Ra Ra Rasputin

WASHINGTON -- With the holiday season approaching, local band Ra Ra Rasputin seems to be in the giving spirit. To celebrate the release of its latest two singles, the indie-electronica-rock outfit is making the tracks available for free on its website through Dec. 6.

The songs, "Forward" and "Owl in Daylight," were recorded in what's become known as Gold Leaf Studios, a warehouse of artist studios near Mount Vernon Square that has served as a musicians' collective for emerging D.C. talent since 1998. It'll be shuttered in 2012, however, when the Gold Leaf building undergoes a residential conversion.

Ra Ra Rasputin was formed in 2007, the result of a series of chance meetings at venerated D.C. establishments ranging from Velvet Lounge to Wonderland Ballroom -- and Craigslist. Members Brock Boss, Anna Rozzi, Ken Quam and Patrick Kigongo have since the beginning managed to hold down full-time jobs, all the while playing gigs up and down the East Coast and releasing the band's eponymous 2010 album.

Kigongo believes that the new singles are part of a natural evolution of the band's sound; there's been a change, but he's not rushing to put a label on it.

"A shift? Yes. In what direction, I have no idea," he wrote in an e-mail. "You can't always predict or put a name on what you're doing."

Ra Ra Rasputin will be at Velvet Lounge on Dec. 10 to celebrate the release. Tickets are $8 at the door. Doors open 9 p.m., the show starts at 10 p.m. - The Huffington Post / AOL Music

Los Amigos Invisibles play dance music, for sure — a Latin-infused rock with a soupcon of funk thrown in — but it's mellow dance music, dance music for tired people. Fortunately, their opening act is dance-punk band Ra Ra Rasputin, so you can get all that wild dancing out of your system and calm down for the Amigos' show.

- Chris Chester - Washington Post Express

Two years ago, dance-rockers Ra Ra Rasputin played their first show in D.C. at Wonderland Ballroom. Since that time, they've developed a steady following. They've also played at most of the live music venues in the District, and up and down the East Coast. In a few weeks, however, the group will be performing, for the first time, at 9:30 Club. Mark your calendars, the show is Friday, July 10th. The line-up also features fun, radio-friendly locals The Dance Party and Casper Bangs, as well as Brooklyn's awesome Tigercity. If you haven't heard them before, Ra Ra Rasputin's stuff is synth-heavy, dance-friendly, and a little dark. Sometimes sounding like The Knife (as on their track "Elif") and at others, like the layered, energetic !!! (Chk Chk Chk) with some Trans Am thrown in. Recently, we sat down with Brock, Ken, Anna and Patrick to discuss the upcoming show, the proliferation of Ra Ra-prefaced band names, the D.C. music scene, day jobs, and the perils of rehearsing in a capoeira studio.

Where to visit them: http://www.myspace.com/rararawks

Where to see them next: Friday, July 10th @ 9:30 Club.

What are some of your favorite local acts?

Ken: I like True Womanhood a lot. Our friends fffever (***), who are playing Fort Reno with Imperial China (***), another cool band, the night before we're playing at 9:30. Laughing Man, don't forget Laughing Man. Patrick did a show for them, played bass for their last song. Nouveau Riche. Actually, Brock and I met at a Nouveau Riche show back when they were at Wonderland. I went to high school with Gavin (Holland).

Patrick: Lode Runner (a band that features both Brock and Ken). US Royalty (***) are really good. I was skeptical at first because they're so well-dressed, but they're a great live band. Spiritual Machine is good. Mittenfields are quite good, too.

Brock: Wild Fictions

Anna: Dance Party, definitely. There are a lot of new bands too...Solar Powered Sun Destroyer (***). I like Greenland (***)

Ken: D.C.'s pretty friendly. Every band we play with, we become friends with.

What are your day jobs?

Patrick: Ok, full time job is I work for an anti-sweatshop non-profit called the Fair Labor Association. I'm a monitoring program assistant. That's my 9 to 5. I do a little bit of blogging. Music, mostly obscure stuff from the 80's and 90's. And I occasionally contribute to Brightest Young Things and a couple political blogs.

Ken: I work for a technology company called buySAFE. We certify online stores.

