Last night, Gram Rabbit brought their brand of desert psychedelia to the Detroit Bar. (Read the review of the show by Nate Jackson here). After playing LA and OC, and doing the requisite KCRW rounds (watch it here), the duo is touring the Southwest to support their latest, Miracle & Metaphors. We caught Todd Rutherford right before their Detroit Bar show.
OC Weekly (Lilledeshan Bose): The first time I ever saw you guys, you gave away rabbit ears — which I still have, btw. Do people still dress up for your shows?
Todd Rutherford: We sell ears and usually toss some off the stage as well. There are a number of fans at our shows that wear them religiously. I've found that it really makes us feel at ease to see them. We have also seen fans in full bunny costumes and other strange get-ups.
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What can we expect from your forthcoming album? More partying in the desert?
We always set out to create something that someone can sit down and listen to from start to finish. It is an evolving journey of sound and ideas. I would still describe our sound as Desert Space-Rocktronica. But the album will take you to a number of different places.
It's cool that you guys stuck to your roots…were you ever tempted to move to LA or a big city?
We thought about moving to LA for a moment back in 2003 or so. It's just too painful to be away from the desert (They live in Joshua Tree–Ed.). It truly is home for us. With an amazing community of artist, musicians, and fellow seekers who have become family. And the desert provides us the opportunity to create our own reality. Which gives us a fresh perspective while writing about the mainstream.
What were your influences for Miracles & Metaphors? Why are you touring before its release?
Miracle & Metaphors is really about our lives in the desert over the past number of years. Though I feel like it's about your lives as well. There are many universal themes being approached and I think this makes it relevant because in the end we are all having slightly different versions of the same experience in life. As far as playing, we feel like we need to play as much as possible right now. Sitting around, baking in the desert waiting for the release date doesn't make sense to us.
We heard (iconic Pioneertown venue) Pappy and Harriets was for sale. Are you concerned by this?
Not too concerned. The current owners are close friends of ours so the idea of them moving away is the toughest thing to swallow. They've created an amazing scene at Pappy's and I have faith that if and when they sell it they will be sure it is to someone who will continue building on the foundation they will being leaving behind.
