Ra Ra Riot appeared at the Apple Soho store early Thursday evening for their ‘Meet the Musicians’ series. The band spent the first part being interviewed by Sirius XM’s Jeff Regan, followed by an audience Q&A, and an 8 song set. Pretty cool, and it was all free.
I first saw Ra Ra Riot in June of 2007 at a Seaport Music Festival show, and I must admit, I didn’t remember them. I just felt like there were too many people on the stage, and I was there to shoot the show, and couldn’t concentrate, because there were too many damn people on the stage. There was just too much going on, on stage. Excuses, Excuses. Well, years later, I’ve learned to not worry about that and to just sit back, relax, and just enjoy the music.
I think I’ve truly learned to appreciate this band, after today’s event. Listening to their answers, the band is witty, clever, and genuine…no attitudes on stage going on here. The first part was an interview session with the band talking about how they got started, their influences, their process. When it was time for the audience Q&A, nobody raised their hand at first. Finally, a young man in the second row raised his hand and asked the band what their favorite Instagram filter was. Laugh. Out. Loud. Of all the things to ask a band, that was priceless.
The band also talked about their weirdest fan moments, including one in which two fans picked up a car and turned it around, as well as a mention of a Japanese fan who travels the world for them.
The performance featured a few of their new songs from their newest album Beta Love, including Binary Mind, When I Dream, Beta Love, and I Shut Off. Singer Wes Miles’s voice is so rich and smooth, and his falsetto is so pitch perfect, it almost doesn’t seem real. When I Dream is that moody, bluesy tune, with that R&B sound that makes you forget where you are. I heard them practice this during soundcheck and was absolutely blown away by this song.
It was a great night for conversation and music, and when it was over, the rain had stopped too. The whole event, including the interview and performance, can be found on the Apple site, though I don’t know where exactly.
Until then, here are images from the Thurday’s event. Oh yeah, and in case you were wondering…their favorite Instagram filter is Walden.
Photos: 2013 © Tear-n Tan. All Rights Reserved.
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