Indie Rock Band Ra Ra Rasputin Celebrates New Songs By Giving Them Away

WASHINGTON -- With the holiday season approaching, local band Ra Ra Rasputin seems to be in the giving spirit. To celebrate the release of its latest two singles, the indie-electronica-rock outfit is making the tracks available for free on its website through Dec. 6.

The songs, "Forward" and "Owl in Daylight," were recorded in what's become known as Gold Leaf Studios, a warehouse of artist studios near Mount Vernon Square that has served as a musicians' collective for emerging D.C. talent since 1998. It'll be shuttered in 2012, however, when the Gold Leaf building undergoes a residential conversion.

Ra Ra Rasputin was formed in 2007, the result of a series of chance meetings at venerated D.C. establishments ranging from Velvet Lounge to Wonderland Ballroom -- and Craigslist. Members Brock Boss, Anna Rozzi, Ken Quam and Patrick Kigongo have since the beginning managed to hold down full-time jobs, all the while playing gigs up and down the East Coast and releasing the band's eponymous 2010 album.

Kigongo believes that the new singles are part of a natural evolution of the band's sound; there's been a change, but he's not rushing to put a label on it.

"A shift? Yes. In what direction, I have no idea," he wrote in an e-mail. "You can't always predict or put a name on what you're doing."

Ra Ra Rasputin will be at Velvet Lounge on Dec. 10 to celebrate the release. Tickets are $8 at the door. Doors open 9 p.m., the show starts at 10 p.m.