Ra Ra Riot
Moody Tunes
Ra Ra Riot expands its sound on The Orchard
By Jeff Niesel
The stat sheet on Ra Ra Riot’s 2008 full-length debut, The Rhumb Line, is impressive. The New York indie rock band sold some 65,000 copies without any significant commercial radio airplay. And it got the opening slot on the 2009 Modest Mouse summer tour that took it to small outdoor sheds around the country. As a result, anticipation is high for Rhumb’s follow-up, The Orchard.
To record the disc, the band sequestered itself at Stillwater, Oklahoma’s Flatland Recording Studios, which it found simply by doing a Google search for music studios. It worked with Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij and Death Cab’s Chris Walls, both of whom helped mix the disc.
“We met Chris on tour and he added a new dimension,” explains cellist Alexandra Lawn via phone. “It was our baby and he was just another super creative person who added a whole other side. It was really, really cool. We essentially lived at the studio for a few weeks, and it was great.”
The album benefits from striking a balance between songs that rock a little harder, like “Shadowcasting,” and delicate ballads such as “Keep it Quiet.”
“I think with this album each song is much more thematic,” Lawn says. “We’ve evolved and come into our own as a band musically. We looked at it and pieced the album together where it was most like a story. There are ups and downs and you want it to be dynamic. Having songs that are delicate and sweet and songs that are bouncing and rocky spices it up for the listener. You don’t want to make something so out there and weird comparison to the rest of the album. I hope it’s gradual mood swing.”
On tunes such as the title track and “Foolish,” it sounds like a full orchestra is playing alongside the band, which successfully folds violin and cello into its sound.
“Every song but ‘Keep it Quiet’ and ‘You and I Know’ features the six of us,” Lawn explains. “We want it to sound like violin and cello are there in person. As far as guitar and bass go, they do a lot with layers. It takes a few listens to hear them. Even now, I’ll hear things I didn’t notice before. There’s all that going on but it’s nothing that you won’t hear us do live. We’re spending these weeks getting it ready to play live and every subtle detail is there.”
The Orchard’s wispy pop tunes have an esoteric feel to them that makes them hold up to repeated listening.. The title track, for example, was inspired by both Russian playwright Anton Chekov and by singer Kate Bush.
“I think [singer] Wes [Miles] was reading a short story by him and it inspired him beyond just that song,” Lawn says. “It drove an even greater creative force. I’m not sure what the story was about but it really moved him. It drove that song lyrically and meaningful. It’s so weird. Kate Bush came into my life through Wes because he wanted to cover ‘Hounds of Love.’ That was the first artist we had a common interest in and then someone we look to for inspiration.”
Formed in 2006 in Syracuse, New York, where some of the members were enrolled in college, Ra Ra Riot encountered an early setback when drummer John Ryan Pike tragically drowned. Continuing on without him wasn’t easy.
“It’s the most difficult thing that I think we could have been faced with,” Lawn says. “It was terrible and a tragedy. It really, really sucked. We’ll never be the band that we would be if John were here. We do our best to write and perform and make him proud and represent him. He’s still a huge part of the band. It’s the best we can do because he’s not here. We miss him.”
For the future, the band hopes to retain a relentless live schedule and keep having fun.
“If we’re having fun that’s the most successful and fulfilling thing you can do,” Lawn says. “Things get more comfortable if you make more money. We enjoy being inspired and fulfilled like we are. We’re excited about people hearing this album and are really proud of it. Even if it doesn’t soar to the highest sale peaks, we all feel awesome that we made it and it will always be there to listen to. Hopefully, other people hear it and have a good reaction, too.”
Tour Dates
5-Sep Seattle, WA Bumbershoot
9-Sep Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
12-Sep North Dorset, UK End of the Road Festival
18-Sep Geneva, NY Three Stories Benefit
21-Sep New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
22-Sep New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
23-Sep Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
24-Sep Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
27-Sep Northampton, MA Pearl St.
28-Sep New Haven, CT Toad’s Place
29-Sep Providence, RI The Met
1-Oct Boston, MA Royale
2-Oct Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
3-Oct Pittsburgh, PA Diesel
4-Oct Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig
5-Oct Chicago, IL Metro
7-Oct Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theatre
8-Oct Omaha, NE Waiting Room
9-Oct Lawrence, KS The Granada Theatre
11-Oct Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre
12-Oct Salt Lake City, UT In the Venue
13-Oct Crystal Bay, NV Crystal Bay Club
17-Oct San Francisco, CA Treasure Island Music Festival
19-Oct Pomona, CA Glass House
20-Oct Los Angeles, CA The Music Box
21-Oct San Diego, CA Belly Up Tavern
22-Oct Tempe, AZ The Clubhouse
24-Oct San Antonio, TX White Rabbits
26-Oct Austin, TX Emo’s
27-Oct Houston, TX Warehouse Live
28-Oct Dallas, TX Granada Theatre
29-Oct Little Rock, AR Rev Room
30-Oct Nashville, TN Exit/In
1-Nov Birmingham, AL Workplay Theatre
2-Nov Atlanta, GA Masquerade-Hell Room
3-Nov Asheville, NC Orange Peel
4-Nov Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
5-Nov Washington, DC 930 Club
11-Nov Rutgers University
13-Nov Vancouver, BC The Commodore
17-Nov Calgary, AB MacEwan Hall
19-Nov Saskatoon, SK Louis’ Pub
20-Nov Winnipeg, MB The Garric
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