Ra Ra Riot is an American indie rock band from Syracuse, New York, consisting of vocalist Wes Miles, bassist Mathieu Santos, guitarist Milo Bonacci, cellist Alexandra Lawn, and violinist Rebecca Zeller.rnrnRa Ra Riot formed in 2006, playing at houses and venues around the Syracuse University campus. The band started to attract attention due to their energetic live shows, enough to gain an appearance at the CMJ Music Marathon, less than six months after their formation. Following this appearance, their live show received the first of several favorable reviews from SPIN.com, who called them "one of the best young bands we've heard in a really long time". They went on to open for Art Brut and Bow Wow Wow in New York City, toured the UK twice on their own, then returned, opening for Editors[3]; they also toured North America supporting Tokyo Police Club. Their first solo headlining tour of the U.S. was completed in 2007, and in early 2008 they embarked on a second. The band was also invited to play the Iceland Airwaves Festival, in Reykjavik, Iceland. They have recorded three sessions on the national online radio station WOXY and two for the acclaimed Daytrotter sessions at Futureappletree studio 1 in Rockland, IL.rnIn 2007, they made their first appearance at South by Southwest, and headlined a show at the South Street Music Festival in New York City. The band returned to appear again at the South by Southwest Music Conference in March of 2008.rnThe band's original drummer John Ryan Pike, of Hamilton, MA went missing after a show on June 1, 2007 near Buzzard's Bay, MA. His body was later recovered from the bay.. Bandmates, friends, and family laid him to rest on June 9, 2007, and Ra Ra Riot issued a statement a few weeks later that they would continue as a band.rnIn the winter of 2007, the band signed to major label V2 Records. To celebrate their new label deal, Ra Ra Riot released "Dying is Fine" and "Each Year (RAC Mix)" on 7" vinyl as an A/B single. In December 2007, the band announced that they had finished recording new songs for their debut LP. During their show in Cambridge, MA on April 25th, the band announced their new album "would be released in August. If not August then September" 2008.rnOn May 19, 2008 the band announced that they had signed to Barsuk Records, and that their debut album The Rhumb Line would be released on August 19, 2008 in the United States, with a release in Europe on V2 Records later that fall.rn