Ra Ra Riot is a five-piece indie rock band from Syracuse, N.Y. that formed in 2006 and released their first full-length album, The Rhumb Line, in 2008.
After the tragic death of their drummer, John Pike, in June of 2007, Ra Ra Riot made the difficult decision to continue on as a band.
The group of friends met during college at Syracuse University and began playing shows at houses and venues around the campus. They gained more recognition, though, after being invited to play at College Music Journal Music Marathon in New York City within six months of their formation.
Ra Ra Riot has since gone on to play at SXSW Music Festival in Texas, as well as tour North America and Europe extensively with bands such as Tokyo Police Club, Los Campesinos! and Vampire Weekend.
After features in music magazines such as Spin and rave reviews on Internet music blogs, Ra Ra Riot has gained a devoted following in the few years that they've been together as a band.
An energetic and exciting live show - complete with an electric violin and cello, as well as intuitive, engaging lyrics - has definitely put Ra Ra Riot on the charts as a band to keep an eye on in the future.
Starting April 5, Ra Ra Riot will be kicking off a North American tour with Cold War Kids and label-mates Death Cab For Cutie. Currently they are finishing up a tour with Tokyo Police Club, and will soon be playing a few scattered shows with two relatively smaller bands, Passion Pit and Cut off Your Hands.
The trio of Ra Ra Riot, Passion Pit and Cut off Your Hands will make a stop at Water Street Music Hall in Rochester on Friday, March 27. At the small price of $10 per ticket (Ticketmaster.com), it's definitely a show not to be missed.
For a free download of some of their tracks, check out: http://daytrotter.com/daytrotterSessions/1029/free-songs-ra-ra-riot.