Last night, Syracuse Barsuk troupe Ra Ra Riot brought their meaningful-core to Letterman, performing the poppy but emotional “Can You Tell.” There’s much smiling and mugging between band members, but frontman Wes Miles knows just when to get that faraway look in his eyes (see accompanying screen grab). It’s a more relaxed, assured outing than their performance of the also sweetly melancholy “Ghost Under Rocks” on Conan early last month. Also, we learn two important things: Letterman audiences love Syracuse and Dave has never seen a cello before this performance.
The Rhumb Line is out via Barsuk. Ra Ra Riot is on the road:
10/14 – Brooklyn, NY @ Soundfix
10/15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s * %
10/16 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom % *
10/17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg *
10/18 – Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East Downstairs * %
10/25 – London @ Push – Astoria 2
10/26 – London @ London Forum $
10/28 – Newcastle @ Newcastle Academy $
10/29 – Glasgow @ Glasgow Barrowlands $
10/30 – Liverpool @ Liverpool Academy $
10/31 – Bristol @ Bristol Academy $
12/03 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground # !
12/04 – Albany, NY @ Valentines # !
12/05 – Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall !
12/09 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House # !
12/11 – Louisville, KY @ 930 Listening Room # !
12/12 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In # !
12/14 – Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle # !
12/16 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar # !
# with So Many Dynamos
* with Walter Meego
% with the morning benders
$ with Vampire Weekend
! with Princeton
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ha, you love HRO way too much
That might be true.
i don’t understand why they didn’t play ‘dying is fine.’ that would have been sick.
i’m not even gonna lie, alexandra lawn is the cutest cello player i’ve ever seen.
I think Alexandra would totally be into me. I think Dave was into her too. I’m kinda on the fence about this band but I liked the performance.
In Dave’s defense, the cello that Lawn is playing isn’t exactly your typical, everyday cello. I think he had grounds to ask wtf it was. “The kids” are playing all types of weird “instruments” these days, he doesn’t know.
agreed. i call her instrument “the invisible cello.”
What the hell is “meaningful-core” and why hasn’t the person who coined the term been shot?
it’s from Hipster Run Off. Which is a blog that would be funny if the people he were making fun of weren’t the people reading it.
Brandon, I bet you’re Charles in disguise.
CARLES!
I drove up for the Orlando show last week. Ra Ra Riot was excellent!! Their was about a 100 people there at the venue…not many people but it was intimate show for sure.
Love this band, don’t say that too often. They played a great show at The Casbah in San Diego. He’s a crooner.
wow, i had no idea these guys are from ‘cuse.
are we talking..natives, or college kids? im originally from binghamton myself….just think its interesting (and amazing!) to see someone from well, close to my home town…. on letterman!
none of them are actually from syracuse. they all met while attending SU. (with the exception of their new drummer)
oh. hey. first support band for MHoW show on 10/17 isn’t listed but worth checking out….. AND THE MONEYNOTES on at 9pm. grab a drink at happy hour then go on in. fun. also, we too love this band.
oh. hey. first support band for MHoW show on 10/17 isn’t listed but worth checking out….. AND THE MONEYNOTES on at 9pm. grab a drink at happy hour then go on in. fun. also, we too love this band.
so important to us i thought i’d repeat it!
This was great!
man, these guys used to be a lot better. this song in particular was wayyy more intense and just generally awesome with their former drummer, RIP
i agee with kevin.. the demo version of this song is beautiful.. i don’t know why they had to go and change the arrangement and the lyrics. although this version kills the reggae-ish one on their self titled ep that vampire weekends keyboardist arranged. man, that was wretched.
just saw them in DC, they were pretty tight live, both in the vernacular and instrumentally
i’ve always hated when ra ra riot pulls out the reggae! i feel like reggae is the brooklyn anti scene, lets keep it that way!!!!!
reggae!?!? did you see the show tonight?!?
i do have to say its kinda funny how their names don’t quite synch up with the instruments they’re playing
vernacular? a shout out to their old drummer, rip? a stated preference for a former arrangement? who gives a fuck? stereogum commenters depress me.
“giving a fuck” about a former arrangement, etc is what following/loving music is all about, which is also the reason you’d come to a place like stereogum in the first place. so why are you here if you don’t care?
oh I care kevin. but i care about the band and THEIR music, not about you trying to have a solo jerk off session about the good old days when ra ra riot was better because of this or that reason. i do not care about that. it adds nothing to the discussion or my appreciation for their music. the drummer is not coming back and the album’s already out. write your senator a letter if you want change, otherwise write in your diary and learn how to use quotation marks.
saw them at bowery a couple of nights ago, good show, but the opening band, the morning benders really took the cake (the bacon)
haha – why so angry? so someone else doesn’t like a version of a song you like – put your big boy pants on and just respecfully disagree.
also, the drum beat is pretty boring in this video, so kevin kind of has a point.