Ra Ra Riot

{{Short description|American indie rock band}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox musical artist  | name = Ra Ra Riot | image = RaRaRiot-930-Club.jpg | caption = Ra Ra Riot playing at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. | background = group_or_band | origin = Syracuse, New York, U.S. | genre = Indie rock, baroque pop | years_active = 2006–present | label = Rebel Group V2 Barsuk Arts & Crafts México Only in Dreams | website = [http://www.rarariot.com www.rarariot.com] | current_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 }}

'''Ra Ra Riot''' is an American indie rock band consisting of Wes Miles (vocals); Mathieu Santos (bass); Milo Bonacci (guitar); Rebecca Zeller (violin); and Kenny Bernard (drums).

==History== Ra Ra Riot formed in January 2006,<ref>{{cite news |title=Ra Ra Riot returns to campus for concert in Setnor Auditorium |url=https://news.syr.edu/blog/2012/10/23/ra-ra-riot-returns-to-campus-for-a-unique-concert-event-in-setnor-auditorium/ |access-date=13 February 2021 |work=SU News |date=October 23, 2012}}</ref> playing at houses and venues around the Syracuse University campus.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bialczak |first1=Mark |title=Ra Ra Riot revisits Syracuse University area with an ever-growing resume |url=https://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/2011/04/ra_ra_riot_revisits_syracuse_u.html |access-date=13 February 2021 |work=The Post-Standard |date=3 April 2011 |language=en}}</ref> 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 the CMJ Music Marathon, fewer than six months after their formation. Following this appearance, their live show received the first of several favorable reviews from ''Spin'', who called them "one of the best young bands we've heard in a really long time".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/mp3/2007/04/070418_rarariot/|title=SPIN.com – We Depict a Ra Ra Riot|publisher=SPIN Magazine|access-date=2008-02-27}}</ref> They went on to open for Art Brut and Bow Wow Wow in New York City, toured the UK twice on their own,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/news/club-nme/27470|title=Ra Ra Riot announce debut UK shows|publisher=NME|access-date=2007-08-16|date=2007-04-02}}</ref> then returned, opening for the Editors<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.egigs.co.uk/index.php?a=11919|title=Ra Ra Riot to accompany Editors on tour|access-date=2008-02-28|date=2007-09-17}}</ref> (footage of which can be found on Crackle); they also toured North America supporting Tokyo Police Club. Their first solo headlining tour of the U.S. was completed in 2007, and in early 2008, they embarked on a second.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/47991-ra-ra-riot-amped-for-tour|title=Ra Ra Riot Amped for Tour|publisher=Pitchfork Media|access-date=2008-02-28|date=2007-01-23|archive-date=2009-02-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216140552/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/47991-ra-ra-riot-amped-for-tour|url-status=dead}}</ref> The band was also invited to play the Iceland Airwaves Festival in Reykjavík, Iceland. They recorded three sessions on the national online radio station WOXY and three for the acclaimed<ref>{{cite web | title = Best Music Blog Winners | publisher = Nielsen | url = http://www.heynielsen.com/blog/2007/12/best-music-blog-winners.html | access-date = 2007-12-25 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071217012715/http://www.heynielsen.com/blog/2007/12/best-music-blog-winners.html  |archive-date = 2007-12-17}}</ref> Daytrotter sessions at Futureappletree Studio 1 in Rock Island, Illinois.

In 2007, they made their first appearance at South by Southwest and headlined a show at the Seaport Music Festival in New York City. The band returned to appear again at the South by Southwest Music Conference in March 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://2008.sxsw.com/music/showcases/band/64784.html|title=Ra Ra Riot listing at SXSW festival|publisher=South By Southwest Festivals and Conferences|access-date=2007-02-27|date=2008-01-19|archive-date=2011-07-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723012908/http://2008.sxsw.com/music/showcases/band/64784.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On June 2, 2007, at 3 a.m., the band's original drummer, John Ryan Pike of Hamilton, Massachusetts, went missing under suspicious circumstances at a party at Wilbur's Point in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, after a show in Providence, Rhode Island. A search party discovered his cellphone on the beach at Buzzards 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/news/nme/28721|title=Ra Ra Riot Drummer John Pike Found Dead|publisher=NME|access-date=2008-02-28|date=2007-06-04}}</ref> 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 label V2 Records. To celebrate their new label deal, Ra Ra Riot released "Dying Is Fine" and "Each Year (RAC Mix)" on 7" vinyl as an A/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 to Barsuk Records. They released their debut album, ''The Rhumb Line'', on August 19, 2008, in North America, and on September 22, 2008, in Europe via V2/Cooperative Music. The music video for "Can You Tell" won Best Music Video at the 2009 Finger Lakes Film Festival on November 7, 2009.

