At 9 pm on Sunday night, I found myself and my roommate Gabi running along 18th street in Southside toward East Carson. Literally running. The night wet and cold, we were afraid of missing any more of the show than we presumably already had, granted that the show was scheduled to have started at 7. Neither of us accomplished joggers, we arrived panting at Diesel. We stepped into the sexy venue, seeming a bit ill-matched to the music we came to hear, and breathed twin sighs of relief: the openers were still playing! We hadn’t missed the show we came to see -- Ra Ra Riot.
The room was full of non-hardcore hipsters - a lot of plaid, messenger caps here and there, an abundance of tight jeans. No one seemed on edge. A good vibe reigned in the room lit with color-changing glowing columns. We all watched the band set up - plugging in a violin, bringing out keyboards and drums. I had heard that the members of Ra Ra Riot were notably attractive, and I was anxious to make my own judgment.
Finally the lights went down, and all applauded in anticipation. The band came out - four men and two women. I must admit, the band members are indeed attractive, with the exception of the drummer. (Sorry, bro, you were in the back and all I could see was your creepy mustache.) The two ladies, dark Alexandra Lawn on a fantastic electric cello and blonde Rebecca Zeller on a more classic-looking violin (which was nonetheless plugged in to an amp), both looked fabulous.
RRR opened with Shadowcasting, one of the mid-level tracks off their latest album, The Orchard, which dropped in August of this year. On the album, the song isn’t one of the most memorable, but lead singer Wes Miles’ exuberance and airy vocals brought it to a new realm of appreciation for me. The same can be said for the rest of the songs which followed - the band played selections from both The Orchard and the Rhumb Line, their first album, which is commonly thought to be better than their latest release. Boy, the ever-catchy baroque-pop
track, was especially great to hear live. Each Year and Oh, La from The Rhumb Line instilled nostalgia and were truly terrific. Can You Tell was, as expected, heartfelt and wonderful to sing along to, if you’re a corny fan like me. Lawn’s performance on You and I Know was breathtaking and it showed - the audience and band seemed to swell as she hit the solemn notes of the bittersweet ballad.
track, was especially great to hear live. Each Year and Oh, La from The Rhumb Line instilled nostalgia and were truly terrific. Can You Tell was, as expected, heartfelt and wonderful to sing along to, if you’re a corny fan like me. Lawn’s performance on You and I Know was breathtaking and it showed - the audience and band seemed to swell as she hit the solemn notes of the bittersweet ballad.
The band overall was exciting and just plain fun to watch; the bassist Mathieu Santos provided backup vocals in addition to looking extremely cute in his glasses. I was impressed by guitarist Milo Bonacci’s skills (mostly because he looks about 17). Lawn especially was interesting to watch, as she would sing along even when not on a mic. Between songs, Miles noted the dichotomy between Diesel’s club-like appearance and his expectations, but still carried on with full energy as before. With Ghosts Under Rocks and Dying Is Fine as their encore, Ra Ra Riot did not fail to impress. This show definitely bumped RRR up in my queue of “favorite bands when asked by those who probably won’t even know who they are.” This is apparently RRR’s fourth show in Pittsburgh in three years... I’ll be thrilled if they decide to come back again soon!
- Cassia Priebe
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