Vermont-based quartet RAQ describes the band's fusion of sound as high performance rock 'n' roll. But what exactly does that mean?

"Let's say Eddie Van Halen and Bruce Hornsby are in the same band, and it's being conducted by Frank Zappa,"said Chris Michetti, RAQ's guitarist. The analogy fits, considering it touches on the psychedelia, improvisation, straight rocking and all-around craziness of the band's sound. RAQ's music is bouncy, energetic-yet-laid-back and constantly danceable.

Relentless touring has earned RAQ a dedicated following of fans and regular appearances in the summer festival circuit. With six years and three studio albums under its belt, RAQ has created quite a buzz as an up-and-coming jam band. But as any fan of improvisational music knows, jam bands are best experienced live.

Michetti said the band is currently prepping for the digital release of their first live album, which was recorded in March at Mr. Smalls in Pittsburgh. Although hundreds of the band's live shows are available for free downloading, this is the first official live album.

"It's really kick ass," Michetti said. A friend of the band thought that performance was particularly exceptional, and upon listening to the show, the band sent their recording off to get mixed and mastered for release. Now RAQ fans and curious listeners will be able to get their hands on a high-quality recording that accurately represents the live RAQ experience.

RAQ uses improvisation as a vehicle to enhance well-written, structurally strong songs. Drummer Greg Stukey holds it down with uppity beats and loud crashes while bassist Jay Burwick keeps the low end bouncing. Keyboardist Todd Stoops, who Michetti described as a "f---ing maniac," musically speaking, adds a hyper-funky layer of texture to the music. Michetti - taking after heroes Angus Young of AC/DC and Van Halen - mixes rocking riffs with lightning-fast guitar solos.

"RAQ is into correctly jamming," Michetti said, "doing it in a way that goes somewhere and makes a little bit more sense." Although RAQ puts a great deal of thought into set lists to make shows flow well, Michetti thinks the greatest moments are unplanned.

"The best things happen when we're just feeling it and we all kind of stumble across a jam," he said.

RAQ has been an improvisational band since its earliest days, when the band was playing clubs in their hometown of Burlington, Vt. Coming together in 2001, RAQ got its start performing locally, playing highly improvised cover songs.

"We would go up there with like four songs and just jam," Michetti said. Because each member of RAQ had been in other bands, he said, they each had their own catalog of original songs, which made their way into RAQ's repertoire with originals the band had started writing together.

"It was cool because there was no real pressure," Michetti said. "We just kind of did it for fun." The band released their first album, Shed Tech, in March 2001, and was featured as a New Groove of the Month on jambands.com in May 2002, after which they spent their summer bringing their energetic live shows to numerous music festivals, including Bonnaroo, High Sierra, Langerado and moe.down. The band's second album, Carbohydrates, was released that Halloween.

Their 2006 release, Ton These, which was recorded at former Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio's studio, was met with much praise from fans and critics who were attracted to the album's focus on tightly crafted songs.

RAQ even have their own festival, the Lew Au, which has taken place in Newport, Vt., the past two summers.

"The hardcore of the hardcore RAQs come," Michetti said. "People come from everywhere. It turns into the ultimate psychedelic freak-out."

Marc Shapiro
11/20/07
DiamondBack OnLine

It isn't hard to have fun at a RAQ show. While they may not be breaking any new ground sonically, the Vermont quartet plays a mix of quirky originals and killer covers that keeps the crowd both entertained and dancing. The energy that the crowd gave the band and vice versa at Highline Ballroom a few weeks ago was pretty cool to watch. Everyone in the venue (besides me) seemed like longtime RAQ fans, and they consequently hung on every note the band played.

Keyboardist Todd Stoops is a guy most people either think is the best thing since sliced bread or the most annoying musician they've ever heard. Personally, I think Stoops' spastic style adds some originality to both the jams and songs themselves. Check out Shirley Be A Drooler for a taste of Stoops' hyper organ-playing or Clamslide for a sample of what he can do on the piano. Guitarist Chris Michetti shredded his way through the evening, starting with rapid-fire runs during the cover of AC/DC's It's A Long Way to The Top that opened the show before exhibiting a more melodic side of his fretwork on Carbohydrates Are The Enemy > Freya > Carbohydrates Are The Enemy.

My favorite part of the RAQ show came towards the end of the 90-minute-plus first set when they dropped Otis Spode. Otis Spode is one of RAQ's newest tunes, and it could be the best composition they've written in years. You gotta love a song that sounds like it was written by Nikki Sixx and Frank Zappa with a hint of Rush thrown in. Other highlights included a fun cover of Van Halen's Jump, the jam out of Helter Skelter and the Will Run closer that contained elements of the Dead's Scarlet > Fire transition.

It's been a few weeks since this gig, and some of the songs RAQ played are still stuck in my head. The choruses of Silhouette and Gabvonie continue to play on repeat in my mind. These guys sure to know how to write catchy tunes, even the instrumentals like Carbs stick with you after the show. RAQ brings the Donkey Show to Texas this weekend, where they will play two gigs at Austin's Club 115. (Scotty B)

Thanks to the folks at Hidden Track for their continued support!