Anna: I'm a middle school science teacher at Sidwell. It's awesome. I just finished my first year.

Brock: I'm unemployed. It sucks. I had some money saved up but that's basically gone now. Hopefully I'll get a job soon.

What are your favorite D.C. venues?

Ken: D.C. is totally blessed with some great venues.

Brock: People here are really willing to get into shows, too. Especially on the weekends.

Patrick: I think we've played almost every venue of note, except 9:30.

So are you guys a little nervous about that?

Patrick: Of course.

Ken: Totally excited.

Anna: Super excited. Sure it can be a little nerve-wracking but not nervous, more like anxious and ready to play.

Ken: I've been going to 9:30 Club since I was 12 years old. I saw Silverchair in 1995 with a band called Handsome...not Hanson. I've probably been to 50 or 60 shows at the 9:30 Club so it's really exciting.

Patrick: I got to see Fugazi there in 2001. They did two shows that week and it was absolutely phenomenal. Probably the cheapest 9:30 show I went to because they insisted tickets were only $6 or something. We all went to see LCD Soundsystem there, too.

Anna: I got whiplash at that show.

Patrick: It's nice too, because the bill for July 10th is three-quarters local bands. And Tigercity is coming in from New York.

Ken: Yeah, Tigercity is one of my favorite bands.

And The Dance Party is sort of blowing up right now...

Patrick: Yeah, they're what they call "all-in." Really putting a lot of time and a lot of effort into recording, writing, and playing as much as possible. They played a Club NME show on Thrusday night up in New York. Apparently, it was a huge success.

Are you guys trying to record right now?

Ken: We're working on some recording of our own. We have limited equipment. But we're starting to figure out how to do things ourselves. We've always focuses on playing live and writing new songs and better songs, and I think we've waited to have something we feel is worth recording. I think we're finally at that point.

Anna: And often what happens is we will record, and because we're so meticulous about it, that by the time we've finished we've changed our sound so much that the song doesn't work for us anymore. So we have to go back and kind of start over. And I feel like since February, we've made some big changes so people who haven't seen us play for a while might be surprised.

Ken: Well, I wouldn't say big changes...

- DCist.com

Two years ago, dance-rockers Ra Ra Rasputin played their first show in D.C. at Wonderland Ballroom. Since that time, they've developed a steady following. They've also played at most of the live music venues in the District, and up and down the East Coast. In a few weeks, however, the group will be performing, for the first time, at 9:30 Club. Mark your calendars, the show is Friday, July 10th. The line-up also features fun, radio-friendly locals The Dance Party and Casper Bangs, as well as Brooklyn's awesome Tigercity. If you haven't heard them before, Ra Ra Rasputin's stuff is synth-heavy, dance-friendly, and a little dark. Sometimes sounding like The Knife (as on their track "Elif") and at others, like the layered, energetic !!! (Chk Chk Chk) with some Trans Am thrown in. Recently, we sat down with Brock, Ken, Anna and Patrick to discuss the upcoming show, the proliferation of Ra Ra-prefaced band names, the D.C. music scene, day jobs, and the perils of rehearsing in a capoeira studio.

Where to visit them: http://www.myspace.com/rararawks

Where to see them next: Friday, July 10th @ 9:30 Club.

What are some of your favorite local acts?

Ken: I like True Womanhood a lot. Our friends fffever (***), who are playing Fort Reno with Imperial China (***), another cool band, the night before we're playing at 9:30. Laughing Man, don't forget Laughing Man. Patrick did a show for them, played bass for their last song. Nouveau Riche. Actually, Brock and I met at a Nouveau Riche show back when they were at Wonderland. I went to high school with Gavin (Holland).

Patrick: Lode Runner (a band that features both Brock and Ken). US Royalty (***) are really good. I was skeptical at first because they're so well-dressed, but they're a great live band. Spiritual Machine is good. Mittenfields are quite good, too.

Brock: Wild Fictions

Anna: Dance Party, definitely. There are a lot of new bands too...Solar Powered Sun Destroyer (***). I like Greenland (***)

Ken: D.C.'s pretty friendly. Every band we play with, we become friends with.

What are your day jobs?

