9.03.09 – The Highline Ballroom was filled with a comfortable crowd of about 350; A wild mix of New York City’s young listeners and up-and-coming performers alike. Prophit and DJ Woof were killing it on stage with bass heavy instrumentals and well delivered lyrics. Well-known NYC artist Nyle came out to show his respect with an 8-bar freestyle acapella. At one point, the stage was filled with artists and listeners partying to the music and showing their support. In transition from Prophit to the main attraction, Bad Rabbits, the DJ kept the energy high with an amazing mix of tracks. Ranging from old school to new, the crowd never stopped moving.

Igniting with a passion for entertainment, Bad Rabbits exploded from the start and didn’t simmer till the last song was all but over. As the band began playing and the lights filled the stage, Dua popped out stage left and the crowd reacted. As lead singer, his stage presence and liveliness is contagious. The level of energy is something to be admired. The original songs they played, like The Bad and most notably Stick Up Kids, were as entertaining as any cover. Saluting the old legends with reflections of Morris Day and The Time and a standout Michael Jackson medley including Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, Rock With You, and Wanna Be Starting Somethin, the foundation that this band was built on became quite apparent. Instead of mimicking successful bands of today with similar setups, like The Roots, Bad Rabbits looked back down the line of musical history and decided to work on something that deserved to move forward to a contemporary style.

This Thursday night, the stage became a podium and we were all schooled on where popular music should be. While the industry is favoring cheap electronics, shameless auto tune, and thin lyrics, we were treated to the sound of a full band naturally creating music with high energy and skill. The type of effort unseen anymore, so take notes.

As a crowd we all came to the venue with anticipation, but left completely fulfilled.

Name
Bad Rabbits

Location
Boston, MA

Record Label
Unsigned

What are the individual names of your band members and their respective instrument?

Salim Akram – Guitar
Santi Araujo – Guitar
Graham Masser – Bass
Sheel Dave – Drums
Dua Boakye – Vocals

Word is you were the backing band for Slick Rick. What was that like?

Salim: We still are his backing for the East Coast. We actually have a few dates with him coming up, one at BB kings and another one at Harpers Ferry in Boston. The shows with Rick are a trip because he is a Hip Hop legend, so to even be associated with something like that is a humbling experience.

Sheel: It’s an honor and a challenge. It’s an honor because Slick Rick is a hip hop legend and we get to not only share the stage, but play his material with/alongside him. It is a challenge because every show is different. We never rehearse with Rick, so we get up on stage not knowing exactly what to expect.

What are the biggest changes from the former Eclectic Collective?

Salim: Aside from the roster changes, the style of music is more defined and focused. With EC we Od’ed on trying to mix too many different styles of music, whether it made sense or not. Which is what you would expect when you have such a big band, it ends up being a melting pot of everyones influences. These Bad Rabbits songs, we focused more on the pop element and tried to write songs that have basically catchy parts. Everything from the drum fills, to basslines to the guitars and hooks. Trying to bring back timeless hooks.

Sheel: I would say more focus and smarter songwriting would sum up the change. We learned a lot from being in the EC and one thing that has not changed is our live show mentality and swagger.

Where do you see the band 10 years from today?

Sheel: A band full of good stories to tell.

Are you currently working on an album?

Salim: Tomorrow (Friday) will be the final mixing day for our record. We recorded the record at Treehouse Studios in Jersey City with Jayson Michael (Damiera, Cobra Starship). We worked really hard on it, took us about a year to narrow down the songs we wanted. We went with 7 songs. We are stoked on how it came out and we are excited for people to hear it. The songs range from MJ, Prince, Pfunk to Bobby Brown. We even got Travis from Gym Class Heroes on the album too. Ya’ll niggas better like this shit!

What was the last great record you found?

Salim: The new As Tall As Lions is dumb good. But the last GREAT record I found was prolly either D’angelo’s Voodoo or Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun.

Sheel: Passion Pit’s Manners.

How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?

Salim: We are releasing the EP in Ocotober so as of right now there are no songs or singles out. But you can check our myspace at www.myspace.com/badrabbitsband to see whats good with live shows so you can get a preview of the new songs live. We have 3 demo songs up right now on our myspace. You can also check out our official website at www.badrabbits.com.

Any last words?

Salim: Suck My Butt.

Bad Rabbits are planning on releasing a single later this month or early October as well as a mixtape with Clinton Sparks, sponsored by www.Karmaloop.com. Artwork for STICK UP KIDS is being done by a collab between Vance Kelly (www.vancekelly.com) and Chuck Anderson (www.nopattern.com).