A chat with Ra Ra Riot's bass guitarist before All Points West

Picture courtesy of the Ra Ra Riot's Myspace page

In between their nationwide tour with Death Cab for Cutie and their performance at this weekend’s All Points West Music & Art Festival, Ra Ra Riot’s bass guitarist, Mathieu Santos, took a moment to chat with yours truly about festivals, creating, music, and advice for musicians out there.

Indie Rock Examiner: How was the tour with Death Cab for Cutie?
Mathieu Santos: It was incredible - by far the best opening slot we've ever had, and one of the best groups of people we've been on the road with. We got to play in a lot of great venues, and Death Cab's fans were very gracious and supportive, getting to the shows early enough to catch our set night after night. And the band members themselves - just wonderful people. We can't thank them enough for bringing us along with them.

IRE: How does the experience of playing large festivals (such as All Points West or Lollapolooza) differ for you as a performer when compared to playing a show at a venue with just one or two other artists?
MS: Well, the festivals are of course a lot more about mass exposure, and so those performances usually lack the immediacy and intensity of a smaller, more intimate club show. Both experiences are so different. It's always a fun change of pace to play outdoors, in the sun, at these summertime festivals.

IRE: Are there any artists at All Points West that you plan on seeing or would like to see?
MS: Well, Jay-Z is headlining our night, so we're all pretty excited about that. We'll also check out Vampire Weekend for sure - it's been a while since we've been able to see them. I'm also really excited to see Fleet Foxes - I never got a hold of their album, and was only aware of the incredible amount of hype and acclaim surrounding it, so I naturally and stupidly sort of subconsciously dismissed it. Then Wes (our singer) and I caught their performance on SNL a few months ago and were totally floored - their performance was just incredible. So tight and very impassioned. The harmonies were perfect. So hopefully I'll be able to catch them as well. Unfortunately, we're going to miss Tim & Eric AGAIN.

IRE: What has been the hardest part of adjusting to life on the road? What has been the easiest?
MS: The best and worst part is the constant motion - it's great to be able to see so many different places, and I try to never take that for granted, but it's sometimes really difficult living without a home base for months at a time. It does get easier every time you go out, though - you know more and more people, you're more familiar with the cities you're traveling through and you just sort of get into the day-to-day rhythm of being on the road. You have to adapt to it quickly.

IRE: What is the creative process like when you are putting together an album?
MS: It's a very complex, dynamic, and fun process that differs from song to song. We all write on our own and then present our ideas to the band at varying levels of completion, and then we start fleshing them out - usually first as a band, then in smaller, more focused groups, and then as a band again. Everyone contributes to the arranging and development of each song, no matter the direction the particular song in moving in. It's sometimes a painfully democratic process, but, in being so, is always ultimately rewarding.

IRE: Did you try to make your first two albums revolve around a particular theme or message?
MS: Not particularly - The Rhumb Line was basically just a collection of all the songs we'd been playing during our first couple of years together. There was no conceptual theme behind it - I think we almost approached it as a documentation of the band's history up until that point. We're just about to start working on our second full-length album, which is really exciting because it'll be the first time we approach a writing and recording project essentially from scratch, and so it's more likely some kind of thematic thread will start to develop.

IRE: Is there a new album in the works?
MS: Yes - aside from a short tour in September and a few festivals in August, we'll be spending the rest of the year upstate writing and demoing songs for the next album. Hopefully we'll even start recording by the end of the year as well. Everyone's been writing on their own over the past year or so, so there are a ton of new ideas floating around that we're really excited to iron out.

IRE: Are there any words of advice that you would pass along to an up-and-coming band trying to make it in the music industry?
MS: Play as many shows as possible. Touring is still the most effective way to connect with your fans and build important relationships with them. And it's also a lot of fun.

Don’t miss Ra Ra Riot at All Points West this Friday at 4:25pm on the Bullet stage.

Check out additional coverage of All Points West from other Examiners: