Bad Rabbits Make a Joyful, Funk/Punk Noise

Bad Rabbits are a new band coming straight out of Boston with a very familiar sound. The group has been around for two years and if you miss (or remember) 80's era Prince and Morris Day then Bad Rabbits, is just what the doctor ordered. The band combines 80's funk/r&b with a rock attitude that can and will, literally jump out of your speakers. The group is currently on tour promoting their debut e.p. "Stick Up Kids" and they just got done playing six shows in four days, as part of the South by Southwest showcase. "South by Southwest was pretty cool" exclaims guitarist Salim Akram. "We really got a chance to play in front of a bunch of different types of crowds. The first night we had a Brooklyn hipster crowd. We had a Hollywood industry type audience the next night and then on the third night we played in front of a straight up hip-hop audience! We were in front of a metal crowd for the last night and they were moshing and going nuts to our stuff. It was great! We seem to be winning over every demographic we play in front of."

When asked to describe how the "Rabbits" got together, bassist Graham Masser chimes in and states, "We were already in another band called The Eclectic Collective with five other guys. Once that band ended, we just decided to do our own thing. We are also (rapper) Slick Rick's back up band. We just locked ourselves in a room and started writing a ton of our own songs. It worked out considering we have a lot of the same influences." When it comes to explaining the Bad Rabbits sound, vocalist Fredua ("Dua") Boakye takes over and articulates, "We are all fans of early Prince, Morris Day and New Jack Swing but we are also fans of The Deftones and At The Drive In. We are fans of both styles and it shows up in our music." Most musicians try and avoid the idea of being labeled or categorized but the group seems to be ok with being known as a funk/punk band. Dua exclaims, "I saw a critic describe us as funk/punk and it made sense to me. We do have a funk/r&b sound but we have a rock edge to what we do, especially when we play live."

Like most new bands on the scene, the idea of getting your music heard can be tricky, especially when both the record business and the radio industry seem to be in disarray. When asked how they are getting their eclectic sound out to the masses Graham states confidently, "We are putting out our music for free in the hopes of getting kids to come to the shows. You can download the songs off of "Stick Up Kids" for free. We also have a strong web presence. We are on facebook and twitter and we try to play as much as possible. We try to rely on a lot on word of mouth about our live shows...we also really try to make ourselves accessible to the people who come to see us. We don't take ourselves too seriously and we are always down to meet up with and hang out with the people who are coming to the shows." Another aspect of getting the word out about the band has to do with the heady world of fashion. Bad Rabbits currently have a clothing sponsorship with Karamaloop Clothing. Drummer Sheel Dave explains, "I have known/worked with Karmaloop for five years. The CEO wanted to get into the music industry and he heard our demos and he wanted to work with us on some level. The exposure with Karamaloop has been huge. They have put us on the front page of their website and that site gets four million visits a day! Anyone can download our e.p. directly from their website (http://www.karmaloop.com/badrabbits/). The kids who are into Karmaloop are like a new subculture. They like music; they like fashion and they want to be connected to something new and different. These are the kids you probably won't find in the mainstream. Bad Rabbits know all about being part of a subculture. The band is part of the Afro-Punk scene which is a mix of ethnically diverse bands and artists dealing in everything from indie rock, punk, metal, spoken word and all points in between. When asked how they feel about being part of such a new, vibrant scene, Dua replies, "It's an honor to be part of the Afro-Punk scene...It's very cool to be part of such a diverse community...the people in the scene are great and we tend to have a lot in common." When asked to explain what may be on the horizon for the band, Graham declares, "We are on the road for most of the spring. We will also hit the studio. We are gonna work on a mixtape and get some more music out there but for now we are gonna be playing a lot of shows!"

If you are on the look out for a new powerhouse band, make sure you check out Bad Rabbits this spring when they hit your town.

Bad Rabbits on tour with Foxy Shazam
Mar 12, 2010 8:00P at The Rock and Roll Hotel Washington DC
Mar 13, 2010 8:00P at Harrisonburg House Party Harrisonburg, VA
Mar 15, 2010 8:00P at The Exit/In Nashville, TN
Mar 17, 2010 2:45P Karmaloop / Bad Rabbits / Giant Steps at the Beauty Bar Austin, TX
Mar 17, 2010 9:50P LRG x Oakley Present at Aces Lounge Austin, TX
Mar 18, 2010 11:00P Purevolume House at Austin, TX
Mar 19, 2010 12:00P Blindiforthekids.com Showcase at Soho Lounge Austin, TX
Mar 20, 2010 2:55P Lawyer4Musicians.com x Karmaloop Present at Aces Lounge Austin, TX
Mar 21, 2010 7:00P at The White Rabbit San Antonio, TX
Mar 22, 2010 6:00P at The High Ground Metaire, LA
Mar 23, 2010 8:00P at Juanita's Cantina Ballroom Little Rock, AR
Mar 24, 2010 7:00P at The Masquerade (Hell) Atlanta, GA
Mar 26, 2010 7:00P at The Orpheum Tampa, FL
Mar 27, 2010 8:00P at Jack Rabbits Jacksonville, FL
Mar 28, 2010 6:30P at Canal Club (Down) Richmond, VA
Mar 29, 2010 7:00P at Webster Hall Studio New York, NY
Mar 30, 2010 8:00P at Great Scott (18+) Boston, MA
Mar 31, 2010 7:00P at The Knitting Factory New York, NY
Apr 1, 2010 6:30P at Webster Underground Hartford, CT
Apr 2, 2010 7:00P at The Loft (The Chance) Poughkeepsie, NY
Apr 3, 2010 7:00P at Petit Campus Montreal, QC
Apr 5, 2010 7:00P at Sneeky Dees Toronto, ON
Apr 6, 2010 6:00P at Mohawk Place Buffalo, NY
Apr 7, 2010 6:00P at The Basement Columbus, OH
Apr 8, 2010 6:30P at The Eagle Theater Pontiac, MI
Apr 9, 2010 7:00P at The Mad Hatter Covington, KY
Apr 10, 2010 7:00P at The Beat Kitchen Chicago, IL
Apr 11, 2010 5:00P at The Vault Buffalo, MN
Apr 13, 2010 7:30P at The Marquis Theater Denver, CO
Apr 15, 2010 7:00P at The El Corazon Lounge Seattle, WA
Apr 16, 2010 7:00P at The Venue Vancouver, BC
Apr 17, 2010 7:00P at The Satyricon Portland, OR
Apr 18, 2010 8:30P at The Bottom of the Hill San Francisco, CA
Apr 19, 2010 7:00P at The Boardwalk Orangevale, CA
Apr 21, 2010 7:30P at The Troubadour Los Angeles, CA
Apr 23, 2010 6:00P at The Martini Ranch Scottsdale, AZ
Apr 24, 2010 4:00P at The Launch Pad Albuquerque, NM
Apr 26, 2010 8:00P at The Jackpot Saloon Lawrence, KS
Apr 27, 2010 7:00P at Off Broadway St. Louis, MO