Ra Ra Riot holds memorial for departed drummer :: Music News :: Articles

Earlier this year the band Ra Ra Riot was struck with a tragedy. After attending a friends party, drummer John Pike went missing, only to be found the next day, his body washed up on the coastline. Now, the band has taken those feelings of grief and are transposing them into something positive.

On Dec. 15, friends and family have organized a benefit concert called “Friends of John” in honor of the late Pike. The concert will be held at Middle East in Boston. Entrance to the event is $15 and all proceeds will go to the John Ryan Pike Memorial Foundation. Started by Pike’s parents, the organization hopes to raise funds to create a music library where people can check out instruments to play. They also hope to have a musical mentoring program where students from local high schools and colleges volunteer to give lessons to younger kids within the community. Interested parties looking for more information on how to contribute to the foundation can e-mail JohnRyanPikeMemorialFund@gmail.com.

In other news, Ra Ra Riot has been on tour with Editors and is currently working on its debut album, which is slated for completion in December.

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