Patrick: Ok, full time job is I work for an anti-sweatshop non-profit called the Fair Labor Association. I'm a monitoring program assistant. That's my 9 to 5. I do a little bit of blogging. Music, mostly obscure stuff from the 80's and 90's. And I occasionally contribute to Brightest Young Things and a couple political blogs.

Ken: I work for a technology company called buySAFE. We certify online stores.

Anna: I'm a middle school science teacher at Sidwell. It's awesome. I just finished my first year.

Brock: I'm unemployed. It sucks. I had some money saved up but that's basically gone now. Hopefully I'll get a job soon.

What are your favorite D.C. venues?

Ken: D.C. is totally blessed with some great venues.

Brock: People here are really willing to get into shows, too. Especially on the weekends.

Patrick: I think we've played almost every venue of note, except 9:30.

So are you guys a little nervous about that?

Patrick: Of course.

Ken: Totally excited.

Anna: Super excited. Sure it can be a little nerve-wracking but not nervous, more like anxious and ready to play.

Ken: I've been going to 9:30 Club since I was 12 years old. I saw Silverchair in 1995 with a band called Handsome...not Hanson. I've probably been to 50 or 60 shows at the 9:30 Club so it's really exciting.

Patrick: I got to see Fugazi there in 2001. They did two shows that week and it was absolutely phenomenal. Probably the cheapest 9:30 show I went to because they insisted tickets were only $6 or something. We all went to see LCD Soundsystem there, too.

Anna: I got whiplash at that show.

Patrick: It's nice too, because the bill for July 10th is three-quarters local bands. And Tigercity is coming in from New York.

Ken: Yeah, Tigercity is one of my favorite bands.

And The Dance Party is sort of blowing up right now...

Patrick: Yeah, they're what they call "all-in." Really putting a lot of time and a lot of effort into recording, writing, and playing as much as possible. They played a Club NME show on Thrusday night up in New York. Apparently, it was a huge success.

Are you guys trying to record right now?

Ken: We're working on some recording of our own. We have limited equipment. But we're starting to figure out how to do things ourselves. We've always focuses on playing live and writing new songs and better songs, and I think we've waited to have something we feel is worth recording. I think we're finally at that point.

Anna: And often what happens is we will record, and because we're so meticulous about it, that by the time we've finished we've changed our sound so much that the song doesn't work for us anymore. So we have to go back and kind of start over. And I feel like since February, we've made some big changes so people who haven't seen us play for a while might be surprised.

Ken: Well, I wouldn't say big changes...

- DCist.com

Oh, what a long strange trip it’s been. I must apologize for the glaring cliché but, after seeing Ra Ra Rasputin and the Dance Party play at the 9:30 Club on Friday night, I’m feeling just a little bit sentimental. These two bands have journeyed throughout the dark and cold underbelly of DC concert venues and have emerged, virtually unscathed, on the stage of one of the premier concert-spots in all of Washington, the 9:30 Club. On Friday night both Ra Ra Rasputin and the Dance Party demonstrated precisely how they had earned such a large, and well attended, performance.

Ra Ra Rasputin took the stage with customary aplomb, ambling up to their respective instruments wearing enormous grins on their faces. If the size of the crowd made an impact on them, it was almost impossible to tell. Ra Ra danced and smashed on their instruments as if they were in the most private of basements during a weekday rehearsal, and I mean that in a good way-a great way. The acoustics at 9:30 were beautiful, although by this point, as a dedicated Rasputnik I have virtually lost my ability to keep any sliver of composure at their concerts as I gyrate wildly, and poorly. I am still shocked that I managed to get any steady-handed pictures at all, but let it not indicate that the music was not dance-worthy, for it was.

- Sam Goldstein - brightestyoungthings.com

Ra Ra Rasputin is all about random connections. The up-and-coming indie-rock scenesters—Brock Boss, Anna Rozzi, Ken Quam, and Patrick Kigongo—have the chemistry of old friends, but they were strangers before 2007.

Boss met Rozzi as she doled out PBRs and shots of Jim Beam from behind the bar at Wonderland Ballroom. She and Quam found each other at a show at Velvet Lounge. And Kigongo responded to a musician-wanted ad on Craigslist that was intended to be a prank on a former bandmate. Although the band shares its name with an early-20th century Russian mystic, Ra Ra Rasputin isn’t buying any divine explanation.

