Rah Rah was an indie rock musical group formed in 2006 in Regina,
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
, Canada. They toured extensively across North America and Europe. The band released four full-length albums, including 2015's ''Vessels''. After a three-year hiatus, the band played three final live shows in December of 2019 and disbanded.
History
The group formed as a three piece in 2006 made up of Erin Passmore (drums/vocals),
Kyrie Kristmanson
Kyrie Kristmanson (born 1989 or 1990) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist and trumpeter. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, she has lived in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and in France. Since appearing at the 2006 Winnipeg Folk Fest ...
(trumpet/guitar/vocals) and Marshall Burns (guitar/vocals). In 2006 they released the ''Songs for Pasquala EP'' independently. That same year the band performed at the Regina Folk Festival as well as
Pop Montreal
POP Montreal is an annual music festival occurring in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the early fall, usually at the end of September or the beginning of October. More than 400 bands are scheduled to play in more than 50 venues across the city, most ...
.
By 2007 Joel Passmore (formerly of
Despistado
Despistado is a Canadian indie rock band from Regina, Saskatchewan.
History
Despistado was active from 2001 to 2004, and 2013 - present.Sylvie) had joined the band on bass along with Samra Sahlu on keyboards and Kristina Hedlund on violin. The five-piece recorded their debut full length ''Going Steady'' which was released in November 2008 on Young Soul Records. Shortly thereafter Leif Thorseth, also formerly of
Despistado
Despistado is a Canadian indie rock band from Regina, Saskatchewan.
History
Despistado was active from 2001 to 2004, and 2013 - present.Plants and Animals
Plants and Animals are a Canadian indie-rock band from Montreal (featuring two members originally from Nova Scotia) which comprises guitarist-vocalists Warren Spicer and Nic Basque and drummer-vocalist Matthew Woody Woodley. The trio began playin ...
) in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
. This second full-length album, ''Breaking Hearts'', was eventually nominated for a
Western Canadian Music Award
The ''Western Canadian Music Awards'' (WCMAs) are an annual awards event for music in the western portion of Canada. The awards are provided by the Western Canada Music Alliance, which consists of six member music industry organizations from Br ...
, for Rock Recording of the Year.
In late May 2009 Rah Rah's song "Duet for Emmylou and the Grievous Angel" was available for free download on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
for a week. Also, the song "Tentacles" was available in
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain.
As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...
stores as the free download card of the week.
The band underwent another line-up change in the fall of 2009 when Vanessa Benson (keyboards/vocals/bass) joined the group. Rah Rah was named "Best Alternative New Artist" and "Best New Canadiana Artist" on iTunes Canada's Best of 2009 list. Rah Rah headlined the Whistler Live! stage during the
2010 Paralympic Games
)
, nations = 44
, athletes = 506
, events = 64 in 5 sports
, opening = 12 March
, closing = 21 March
, opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean
, cauldron = Zach Beaumont
, stadium = BC Place
, winter_pr ...
and also performed at the Saskatchewan Pavilion.
In 2012 the group signed with Montreal's Hidden Pony Records. That year the band released their third LP, ''The Poet's Dead'', which marked the debut of Jeffrey Romanyk on drums. The album was produced by
Gus Van Go
Gus van Go is a music producer, mixer, and musician. He is best known for his work with the Montreal band The Stills, with credits for production, mixing, writing and arranging three albums and one EP with the band. He has also produced and mixed ...
and Werner F. at the Boiler Room Studio. In 2013 the album was longlisted for the
2013 Polaris Music Prize The 2013 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 23, 2013
as well as nominated for a
Juno Award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
for Best Alternative Album. It also won the WCMA for Independent Album of the Year.
Also in 2013, the band, now a five piece, signed with German label Devil Duck Records and subsequently toured Europe.
In 2015 the band released their fourth LP, ''Vessels'', again produced by the production team of Gus Van Go and Werner F.
In 2019, after a three-year hiatus from recording and touring, the group announced they were disbanding and the members were all moving on to other projects. The band released one final song, "Art Holds No Truth" from the 2015 ''Vessels'' sessions, and played three final shows in their home province before the New Year, in
Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
and Regina.
