These days, a young band with a great EP and a hefty helping of Internet buzz already has a lot going its way.
That's certainly the case with indie up-and-comers Ra Ra Riot, a co-ed sextet that's earned heaps of attention for its energetic live shows and promising self-titled debut EP. Complex yet straightforward, ambitious but raw, the album offers six tunes you'll listen to on repeat, marveling at the effortless and sometimes danceable integration of guitars, cello and violin, augmented by singer-keyboardist Wesley Miles’ smooth but firm voice. You’ll also wish there was more out there to hear.
Soon, there will be. Finishing touches are being put on Ra Ra Riot's full-length debut, expected for release in mid- to late 2008. (Want a free taste? You can download four live tracks at rarariot.com.) But that's no reason to sleep on this talented young group, comprised mostly of recent Syracuse University grads in their early 20s—a couple haven’t graduated yet, and 19-year-old drummer Cameron Wisch joined after the death of original drummer John Pike last June.
From the band’s van—dubbed “Mark Wahlberg”—while on the way to practice at Wisch’s house in New Jersey, Miles explained his connection to Marky Mark’s musical past and what fans have to do to motivate a cellist to leap into the crowd.
What's the deal with naming the band’s van Mark Wahlberg?[We were] just trying to think of names that wouldn’t actually make any sense. But I guess Mark Wahlberg’s kind of like a funny character in my mind. I think of all his actual characters when I think of Mark Wahlberg. I don’t actually think of a real person. But I think he’s pretty funny.
And because on some level you consider yourselves a funky bunch?[Laughs] On several different levels we consider ourselves a funky bunch. We’re a funky bunch of people, but one of our main objectives from the start was to make people have fun and dance. Dancing is a great way to make people have fun, and a great way to make people dance is to be kinda funky.
I hear you’re the only band where people need to be on the lookout for a flying cellist. Do you guys frequently launch yourselves off stage?Um, no. Those are special moments. Those are only when you’re good enough to get it.
How can people test themselves to find out if they’re good enough?[Laughs] You have to love it. If they’re ready to send the love back to the stage, then we’re ready to take it to the next level.
Does a name like Ra Ra Riot pressure you to deliver a wild and crazy show?I don’t ever feel any pressure like that. I feel like it kinda pumps me up in a way. ’Cause I know that in some respects people are expecting some kind of raucous event.
Do you have some tricks that guarantee people get the raucousness they came for?No, not really. Each one of us has a style on the stage that comes through. I don’t have any signature moves, really. I guess I do. I have some signature moves. I have like this thing where I throw my arms all around uncontrollably and I clap behind my back and between one of the guitar players’ armpits. I do stuff like that. But that’s only when I’m really feeling like the crowd’s deserving it. I don’t just throw those around.
People need to earn those.Yeah. They sure do. And they often do. Which is great, ’cause that means we’re not giving more than anybody can handle.
Actually, someone described your shows as “the best musical lovemaking of my life.” That’s pretty nice. There’s a lot of emotions and excitement. I could see how someone would confuse it for some love-type thing.
What does “musical lovemaking” mean to you?I don’t know. It’s difficult. I don’t think in terms of lovemaking when I’m making music. Definitely sometimes think about love as an emotion when I’m performing or when I’m writing. Lovemaking’s not something I think about so much when I’m performing.
