RA

RA is an American rock band from the United States, active since 1998. The group forms around singer and songwriter Daniel “Sahaj” Ticotin, with a line-up that includes Kirk Lyons, Ben Mauro, Skoota Warner, Ben Carroll, PJ Farley and Sean Corcoran. Its sound sits within alternative metal and alternative rock, and its history includes early changes in membership before settling into a more stable line-up.

Early formation and first releases

The band begins in 1996 under the name Cross Of Snow, developed by Sahaj Ticotin. In 1998 it issues its first commercially released track, “Crazy Little Voices”, which appears as the end title song for Carrie 2: The Rage. Later that year the group records a demo for “Do You Call My Name”, a song that becomes central to its early reputation.

By 1999, RA signs to Edel America and records material including “Do You Call My Name”, “Rectifier”, “Fallen Rock Zone”, “The Only One” and “Sky”. The release is later shelved when the American subsidiary closes.

Breakthrough with From One

After moving its focus to the New England rock scene, RA builds an audience in Boston and develops momentum through live work and radio support. Its EP One sells nearly 20,000 copies in two months. The band then signs a two-record deal with Universal/Republic Records and completes an album in a short recording window. That project is retitled From One and becomes its first full-length release, selling more than 200,000 copies. “Do You Call My Name” reaches number 10 on the active rock chart, while songs such as “Walking” and “Thinking” and “Fallen Rock Zone” help define the record’s range.

RA tours heavily behind the album, sharing stages with Disturbed, Seether, Stone Sour, Korn, Shinedown, Sevendust, Breaking Benjamin and Staind, and playing more than 200 shows in its first year of touring.

Duality and later label changes

Work on the second album begins in 2004. Although Sahaj Ticotin starts recording much of the material from home, the band continues developing the record, with “Tell Me” emerging from work with producer Bob Marlette. The album is eventually released in 2005 as Duality. It includes “Fallen Angels”, which peaks at number 21 on active rock, and songs such as “Undertaken”. Original drummer Skoota Warner leaves and is replaced by Andy Ryan.

After the album’s moderate success, the band and label part ways. RA then records the live album Raw independently before linking with Cement Shoe Records. The live release includes “Don’t Turn Away”, which reaches number 26 on active rock, but the band later leaves the label.

Independent releases and later work

Sahaj Ticotin launches Sahaja Music Records and secures a distribution arrangement with Universal for Black Sun. That album includes “Broken Hearted Soul”, which spends 18 weeks on the charts and reaches the top 20 at active rock, while the album sells 28,000 copies. RA also issues Black Sheep, a collection that draws on B-sides dating back to 1994 and adds one new song. “Supernova” receives repeated play on the Howard Stern Show on Sirius and generates significant downloads.

In 2013, following a successful Kickstarter campaign, RA releases Critical Mass, described in the material as a return to heavier roots and featuring the return of Skoota Warner on drums. “Supermegadubstep” appears on the album. In 2016, Sahaj writes and records “We Won’t Back Down” for the NHL’s Washington Capitals, and the song becomes one of the band’s most streamed tracks.

RA signs to Wake Up! Music Rocks in 2020 and releases Intercorrupted in 2021. The group also appears on 2020’s Shiprocked, where it reconnects with its audience after a period in which members pursue separate projects.

Style and context

RA’s catalogue is presented as balancing heaviness with melody, and the band’s recorded work moves between direct hard rock, more vulnerable songwriting and alternative metal textures. Sahaj Ticotin remains the central figure throughout the band’s history, while the line-up changes and label shifts form a major part of RA’s long-running story.