The band had toured with such notable acts as
Wintersleep
Wintersleep is a Canadian indie rock band formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2001.Heidi Ulrichsen"Wintersleep offers 'sneak peeks' of new album at Boreal" ''Sudbury Star'', June 30, 2014. The band's original lineup consisted of vocalist and gui ...
,
The Besnard Lakes
The Besnard Lakes ( ) are a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Formed in 2003 by the husband and wife team of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas, the band also includes Kevin Laing (drums), Richard White (guitar), Sheenah Ko (keyboa ...
,
Land of Talk
Land of Talk is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2006 from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The band is led by singer and guitarist Elizabeth Powell.
History
Before becoming the front-person for Land of Talk, Elizabeth Powell began her career as a ...
,
Yukon Blonde
Yukon Blonde is a Canadian indie rock band originally from Kelowna, British Columbia.Derdeyn, Stuart (April 22, 2010).Yukon Blonde feels the love: Indie band adding plenty of fans on cross-country tour", ''Ottawa Citizen''. Retrieved May 5, 2010. ...
,
Dear Rouge
Dear Rouge are a Juno award-winning Vancouver-based alternative rock band formed in 2012 by Drew and Danielle McTaggart.
History Formation and early years
Drew and Danielle McTaggart were both touring musicians under separate projects. They met ...
,
Plants and Animals
Plants and Animals are a Canadian indie-rock band from Montreal (featuring two members originally from Nova Scotia) which comprises guitarist-vocalists Warren Spicer and Nic Basque and drummer-vocalist Matthew Woody Woodley. The trio began playin ...
Two Hours Traffic
Two Hours Traffic was a Canadian indie rock band, based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. They are named after a line in the prologue to Shakespeare’s ''Romeo and Juliet''. Critics have drawn comparisons to 1970s power pop band Big Star ( ...
,
Minus the Bear
Minus the Bear was an American indie rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2001, and comprising members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving. Their sound was described as " Pele-esque guitar-taps and electronics with sophisticated ...
and
The Elwins
The Elwins were a Canadian indie rock band from Keswick, Ontario, consisting of singer and guitarist Matthew Sweeney, drummer Travis Stokl, guitarist/keyboardist Feurd and bassist/singer Frankie Figliomeni.
Biography Early days
The Elwins starte ...
.
They had also performed at a number of festivals such as
CMJ
CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...
in New York City,
NXNE
North by Northeast (or NXNE) is an annual music and arts festival held each June in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The festival's main focus is live music, but it also includes an eSports gaming tournament, comedy, a conversations series, a flea marke ...
SXSW
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...
in Austin, Texas, Reperbahn Festival in Hamburg, Germany, Great Escape in Brighton, England,
Halifax Pop Explosion
The Halifax Pop Explosion was a music festival and conference that occurred every fall, typically two weeks after Thanksgiving, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The term "Halifax Pop Explosion" also came to be adopted in the 1990s as the name o ...
,
Pop Montreal
POP Montreal is an annual music festival occurring in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the early fall, usually at the end of September or the beginning of October. More than 400 bands are scheduled to play in more than 50 venues across the city, most ...
,
Supercrawl
Supercrawl is an annual art and indie music festival held each September in downtown Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which ...
in Hamilton, Ontario, BreakoutWest, JunoFest and
Sled Island
The Sled Island Music & Arts Festival is an annual independent music and arts festival formed in 2007 and held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Each June, the five-day festival showcases over 200 bands, visual artists, filmmakers and comedians as w ...
in Calgary, Alberta.
The group was noted for their energetic live shows which often featured some combination of giant balloons, piñatas, robot cats,
Pop Rocks
Pop Rocks, also called popping candy, is a candy, owned by Zeta Espacial S.A. Pop Rocks ingredients include sugar, lactose (milk sugar), and flavoring. It differs from typical hard candy in that pressurized carbon dioxide gas bubbles are emb ...
candy, and
confetti
Confetti are small pieces or streamers of paper, mylar, or metallic material which are usually thrown at celebrations, especially parades and weddings. The origins are from the Latin ''confectum'', with ''confetti'' the plural of Italian ''con ...
CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3 is a Canadian digital radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which plays a relatively freeform mix of indie rock, indie pop, alternative hip hop, folk, country and electronic music.
The service, which lanuc ...