Ra Ra Riot Too Dramatic

Even if you hate to admit it, a lot of the reason you listen to certain bands and not others has nothing to do with their music. It might be their style, their attitude, what they stand for, or if their publicist and manager did a good enough job promoting them. For me, one of the big differences between bands I like and bands that I am fanatical about is their story. Syracuse, New York indie-poppers Ra Ra Riot (Click for MP3s) are a band with a story compelling enough to really grab you.

The young band hadn't existed a full year when they skyrocketed onto the indie music scene with a show at CMJ. Shortly before Rebel Group released their phenomenal debut EP, their drummer drowned off the Massachusetts coast. The band persisted, and released their first full-length, The Rhumb Line, on Barsuk in 2008. The band's second album is due out this year, and they've got a brutal touring schedule to accompany it.

According to their MySpace, Ra Ra Riot (Click for MP3s) will be playing on the shores of Lake Tahoe on October 13th and next at The Glass House in Pomona on October 19th. I find it rather unlikely the group will be spending that entire week at the slot machines in Reno, so I'm going to go ahead and pencil them in for a Treasure Island date.

While Ra Ra Riot (Click for MP3s) isn't electronic, I wouldn't be surprised if they get scheduled for the danceable first day on October 16th. They're just fun and upbeat enough that they'd go great supporting the bigger dance-rock and DJs planned for the day.