Earlier today (January 18), peppy indie popsters Ra Ra Riot announced a shake-up in their roster. Following a two-year stint behind the drum kit, Gabriel Duquette is leaving the band. The musician performed on the New York group's latest record, 2010's chamber-pop-inflected The Orchard.
There doesn't appear to be too much drama involved in the split; Duquette just decided to move on with his life. A post on the group's website thanks the skinsman for his work with Ra Ra Riot and for "the bountiful hysterical memories" he gave the rest of his bandmates.
Duquette's last performance with Ra Ra Riot is bound to be a memorable one. He will last sit behind the kit with them this Thursday (January 20) when they play Jimmy Kimmel Live! Sounds like a pretty sweet last gig.
The drummer also posted a goodbye to his fans. It looks as if he's stepping out of the limelight to nobly pass on his skills to aspiring musicians. Here's what he had to say:
Goodbye, RRR fans! Thanks for helping me feel famous for a short while. If any of you live in the vicinity of West Hartford, CT, I'll be giving drum lessons there. Seek me out on my website-in-progress, gabrielduquette.com. Thanks, of course, to the rest of the band. They unwittingly helped me find my fashion sense. I will miss eating big meals together and saying weird things to make them laugh uncomfortably. My two favorite memories are Beyonce and Jay-Z in the audience at Coachella and dangling my feet in a stream at Yellowstone.
As for me, I'm off to prepare for the collapse of industrial civilization! I recommend you do the same.
Live long and prosper,
Gabriel
Fans shouldn't shed any tears for the band, though. It looks as if it will be business as usual for the troupe, who have already found Duquette's replacement in drummer Kenny Bernard. The new member is apparently primed to take over for the band's scheduled shows, including stops in Victoria (January 28) and Vancouver (January 29). Check out the dates below.
Tour dates:
1/19 Santa Barbara, CA Soho ^
1/20 Los Angeles, CA Jimmy Kimmel Live!
1/21 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall ^
1/22 Sacramento, CA Harlow's & ^
1/23 Sonoma, CA Gundlach Bundschu Winery & ^
1/25 Eugene, OR Wow Hall & ^
1/26 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre & ^
1/27 Seattle, WA Neumo's & ^
1/28 Victoria, BC Sugar ^
1/29 Vancouver, BC The Biltmore ^
3/3 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live
3/4 Charlottesville, VA Jefferson Theatre
3/6 Jacksonville, FL Jack Rabbits
3/7 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Culture Room
3/8 Orlando, FL The Social
3/9 Tampa, FL Crowbar
3/11 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jacks ^
3/12 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
3/14 Columbia, MO Mojo's
3/15 St. Louis, MO Firebird
3/18 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall
3/19 Newport, KY Mad Hatter Club 219
^ with Givers
& with Pepper Rabbit
There doesn't appear to be too much drama involved in the split; Duquette just decided to move on with his life. A post on the group's website thanks the skinsman for his work with Ra Ra Riot and for "the bountiful hysterical memories" he gave the rest of his bandmates.
Duquette's last performance with Ra Ra Riot is bound to be a memorable one. He will last sit behind the kit with them this Thursday (January 20) when they play Jimmy Kimmel Live! Sounds like a pretty sweet last gig.
The drummer also posted a goodbye to his fans. It looks as if he's stepping out of the limelight to nobly pass on his skills to aspiring musicians. Here's what he had to say:
Goodbye, RRR fans! Thanks for helping me feel famous for a short while. If any of you live in the vicinity of West Hartford, CT, I'll be giving drum lessons there. Seek me out on my website-in-progress, gabrielduquette.com. Thanks, of course, to the rest of the band. They unwittingly helped me find my fashion sense. I will miss eating big meals together and saying weird things to make them laugh uncomfortably. My two favorite memories are Beyonce and Jay-Z in the audience at Coachella and dangling my feet in a stream at Yellowstone.
As for me, I'm off to prepare for the collapse of industrial civilization! I recommend you do the same.
Live long and prosper,
Gabriel
Fans shouldn't shed any tears for the band, though. It looks as if it will be business as usual for the troupe, who have already found Duquette's replacement in drummer Kenny Bernard. The new member is apparently primed to take over for the band's scheduled shows, including stops in Victoria (January 28) and Vancouver (January 29). Check out the dates below.
Tour dates:
1/19 Santa Barbara, CA Soho ^
1/20 Los Angeles, CA Jimmy Kimmel Live!
1/21 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall ^
1/22 Sacramento, CA Harlow's & ^
1/23 Sonoma, CA Gundlach Bundschu Winery & ^
1/25 Eugene, OR Wow Hall & ^
1/26 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre & ^
1/27 Seattle, WA Neumo's & ^
1/28 Victoria, BC Sugar ^
1/29 Vancouver, BC The Biltmore ^
3/3 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live
3/4 Charlottesville, VA Jefferson Theatre
3/6 Jacksonville, FL Jack Rabbits
3/7 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Culture Room
3/8 Orlando, FL The Social
3/9 Tampa, FL Crowbar
3/11 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jacks ^
3/12 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
3/14 Columbia, MO Mojo's
3/15 St. Louis, MO Firebird
3/18 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall
3/19 Newport, KY Mad Hatter Club 219
^ with Givers
& with Pepper Rabbit