found..not alive. With such a horrible beginning, the band later issued a statement that they would continue as a group.
It only makes sense that much of the lyrics on the new album, The Rhumb Line [released in August of 2008] have to do with death. Take for instance the chorus of their single Dying Is Fine :
"Death oh baby
You know that dying is fine but maybe
I wouldn't like death if death were good
Not even if death were good"
However, when listening to The Rhumb Line, you can almost just ignore the melancholy words associated with the sanguine music. But once you hear some of the emphasized lyrics, you start to wonder if this band is really happy or just trying to get over an exhausting and tragic period in their lives.
Stand out tracks:
Ra Ra Riot - Dying Is Fine
Ra Ra Riot - Can You Tell
Check out Ra Ra Riot on Myspace: here
Buy The Rhumb Line @ Insound
I first heard of Ra Ra Riot from a friend of mine a while back but never had the patience to really sit down and listen to them. Mistake. The story of this indie band from Syracuse, New York actually starts off quite tragically. After the band had been together for a year their original drummer John Pike had gone missing and was found..not alive. With such a horrible beginning, the band later issued a statement that they would continue as a group.
It only makes sense that much of the lyrics on the new album, The Rhumb Line [released in August of 2008] have to do with death. Take for instance the chorus of their single Dying Is Fine :
"Death oh baby
You know that dying is fine but maybe
I wouldn't like death if death were good
Not even if death were good"
However, when listening to The Rhumb Line, you can almost just ignore the melancholy words associated with the sanguine music. But once you hear some of the emphasized lyrics, you start to wonder if this band is really happy or just trying to get over an exhausting and tragic period in their lives.
Stand out tracks:
Ra Ra Riot - Dying Is Fine
Ra Ra Riot - Can You Tell
Check out Ra Ra Riot on Myspace: here
Buy The Rhumb Line @ Insound
[EDIT]
Check out these 2009 tour dates:
2/21 - Richard's on Richards (Vancouver, BC) !@
2/22 - Lucky (Victoria, BC) ! 2/24 - Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR) !@
2/25 - Neumos (Seattle, WA) !@
2/27 - The Independent (San Francisco, CA) (Noise Pop) !@
2/28 - El Rey Theatre (Los Angeles, CA) !@
3/1 - The Loft (San Diego, CA) !@
3/2 - Detroit Bar (Costa Mesa, CA) !@
3/7 - Harvest of Hope Festival (St. Augustine, FL)
3/8 - Langerado Music Festival (Miami, FL)
3/10 - The Parish @ HOB (New Orleans, LA) #
3/11 - Walter's on Washington (Houston, TX) #
3/12 - Cine El Rey (McAllen, TX) #
3/13 - The White Rabbit (San Antonio, TX) #
3/14 - Granada Theatre (Dallas, TX) #
3/16 - The Slowdown (Omaha, NE) #
3/17 - The Billiken Club (St. Louis, MO) *
3/18 - The Conservatory (Oklahoma City, OK) $
3/24 - The Cinemat (Bloomington, IN) $
3/25 - Musica (Akron, OH) $!
3/26 - The Blind Pig (Ann Arbor, MI) $
4/7 - Tower Theatre (Upper Darby, PA) %
4/8 - DAR Constitution Hall (Washington, DC) %
4/9 - John Belk Arena (Davidson, NC) %
4/10 - Louisville Palace Theatre (Louisville, KY) %
4/11 - Orpheum Theatre (Memphis, TN) %
4/12 - Brady Theater (Tulsa, OK) %
4/15 - Roy Wilkins Auditorium (St. Paul, MN) %
4/17 - Aragon Ballroom (Chicago, IL) %
4/18 - Michigan State University, Breslin Events Center (East Lansing, MI) %
4/19 - Carroll College, Van Male Fieldhouse (Waukesha, WI) %
4/24 - Gonzaga University, McCarthey Athletic Center (Spokane, WA) %
4/25 - Morrison Center (Boise, ID) %
4/27 - Sacramento Convention Center, Memorial Hall (Sacramento, CA) %
5/1- Austin Music Hall (Austin, TX) &
5/4 - Ryman Auditorium (Nashville, TN) &
5/5 - BJCC Concert Hall (Birmingham, AL) &
5/6 - Fox Theatre (Atlanta, GA) &
! w/ Cut Off Your Hands
@ w/ Telekinesis
# w/ Tokyo Police Club
* w/ Maps & Atlases
$ w/ Passion Pit
% w/ Death Cab for Cutie, Cold War Kids
& w/ Death Cab for Cutie, Matt Costa
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