Gram Rabbit
Alternative / Rock
Gram Rabbit emerged from the hi-desert of Joshua Tree, California in early 2003 armed
with a repertoire partaking, in equal measure, of reverberant space rock, electro-pop glitz, shadowy spaghetti-Western twang, and the low-down sexiness of the seemlier Las Vegas lounge. This trio was born from the muso-spiritual melding of diverse, extraordinary souls: singer/keyboardist/guitarist Jesika von Rabbit; guitarist/singer Todd Rutherford; and Travis Cline, their sample-guru and bassist. Together they produce a phenomenon that is essentially inexplicable, but undeniably a gas.
Gram Rabbit’s debut album, “Music To Start a Cult To”, set for release on Stinky this August, was recorded over a three-week period in the spring of 2004, in Los Angeles, with Ethan Allen producing. Ethan’s past credits boast an eclectic range of artists like Tricky, Kristin Hersh and Luscious Jackson, among others. Echoing the musical and personal odysseys that led to the band members writing and recording this album, each track takes the listener on a unique journey shepherded by the stirring, soulful, and seductive vocal stylings of bewitching front woman, Jesika von Rabbit.
“Music To Start a Cult To” kicks off with the leather-chapped sing-a-long "Dirty Horse," a fanciful recounting of a rapprochement between Jesus and the Devil. "Witness" is an ode to self-actualization, set to a sinuous beat and Space Invaders synth stylings. "Kill A Man" sets a deceptively winsome commentary on the culture of gratuitous violence to gentle guitar strumming, interwoven with electronic cirrus clouds. "Devil's Playground" is somber tumbleweed-choked country-folk depicting the common struggle of everyday life – Willie Nelson would understand.
Growing up in a musical family in the chilly climes of Green Bay, Wisconsin, von Rabbit took to piano at the tender age of six. Mama von Rabbit was a singer in a hotel lounge band, whose repertoire consisted largely of '80s pop songs by Madonna and Pat Benatar. When she was old enough, she moved to Los Angeles, and began searching for musical collaborators. Meanwhile, Todd Rutherford had been honing his chops on piano and guitar in Porterville, California. In a town where farming and cattle ranching were the occupations of choice, Todd’s family was the exception; Pa Rutherford supported his family as a professional jazz pianist. Eventually, Todd relocated to San Francisco to chase his musical dreams.
Jesika and Todd met when a mutual pal invited them to Joshua Tree to start a band. Fed up with the L.A. music scene, Jesika was about to head back to the Midwest for good, but agreed to stop over in Joshua Tree. Rutherford accepted mainly as temporary respite from San Francisco. But the proceedings were far from satisfactory and at the end of each day's rehearsals, the pair would retreat to their respective room to work on material of their own. "I would go to my room and cry," admits von Rabbit.
While decamped at Room 8 of the Joshua Tree Inn, the site of legendary cosmic American musician Gram Parsons' untimely demise, Von Rabbit and Rutherford decided to join forces and perform at Gram Fest, an annual music festival held in Joshua Tree celebrating Parsons' musical legacy. The pair planned to play a set exclusively comprised of Parsons covers and, accordingly, christened this side project "Gram Rabbit" -- a reference to Jesika's nom de plume, as well as a nod to Parsons. Although they applied too late to qualify for that year's Gram Fest (they have played it every year since), the pair discovered how beautifully their vocalizing meshed. And, when Todd played Jesika a demo he'd worked up in Joshua Tree, (which ultimately evolved into "Cowboys & Aliens"), the musical pairing was cinched: it was everything that Von Rabbit had been looking for artistically and then some. For both Von Rabbit and Rutherford, it felt like a cosmic connection. Von Rabbit says that, from that point on: "Serendipity became a way of life for Gram Rabbit. At times, everything felt so powerful, I felt as though I was becoming a witch."
Von Rabbit and Rutherford promptly quit the band that had originally lured them to the high desert in order to pursue Gram Rabbit full time. Too broke to buy instruments, the duo repaired back to Rutherford's hometown and tended to Rutherford's elderly grandparents, penning new material after they'd tucked the oldsters in for the night. Two years later, the duo returned to Joshua Tree to stake their musical claim armed with a trove of incredible songs and a crystal-clear vision for the group's sound, philosophy and look.
Tapping fellow Tree dweller Travis Cline to round out the line-up, they started gigging, quickly developing a fanatical following, all drawn to the band's unique live presentation. After recording their debut album the group added guitarist Tracy Lyons-Tarr to their live line-up. Imagine walking into a honkytonk, deep in the heart of desert country. The clientele includes devil worshippers, witches, hippies, rock climbers, military men, and the random soul-searching tourist, all gathered to hear alien frequencies channeled by Morse code keyboards, slithering reverb-laden guitars, tick-tocking drum machines and samplers that yield a shocking surprise every 40 odd seconds. All eyes, however, are focused on the singer; she's wearing bunny ears. Oh-so-sexily, she deadpans, "Sometimes all it takes is a little smile or some chocolate cake; to put a spring in the step of the bi-polar fool.”
So is there really a cult? Von Rabbit answers: "We don't have paperwork on it, but yeah, it is real!"
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