Ra Ra Riot 
Rises Up Onstage

Chatting with Ra Ra Riot's cellist, Alexandra Lawn, about the band's latest album, touring and being a girl in the music biz.

Formed in 2006 at Syracuse University in New York, Ra Ra Riot is an indie-rock band known for its dynamic live performances. The five-member coed outfit has toured the UK and North America extensively, opening for bands like Editors and Tokyo Police Club. I recently caught up with the band’s cellist, Alexandra “Allie” Lawn (pictured far left), to talk about Ra Ra Riot’s latest album, touring and being a girl in the music biz.

YT: For those who have never seen you live, what can audiences expect from a Ra Ra Riot show?

AL: We try to put on a show that you feel energized by. It makes you want to move and feel things, and hopefully it’s a positive experience.


YT: How did forming as a band in New York influence you musically?

AL: We all went to school at Syracuse University, and I guess that led to the development of the band. We were playing a lot of college parties... all that had a dance angle to it and you want to pump people up. You’re a college band and no one really gives a s*** about you unless you wow them. So I think in a lot of ways it taught us how to put on a good live performance and really push it to the next level as much as we could live.


YT: You released your most recent record, The Orchard, in 2010. How have live audiences been responding to the songs from that album? 

AL: They’ve been responding well! It’s very different from the The Rhumb Line [the band’s 2008 release]. I think it’s a bit more to digest and take in, but I think [the songs] do translate live very well; they’re very powerful, kind of enveloping songs.


YT: You produced The Orchard yourselves along with Andrew Maury. Do you plan on self-producing your next record?

AL: No, we’re going to dabble with producers and see what happens with that. We like to try a lot of things and experiment. It’s always really cool to bring in other musically creative ideas and people so it can go to other levels.


YT: What’s the general songwriting process for a Ra Ra Riot song?

AL: Usually the song can develop from really underdeveloped ideas from one person, or a jam session thing turning into a complete song. Others are a complete song idea, but it’s all really collaborative so I guess it really depends on the song.


YT: If you could turn back time and do something in your music career differently, what would it be and why?

AL: Maybe started dressing better and cleaning my hair earlier, because when I look back on old pictures of me I’m such a slump (laughs). But career-wise, we’ve already done everything that I thought I’d be doing in a career, so I can’t really say that there was anything.


YT: I think people see touring as just heading out on the road and having fun with friends, but what’s it really like? 

AL: The great things are obvious because you’re playing shows and travelling, but the crappy thing is living out of a suitcase is really depressing. You can’t carry around all your comforts; you can’t carry around your entire bathroom. You don’t have a pharmacy so whenever you get sick you have to buy whatever you need to get better. Another thing is when you’re on tour you’re always working in a time frame and everything is scheduled so there’s not a lot of me time necessarily. That can wear on people too… but on the other end it’s very fulfilling and exciting.


YT: What advice would you give to teenage girls in bands who want to have a career in the music industry?

AL: Be strong and really don’t be afraid to be confident in yourself. That’s one thing that I’m still learning is that you need to carry yourself with confidence and really believe in yourself because that’ll fuel you creatively and that will make you perform the way you want to. As soon as you let things get to you, that’s when it’s not fun anymore. I think confidence in yourself really plays a big role in that.