In the spring of 2009, Barsuk released the ''Can You Tell'' EP, featuring remixes, early demos and live recordings. The band released their second studio album, ''The Orchard'', on August 24, 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/38922-ra-ra-riot-ready-new-record/ |title=Ra Ra Riot Ready New Record | News |publisher=Pitchfork |date=2010-05-25 |access-date=2013-02-06}}</ref> It was produced by Ra Ra Riot and Andrew Maury. Nine of the 10 tracks were mixed by Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla, while one was mixed by Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij.

In January 2011, Ra Ra Riot were nominated for the 10th annual Independent Music Awards in the Pop/Rock Album category for ''The Orchard''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima/artist/ra-ra-riot |title=Ra Ra Riot |publisher=Independentmusicawards.com |access-date=2013-02-06}}</ref> Also in 2011, their song "Boy" was featured in a Honda Civic commercial and used in an episode ("A History of Violins") of the TV show ''Royal Pains'' as well as in an episode of ''Shameless''. 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 at Music Hall of Williamsburg in 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 earlier baroque pop and more towards synthpop.<ref>{{cite web|last=Martins |first=Chris |url=https://www.spin.com/2012/11/ra-ra-riot-beta-love-video-album-tour/ |title=Ra Ra Riot's Dancey 'Beta Love' Swaps Strings for Synths, Reinvents Band | SPIN | SPIN Mix | Songs |publisher=SPIN |date=2012-11-13 |access-date=2013-02-06}}</ref> A video was produced for the song "Dance With Me".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uncoveredmusic.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/ra-ra-riot-dance-with-me-official-video/ |title=Ra Ra Riot "Dance with Me" Official Video | Uncovered |access-date=March 8, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318054815/http://uncoveredmusic.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/ra-ra-riot-dance-with-me-official-video/ |archive-date=March 18, 2013 }}</ref>

On February 19, 2016, Ra Ra Riot released their fourth studio album, ''Need Your Light.'' The album was produced by Ryan 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, in celebration of the fifteenth anniversary of ''The Rhumb Line'', partially supporting Vampire Weekend.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ra Ra Riot site |url=https://www.rarariot.com/tour |publisher=Ra Ra Riot|access-date=3 May 2024}}</ref>

On May 1, 2024, Ra Ra Riot released their first new song in five years, "The Wish", co-written and produced by Rostam Batmanglij.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ra Ra Riot Return With First New Song in Five Years: Listen |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/ra-ra-riot-return-with-first-new-song-in-5-years-listen/ |publisher=Pitchfork|access-date=3 May 2024}}</ref>

==Members==

===Current members===

* 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) * Emily Brausa – cello, backing vocals (2012–2014, 2024–present)

===Former members===

* 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==

===Studio albums=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |- ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album details ! scope="col" colspan="4"| Peak chart positions |- ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| US <ref name="Billboard">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/ra-ra-riot/chart-history/tlp/|title=Ra Ra Riot Chart History: Billboard 200|magazine=Billboard|access-date=August 12, 2019}}</ref> ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| US Alt. <ref name="Alternative Albums">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/ra-ra-riot/chart|title=Ra Ra Riot Chart History: Alternative Albums|magazine=Billboard|access-date=August 12, 2019}}</ref> ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| US Indie <ref name="Billboard Independent">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/ra-ra-riot/chart-history/ind/|title=Ra Ra Riot Chart History: Independent Albums|magazine=Billboard|access-date=August 12, 2019}}</ref> ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| US Rock <ref name="Rock Albums">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/ra-ra-riot/chart-history/rck/|title=Ra Ra Riot Chart History: Rock Albums|magazine=Billboard|access-date=August 12, 2019}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| ''The Rhumb Line'' | * Released: August 19, 2008 * Label: Barsuk | 109 || — || 14 || — |- ! scope="row"| ''The Orchard'' | * Released: August 24, 2010 * Label: Barsuk | 36 || 6 || 7 || 12 |- ! scope="row"| ''Beta Love'' | * Released: January 22, 2013 * Label: Barsuk | 69 || 16 || 11 || 23 |- ! scope="row"| ''Need Your Light'' | * Released: February 19, 2016 * Label: Barsuk | — || 20 || 15 || 29 |- ! scope="row"| ''Superbloom'' | * Released: August 9, 2019<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bloom |first1=Madison |title=Ra Ra Riot Announce New Album Superbloom, Share New Song "Flowers": Listen |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/ra-ra-riot-announce-new-album-superbloom-share-new-song-flowers-listen/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=May 21, 2019 |date=May 18, 2019}}</ref> * Label: Rob the Rich Recordings/Caroline | — || — || 41 || — |- | colspan="10" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%;"| "—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released |- |}

