Ra Ra Riot On Mountain Stage

Ra Ra Riot returns to Mountain Stage, recorded live at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, W.Va. Led by guitarist Milo Bonacci, Ra Ra Riot formed while the band's six members were attending college in Syracuse, N.Y. Combining indie rock with chamber-pop flourishes (courtesy of a small string section), the band quickly picked up a local and regional following. After pulling up stakes and relocating to New York City, Ra Ra Riot recorded a self-titled EP and prepared to release it during the summer of 2007. However, that June, drummer John Pike died after disappearing from a party one night. The group persevered, toured with bands like Death Cab For Cutie and, in 2008, released The Rhumb Line.

In 2016, with a decade and three releases under its belt, the band followed 2013's Beta Love with the rocking Need Your Light. Wes Miles sings and plays keyboards, along with violinist Rebecca Zeller, Mathieu Santos on bass, drummer Kenny Bernard and cellist Adele Stein.

SET LIST

• "Every Time I'm Ready To Hug"
• "Foreign Lovers"
• "Absolutely"
• "Beta Love"
• "Suckers"
• "Water"
• "Boy"
• "I Need Your Light"

Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit NPR.