Interviews: Ra Ra Riot

We managed to catch up with New York’s Ra Ra Riot before they hit the stage in support of Vampire Weekend...

Posted Wednesday, 26 November 2008 in

Rock Sound is still feeling sufficiently scary following Halloween, so recently, on a very rainy afternoon in King’s Cross, we managed to catch up with New York’s Ra Ra Riot before they hit the stage in support of Vampire Weekend.

“Halloween is definitely one of my favourite holidays,” explains cellist Alexandra Lawn, recounting how the band once played a show dressed as skeletons. “The costume store only had one adult-sized outfit, so it was really funny to see the boys wearing child-sized costumes onstage, there were many rips.

“Halloween parties are always fun, everyone wears hilarious outfits. There was this one year when I was confused and wanted to be a Princes Jasmine-astronaut-unicorn-treasure chest – somehow my Mom managed to fulfil that need for me.”

While not quite as scary to think about, some of the band’s tour tales are equally as amusing to imagine. Guitarist Milo Bonacci recounts the time they spent out on the road with Editors.

“They had this obsession with bowling because they had all just watched the Big Lebowski,” he recalls. “We went bowling with them one night in Denver and they kept buying White Russians and cheap beer for everyone, we ended up having to sleep in the parking lot because we had to drive ourselves everywhere.”

The band’s work ethic is also admirable; Milo actually managed to balance being an architecture student while being part of the band when they first formed.
“I always knew I had to make time for the music,” he continues. “Sometimes I would have to stay up all night, and then go to band practice and then go into the studio.”

Milo’s dedication carries through, and the group have spent the best part of their years together touring hard and creating a strong buzz around their infectious and evocative material. Alexandra adds: “Playing a show is always a 98 per cent guarantee of a good time.”

One of their most standout tunes in their catalogue is the single ‘Dying Is Fine’, which is a tribute to their late drummer John Pike who passed away in 07.

“That was the first song we wrote as a band. Every song on the album is a celebratory tribute and a way to keep connected and remember,” asserts Alexandra.
“A lot of the songs that may have meant something specific a year-ago have taken on a whole new meaning,” Milo concludes.

Moving on, the band are optimistic about the future, and writing again in 09 following their tour around the States and a big break at Christmas.

“We’re really looking forward to making new music,” assures Alexandra. “It’s going to be great fun for us.”

Ra Ra Riot’s debut album ‘The Rhumb Line’ is out now on V2.