SPOTLIGHT: RAH RAH – 'Breaking Hearts'

Imagine you’re in love with an octopus and you come to the realization that the boundaries between you and your special lady octopus friend are just too difficult to overcome, so you write a song about your troubled predicament. Not your typical love song, right? Westcoasters, Rah Rah, professed their octopus love in the song, ‘Tentacles’, off of their first album, Going Steady, released in 2008. The seven-piece group, hailing from Regina, make alternative indie rock music with a mixture of pop and sprinkled with a bit of folk for good measure.

Rah Rah have done quite well for themselves since forming in 2005; the band earned the title of ‘Best Alternative Artist’ and ‘Best New Canadian Artist’ on the iTunes Best of 2009 list and performed at the Paralympic games this year. The band has also been touring extensively across Canada for the last two years, performing with the likes of great Canadian bands such as Wintersleep, Malajube and Library Voices.

On June 1st (this upcoming Tuesday), the band will release their second effort, Breaking Hearts, via Young Soul Records. The album was mixed by Kees Dekker, who also mixes for Plants and Animals. Word on the street is that Breaking Hearts won’t actually break your heart; instead I hear it fills your heart with joy and really shows the band’s growth since their last record.

As a Rah Rah fan, I’m really looking forward to the new album. The first time I saw Rah Rah live was at the Boat in Kensington Market last year. They played a great intimate set and were really friendly and approachable people. The band also makes awesome homemade merch which you can purchase at their shows; I bought myself a cool bracelet with a mini frame charm with a photo of the band inside and a really great turquoise Rah Rah pin. Unfortunately, I lost the pin while traveling in Berlin last year. Funny part of the story is that while walking around Berlin, I saw a person wearing my Rah Rah pin. I wasn’t going to ask for my pin back, especially since I don’t speak German, so I hope that person googled ‘Rah Rah’ and figured out they are a great band from Canada. So, Rah Rah, if you make it big in Germany, I’m clearly the one to thank. You’re welcome.

For more info about the band: Facebook / Myspace / Twitter / Blog

Upcoming Tour Dates:
Date/Venue/City

June 2nd – Strut’s Gallery – Sackville, NB
June 3rd – The Bar Room – Corner Brook, NFL
June 4th & 5th – The Ship – St. John’s, NFL
June 9th – Divan Orange – Montreal, QC
June 10th – Cafe Dekcuf – Ottawa, ON
June 11th – Practice Room – London, ON
June 12th – Empty Spaces – Sarnia, ON
June 14th – The Casbah – Hamilton, ON
June 15th – The Phog Lounge – Windsor, ON
June 18th – NXNE at Bread and Circus – Toronto, ON
June 20th – El Mocambo – Toronto, ON
June 21st – Red Dog – Peterborough, ON
June 24th – Lo Pub – Winnipeg, MB
July 1st – Canada Day at Marquee Room – Calgary, AB
July 10th – Amigo’s – Saskatoon, SK



Photo Credit: Via Rah Rah MySpace

Rose Palmieri