The Ra Ra Riot Interview

If you’re not from Upstate, NY (And by this I don’t mean Westchester County!) you probably have no idea that Syracuse has a pretty active music scene. If you’re from Upstate, you likely think that its emphasis is on the blues. And while the blues certainly has a strong base in Syracuse—punk and indie music also hold great sway. Take for example Ra Ra Riot, who have released “The Rhumb Line,” their full-length debut, on Barsuk Records (the label that Death cab for Cutie released its first albums) last year. This fierce band uses both a cello and a violin as centerpieces of their sound. But they’re no chamber-pop outfit. They rock. The use of the strings works great with their sound. Often when these instruments are utilized in rock music they’re either used to play the role of a lead soloist or to create saccharin string lines. Ra Ra Riot integrates the cello and violin into the overall fabric and texture of their music.

Photo: Sarah cass Courtesy of Barsuk Records

The band has received comparisons to Arcade Fire. While this is fair, what is great about Ra Ra Riot is that they’ve really developed their own sound and style in a very short period of time. They only came together in 2006 while attending Syracuse University. And during this time, one of the founding members tragically passed away.

Lyrically the band writes some wonderful stuff. Take the chorus of the opening track, “Ghost Under Rocks.” “Here you are breathing life into / Ghosts under rocks like notes found / In pocket coats of your fathers / lost and forgotten.” Beautiful. Poetic. And together the lyrics and the music produce what I keep describing to myself as joyous melancholy. Yeah, I don’t totally know what joyous melancholy means. All I know is this is how I can describe the way the music makes me feel—and I like it. Or perhaps this sound and the feeling it creates is connected to the rhumb line—a path of constant bearing.

Dynamic Meter was able to ask the band’s bass player, Mathieu Santos, about music and Ra Ra Riot.

Dynamic Meter: What’s the story behind your name?

Mathieu Santos: A friend of ours in Syracuse had actually come up with it, but she didn’t have a band at the time. We, on the other hand, had just formed a band and needed a name, so we borrowed it for our first couple of shows around the campus with the idea that we’d come up with something later. Of course, we never got around to doing that, so in the end I guess we sort of accidentally appropriated the name.

DM: Being from Syracuse, does playing Ithaca seem like a bit of a hometown gig?

MS: Yes, there’s always that sense whenever we play Upstate. It’s nice, because each of us in the band comes from different places, but having met in Syracuse, Upstate New York has sort of become our collective home.

DM: What’s your take on the state of the music industry?

MS: Well, it’s in a bit of a strange place right now, insofar as everything it’s based on is becoming obsolete. The medium itself is still constantly shifting and struggling to adapt, and, along with that, the way that people experience music in the day-to-day realm is significantly changing too. (I just read a piece in the New York Times Magazine about “interactive” musical media like Rock Band beginning to supplant more traditional listening experiences!) Luckily, we’ve found that live music is still thriving, and I’m sure it will continue to do so.

DM: How do you write and arrange?

MS: That’s actually what we’re doing right now—working on new material for our second album. Each song usually starts as an individual’s idea, which could be at any stage of development. We then work intensively on its arrangement, coming up with parts both as a band and in smaller groups, and then start to slowly iron out a structure.

DM: Besides the number of people in attendance, what’s the biggest difference between festival and club gigs?

MS: For us, festivals are usually more about exposure to new, broader audiences, and so we have to sometimes expect less of an immediate connection with the crowd. Club shows are typically more of an intimate and exciting affair.

DM: Who are your biggest influences?

MS: As far as bands go, my favorites are The Beatles, The Police, The Beach Boys, U2, Devo, and The Fall. For bassists, my biggest influences are Paul McCartney, Adam Clayton, and Sting, and I’ve been listening to a lot of James Jamerson lately as well.

DM: Who are you digging musically right now.

MS: The 3 albums I’ve been listening to the most lately have been: The Police’s “Ghost In The Machine,” Panda Bear’s “Person Pitch,” and Sparks’ first, self-titled album.