Entries Tagged With: Ra Ra Riot

What It Was Like: Monotonix, The Breeders, Ra Ra Riot (again), Kid Sister, Chromeo

By Pete Freedman At 10:19pm Mar 17, 2008

kidsis2.jpg
Kid Sister, looking fly and keeping it tight. (Pete Freedman)

Saturday night was a freaking marathon, man. Throbbing feet, bleary eyes, sweaty brows. It was painful and pretty gross. Except for the music. That was cool. More specifically, here’s What It Was Like on S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y night…

Band: Monotonix, the craziest motherfuckers the Middle East has ever produced. OK, probably not. But they are freakin’ nuts.
Where: Bourbon Rocks Patio
What It Was Like: The craziest punk show you’ve ever been to. The Tel Aviv-based garage punkers didn’t speak English too well, but nothing was lost in translation when the band moved its set from the stage and into the circling pit beneath it. The band members then proceeded to crowd surf, play their instruments while riding the shoulders of crowd members, and to let the crowd play the drums as they raised the kit in the air. And the ruckus didn’t really even hurt the sound—these guys played on furiously and unfazed.
Verdict: Seriously, these guys put on one of the best live shows I’ve ever been to. In addition to the other antics, there was beer chugging, beer spitting, beer pouring (onto gleeful audience members) and trash can tossing. As much as SXSW is no longer really about discovering new music, Monotonix was pretty much THE discovered band of the week for me and the other critics I met at the fest. No other band built up more buzz for itself than this Israeli three-piece did over the course of the five-day music fest. The music itself is nothing to get too taken aback by, but the show alone makes these guys worth anyone’s while. Elevate this band to must-see status in your notebooks.
Random Note: These guys moved super fast. I tried catching some pics of them with the digital camera I was using, but they all came out too blurry. Granted, I’m hardly a professional photographer.

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Sound Check: Ra Ra Riot

By Chelsea Mueller At 06:01pm Mar 12, 2008

Ra Ra Riot's Wesley Miles in a rare moment of stillness during the band's Wednesday performance. (Chelsea Ide)
Quite possibly the most simple sound check I've ever heard. Bassist Mathieu Santos says, "Check," and then vocalist John Pike Wesley Miles says "Ahhhhhhhh." That was it, and Ra Ra Riot launched into its energetic set. -- Chelsea Ide


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Ra Ra Riot, the RAC and SXSW

At 04:00pm Mar 11, 2008

On Wednesday afternoon, my story on the Remix Artist Collective (RAC) will hit the Riverfront Times' main homepage. The RAC's founder and main remixer, Andre Anjos, attends Greeville College.

One of the group's he's remixed is Ra Ra Riot, whose heartfelt, string-laden indie-rock has started to earn it some serious attention in music circles. The band is also playing a ton of shows at SXSW:

Wednesday March 12th: Austin Convention Center, 5 p.m.
Wednesday March 12th: Todd P Party @ Ms. Beas, 9:30 p.m.
Thursday March 13th: Saddle Creek/Arts & Crafts/The Onion/Canvas Media Party @ Emos, 1:55pm
Friday March 14th: Soundcheck Magazine Party @ Emos Annex, 2:30 p.m.
Saturday March 15th: Diesel Party @ Saengerrunde Hall 8:50 p.m.
Saturday March 15th: Park the Van/Daytrotter Party @ Emos Annex, 10 p.m.

For your listening enjoyment, here are two MP3s:

MP3: Ra Ra Riot, "Can You Tell (Live on WOXY)"

MP3: Ra Ra Riot, "Each Year (RAC mix)"

-- Annie Zaleski
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