Tours of Note: Ra Ra Riot
April 6th, 2008 - by Eddie
This was originally a “SXSW Bands We Know” post, but as some of you know, we get incredibly backed up here at 52shows…mostly because our day jobs and drunk fest to NYC get in the way.
So we turned it into a Tours of Note post since, well, you should know about this band.
These guys are from Syracuse, NY, the place where I spent 5 years of my life drinking, throwing beer bottles at buildings and occasionally learning.
But that’s not the reason I’m singling them out. Ra Ra Riot has had a pretty traumatic beginning (they’ve only released an EP). Last year, their drummer John Pike was found dead in the water in Buzzard Bay, MA. It was a complete shock to the band and to the fans. Eventually, the band pulled together and pressed on, mainly because “that’s what John would have wanted.”
They recently played a benefit concert at the Middle East in Cambridge, MA. The show featured some of John’s favorite bands like Vampire Weekend, Tokyo Police Club and, of course, Ra Ra Riot.
Even without the extra spotlight on them due to the unfortunate death, the EP was already garnering some attention, mainly for their odd arrangements (a sort of stop-and-go guitar riff) and their penchant for bridging the intellectual world with the rock one.
Only their EP is out right now (you can get it for $10 on their site),
Their song, “Dying is Fine,” is based on an e.e. cummings poem called “dying is fine)but Death” and has been getting the “Hey now” comment from music fans everywhere.
04.03.08: San Francisco, CA // Popscene // GET TICKETS #
04.04.08: Los Angeles, CA // El Rey Theatre // GET TICKETS #
04.05.08: San Diego, CA // The Casbah // GET TICKETS *
04.06.08: Phoenix, AZ // Modified // GET TICKETS *
04.09.08: Norman, OK // Opolis // GET TICKETS *
04.10.08: Ft. Worth, TX // Lola’s // GET TICKETS *
04.11.08: Austin, TX // Stubbs // GET TICKETS *
04.12.08: Baton Rouge, LA // Spanish Moon // GET TICKETS *
04.14.08: Orlando, FL // The Social // GET TICKETS *
04.15.08: Gainesville, FL // Common Grounds // GET TICKETS *
04.16.08: Jacksonville, FL // Jack Rabbits // GET TICKETS *
04.17.08: Atlanta, GA // Lenny’s // GET TICKETS *
04.18.08: Charleston, SC // The Map Room // GET TICKETS *
04.20.08: Chapel Hill, NC // Local 506 // GET TICKETS *
04.22.08: Baltimore, MD // The Ottobar // GET TICKETS *
04.23.08: Hoboken, NJ // Maxwells // GET TICKETS *
04.25.08: Cambridge, MA // Middle East Downstairs // GET TICKETS *
04.28.08: Pittsburgh, PA // Garfield Artworks // GET TICKETS *
04.29.08: Columbus, OH // The Basement // GET TICKETS *
04.30.08: Cincinnati , OH // Gypsy Hut // GET TICKETS *
05.02.08: Toledo, OH // Frankie’s // GET TICKETS *
05.03.08: Detroit, MI // Alvins // GET TICKETS *
05.04.08: Madison, WI // The Annex // GET TICKETS *
05.07.08: Omaha, NE // Slowdown Jr // GET TICKETS *
05.08.08: Lawrence, KS // Jackpot Saloon // GET TICKETS *
05.09.08: Colorado Springs, CO // Black Sheep // GET TICKETS
05.10.08: Salt Lake City, UT // Kilby Court // GET TICKETS *
05.16.08: Pomona, CA // Glass House // GET TICKETS *
# with The Cribs
* with The Little Ones