Instead, hard work has won them a local following and a debut album scheduled to drop this summer. Ra Ra Rasputin may not be a full-time job for its members yet, but they’ll be playing on May 22 at Baysox Stadium in Bowie for Chipapalooza and plan to announce more dates in following months.

We spoke with Ra Ra Rasputin on May 13.

Names:

Brock Boss, 27 (vocals, guitar, keyboard, programming, percussion)
Anna Rozzi, 27 (vocals, keyboard, percussion, guitar)
Ken Quam, 27 (drums, percussion)
Patrick Kigongo, 28 (guitar, bass, percussion)

Hometowns:

Boss: Omaha, Nebraska
Rozzi: San Francisco
Quam: Herndon
Kigongo: New City, New York

Local spot to seek inspiration or write music?

Quam: “I come up with most of my musical ideas while I’m in transit—walking, taking Metro, driving in my van, or riding my bike. Those are some of the only times that I’m alone with my thoughts. I’ll often find myself singing a drum part or a bassline or a melody in my head. I record the ideas on my phone and transcribe them when I get home. Some of the recordings of me singing drum parts are pretty amusing.”

Kigongo: “My house! I still spend a lot of time playing along to other people’s music. I enjoy dissecting other people’s approach to arrangement and instrumentation because it deepens the pool from which I gather ideas for guitar parts or basslines.”

Best local venue?

Quam: “There are a lot of great venues in Washington, but I love the 9:30 Club. I was 12 went I saw my first show there, Silverchair. I’ve probably been there 100 times since. When we played there for the first time last summer, it was literally a dream come true.”

Kigongo: “Black Cat when you want to meet the band. 9:30 Club when you want to be entertained. Velvet Lounge or DC9 when you want to brag that you ‘saw them with 20 other people.’ ”

Rozzi: “I really like Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. It’s so intimate.”

Club show or festival?

Kigongo: “As one of the co-organizers of the Done&Done Festival, I’m going to have to go with festival! Done&Done was a festival that I helped organize with Matty Taylor and Erin McAuliff this past April. It featured 12 bands from Washington and New York and was held over successive weekends at All Souls Church in DC and the Beer Garden in Astoria, New York.”

Favorite local band other than your own?

Boss: “I liked all the bands at Done&Done, and I enjoyed seeing Prom Concussion lately.”

Quam: “After much deliberation, I’m going to say that See-I is my favorite Washington band. Their deep reggae grooves always get me dancing!”

Best thing about Washington’s music scene?

Boss: “I feel people are very supportive and really get into the experience of a show. We meet new people at nearly every show. Not only that, but you’ll run into a lot of people who’re very knowledgeable about music and more than happy to share, and you can learn a lot. And there are some truly exceptional music people out there.”

Quam: “I think the best thing is how supportive everyone is. There are lot of people in this city who like to go to shows, and there are lots of great places to play. Pretty much without exception, all of the bands we play with are friendly and cool. We’re always sharing gear, carpooling to shows, and going to each others’ shows. I think everyone benefits from being cooperative instead of competitive. We’re trying to make music that we enjoy and hoping that other people enjoy it, too.”

Worst thing about Washington’s music scene?

Boss: “I see Washington as a kind of diamond in the rough. Yet, you’ll have people observe only the superficial. I was reading an interview with a longtime artist who lived in a city without much of a scene, and the interviewer asked why he chose to live there when he could be in an area thriving with artists. He answered by saying that people who move specifically for an art scene and believe some true answer for their hopes is going to be found isn’t how it often works out.”

Quam: “A lot of us are busy with other things. I feel like most people are here for a specific reason, and that reason usually isn’t music. People are working full-time jobs and going to school, and it isn’t cheap to live here. So time is limited. And it takes time to make good music and be a good band. We used to practice from 10 PM to 2 AM twice a week and then - Washingtonian Magazine

Sometimes you just can't deny your artistic tendencies.

Ask Ken Quam, the drummer for D.C.-based Ra Ra Rasputin, and you'll hear the excitement even as he talks about the long days and nights he and his three band mates put in -- and why they wouldn't have it any other way.