===EPs=== *''Ra Ra Riot'' EP (2007, Rebel Group) *''Can You Tell'' EP (2009, Barsuk)

===Singles=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |- ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year ! scope="col" colspan="3"| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album |- ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| US Rock Digital <ref name="Billboard Chart Search">{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/biz/search/charts?f[0]=ts_chart_artistname%3Ara%20ra%20riot&f[1]=ss_bb_type%3Achart_item&type=2&artist=ra%20ra%20riot|title=Billboard.biz|website=Billboard.biz}}</ref> ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| JPN <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard-japan.com/artists/detail/302622|title=Ra Ra Riot - Artist - Billboard Japan|language=Japanese|publisher=Billboard Japan|accessdate=September 27, 2024}}</ref> ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| UK Indie <ref>{{cite web|title=A Mannger To Act/Each Year – Ra Ra Riot - Official Charts|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/ra-ra-riot-a-manner-to-acteach-year/|work=Official Charts Company|access-date=September 23, 2024}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| "Each Year" | rowspan="2"| 2007 | — || — || 29 | rowspan="4"| ''The Rhumb Line'' |- ! scope="row"| "Dying Is Fine" | — || — || — |- ! scope="row"| "Ghost Under Rocks" | 2008 | — || — || — |- ! scope="row"| "Can You Tell" | 2009 | — || — || — |- ! scope="row"| "Boy" | 2010 | 34 || 85 || — | rowspan="2"| ''The Orchard'' |- ! scope="row"| "Too Dramatic" | 2011 | — || — || — |- ! scope="row"| "Beta Love" | 2012 | — || 45 || — | rowspan="2"| ''Beta Love'' |- ! scope="row"| "Dance With Me" | 2013 | — || — || — |- ! scope="row"| "Water" | 2015 | — || —{{efn|group=upper-alpha|"Water" did not enter the Oricon Singles chart, but charted at 53 on the Billboard Japan Radio Songs.<ref>[http://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=radio_songs&year=2016&month=02&day=8 Billboard Japan Radio Songs | Charts | Billboard JAPAN] (in Japanese; retrieved February 11, 2016)</ref>}} || — | rowspan="2"| ''Need Your Light'' |- ! scope="row"| "Absolutely" | 2016 | — || — || — |- ! scope="row"| "This Time of Year" | 2018 | — || — || — | rowspan="5"| ''Superbloom'' |- ! scope="row"| "Flowers" | rowspan="4"| 2019 | — || — || — |- ! scope="row"| "Bad to Worse" | — || — || — |- ! scope="row"| "War and Famine" | — || — || — |- ! scope="row"| "Belladonna" | — || — || — |- ! scope="row"| "The Wish" | 2024 | — || — || — | {{N/a|non-album single}} |- ! scope="row"| "Friendly Neighbor" | 2024 | — || — || — | {{N/a|non-album single}} |- | colspan="10" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%;"| "—" denotes single that did not chart or was not released |}

==Notes== {{notelist-ua}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Ra Ra Riot}} * {{official website|http://www.rarariot.com/}}

Category:Indie rock musical groups from New York (state) Category:Musical groups established in 2006 Category:Musical groups from Syracuse, New York Category:Barsuk Records artists Category:V2 Records artists