Hott Tickets! with Mike Conklin
It was pretty heartbreaking today, when upon opening the mail, I came across a freshly delivered EP by the band Ra Ra Riot, a sticker in the upper right hand corner announcing “The debut EP by Ra Ra Riot,” with a quote from the NME saying, “Like Dexy’s Midnight Runners playing R.E.M… their live show was truly astonishing.” Peculiar, it struck me, that the writer used the past tense, since it was presumably written before news broke that the young band’s drummer had gone missing after a show in Rhode Island on Saturday, June 2, only to have his body discovered the following afternoon. The band has yet to make an announcement about how or if they’ll continue, but in the nicest possible gesture, the promoters of the June 29th South Street Seaport show they were scheduled to play have agreed to let them take over the night. The show is being billed as “Ra Ra Riot and Friends,” and will feature special guests, as well as a performance by some version of Ra Ra Riot themselves. It will be a tough night for everyone involved, but hell, if nothing else, it will serve as a fitting reminder that music is supposed to unite us and, more importantly, heal us when we’ve been hurt. Here’s hoping they figure out a way to keep going even after this show — as this EP will prove, they’re still one of the most exciting and promising young bands around.