"It is difficult to balance everything we are involved in, but we do it because we like playing music and we are all musicians [who] want to make music we play and enjoy and want other people to share that with us," he said, noting the band mates' day jobs. "It's great to get everyone together, friends and anyone else who's out there, and play a show and say hello," he said.

Though the band is known for its synth-heavy, dance-friendly gigs, they've also recently recorded a self-titled debut album and are ramping up the special effects in their lives shows. The goal is to ratchet up the buzz to perk up interest throughout the region.

"We just put this record out and we're really excited about it and happy and proud of it," he said. "We're booking and playing shows in D.C., Philly, Baltimore, New York, anywhere we can get to in a few hours. When we tour, we always go to the local record stores and make sure [college and other radio stations] have our album. We're working to build on the success we've had in D.C."

As part of that, the band is making concerted efforts to boost the appeal of its lives shows. The band's primary songwriter, Brock Boss, is an electrical engineer who devised automated lighting that adds to the band's entire performance.

The idea developed after the group played the 9:30 Club this past summer. For that gig, they hired a professional lighting crew and immediately saw the benefits in creating a more textured performance.

"We're an independent, self-sufficient band and we divide all the duties, and that's been really great," he said. "There are so many opportunities out there. Now that the album is out, we can be successful if we do this right."

- Nancy Dunham - The Washington Examiner

Back when making pop music with synthesizers was a new idea, one common gambit was to contrast shrill instrumentation with a deep-voiced singer. Ra Ra Rasputin emulates that approach, and Brock Boss's vocals couldn't be better suited. But on the local quartet's self-titled debut, the synth-pop moves can sound a little too familiar. Fortunately, the group varies the formula with guitars, bass and a female singer, Anna Rozzi.

Although Ra Ra Rasputin's members are too young to have experienced the early days of disco and electro-pop, they've clearly done research. The group is named for Boney M.'s "Rasputin," a 1978 hit that extols the mad monk as a great lover. Passion is also a major concern of this seven-song mini-album, despite such oblique song titles as "Accumulator" and "Stereo Cutter."

The latter extols love that "shines right on through," and a similar metaphor fuels "Electricity Through the Heart." But it's not the lyric that makes this the standout track. The song best illustrates the band's diverse timbres, blending synths with the other instruments and giving Rozzi her biggest vocal showcase. "Ra Ra Rasputin" is strongest when the quartet uses its '80s influences only as a foundation and then builds something fresh above it.

- Mark Jenkins - The Washington Post

Washington has a scorching new soundtrack courtesy of D.C.'s own Ra Ra Rasputin. The four-piece group takes Depeche Mode's slick synths, Duran Duran's catchy choruses and OMD's memorable melodies, and weds them to arena-sized dance beats and heart-on-sleeve lyrics.

Singer/guitarist/beat programmer Brock Boss, guitarist/bassist/percussionist Patrick Kigongo, multi-instrumentalist/singer Anna Rozzi and drummer Ken Quam formed the band three years ago, taking its name from Boney M's clap-happy disco hit "Rasputin." "Our early shows were really loud, raw and messy," Quam recalls. "'The louder you are, the better you sound' was our mentality," Boss adds.

From the beginning, the foursome were interested in incorporating layered beats, loops and sonic skullduggery into their live shows. "There's a bit of a stigma when it comes to using pre-programmed elements," Kigongo admits. "It makes some people think that you're not being genuine, but it actually frees you up to do so many more things live, so it makes it a richer experience."

This technical trickery is on display on their eponymous debut, released this past October. Several of the songs came together during last winter's Snowpocalypse, including the pulsing, New Order-inflected lead track, "Stereo Cutter." Boss says its inspiration was a simple one: "It's about sun shining through curtains, and how that's like how love keeps you warm through the winter."

Other tunes on the disc came from a more heady place, like the sparse, bouncing "Electricity Through the Heart," also born while the group was holed up snowbound. "There are the actual electrical pulses that power the heart, and then there are the feelings of excitement you get when you try something new," says Rozzi, who handles lead vocals. "We've lost friends in the grand, sad sense, so this song speaks to keeping a positive perspective, despite the potential of your heart stopping at any moment."

- Nevin Martell - Washington Post Express