Just as the indie-rock band Ra Ra Riot was ready to record its first album last year, drummer John Pike, 23, died in an apparent drowning accident in Buzzards Bay near Fairhaven, Mass.
Devastating as the death still is to the six-member band, the resulting CD, “The Rhumb Line,” has kept Pike’s spirit alive through the work he did on the songs.
“It affected us in every way possible,” violinist Rebecca Zeller said of Pike’s death. “I just think fortunately we have been able to make the transition into going from really upset about his death — and we still all feel a great loss — to celebrating life more and the happy times [we had] with him.”
In fact, the album , which was released in August, was a springboard to a fair degree of success for a band that started among friends in Syracuse, N.Y., and went on to score critical acclaim after many performances — most notably after the one at last year’s giant SXSW conference.
In reporting on the band, Spin.com called it “One of the best young bands we’ve heard in a really long time.”
Zeller said that it’s “always surprising” to see the band’s audience grow as it tours, creating more buzz.
The downside for Zeller is that nonstop touring leaves little time or energy for writing.
“The crowd is always a variable, but it’s the crowd’s energy and focus that you feed off [when playing],” she said. “Instead of focusing on thoughts like ‘We’ve played this song a thousand times before,’ it’s important to feel the energy of the crowd. You can tell that people have been listening to the CD and are excited to hear it [live].”
Watch for the band’s popularity to spread as it adds appearances at festivals and in the spring opens for an as-yet-unannounced major band.
The band plans to take a short break soon to get back to writing and recording.
“Once you’re away from it for a while, the hunger for new music kicks in again,” Zeller said. “It’s really exciting.”
