Gram Rabbit 'Cultivation' album

When Gram Rabbit boldly chose to title their debut album Music To Start A Cult To, one sensed they’d have to have a serious message, their own unique style and, perhaps, most importantly, a keen sense of irreverence in all that they do. Indeed, in the case of this Joshua Tree quartet, these qualities are in abundant supply. With Cultivation, Gram Rabbit’s follow-up album, set for release on New York-based Stinky Records on April 18, 2006, the band again uses the album title to set the agenda for this next phase of their creative evolution.

Cultivation was recorded in the Fall of 2005, with the band splitting recording sessions between their beloved Joshua Tree hi-desert headquarters -- AKA "The Rabbit Ranch" -- and the Silverlake, CA studio of producer Ethan Allen (Kristin Hersh, 50 Foot Wave, Luscious Jackson). Allen, who produced Music To Start a Cult To, reprised his producing role on Cultivation, this time in tandem with the band’s guitarist and co-songwriter, Todd Rutherford.

As was the case with the band’s debut album, the Joshua Tree hi-desert remains the single greatest influence on the new album. Frontwoman and co-songwriter Jesika von Rabbit explains: "Joshua Tree is not only our home, but our inspiration. The hi-desert has a powerful grip on anyone who visits it. Life in the desert is a struggle, whether you are a plant, a rabbit, or human. This struggle has become our muse."

Cultivation finds Gram Rabbit continuing to spread the gospel of their self-styled "happy cult" -- the Royal Order of Rabbits, but it also takes a decidedly more serious turn in its examination of the isolation individuals experience in American commercialist society. The album addresses such weighty subjects as the class system, the national media’s sleight of hand with the truth and its diverting of attention from important issues with celebrity trivia, governmental corruption and violence. More importantly, the album muses on people’s struggle to find spirituality and meaning amidst the harsh realities that comprise modern Western culture. Rutherford states, "Through this album, we hope to spread the energy of the desert which has been instrumental in showing us the light, as well as the darkness." Cultivation is aimed at a generation that is starved not so much for entertainment as it is for meaning. "With Cultivation," Todd continues, "we hope to plant the seeds of truth in the minds of listeners, and it is here where the ‘cultivation’ will take place, spreading desert energy everywhere."

It was back in 2003 that Rabbit and Rutherford first serendipitously met, quickly realizing that they shared a profound spiritual connection and unique musical sensibility. It is this spiritual connection that drives the singular songwriting and sound that define Gram Rabbit. Following the 2004 release of Music To Start A Cult To, Gram Rabbit garnered strong radio support from such tastemaker stations as KCRW and Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles, delivered an epic performance on the Main Stage of the Coachella Music Festival in May of 2005 and drew widespread critical praise. Richard Cromelin of the Los Angeles Times gushed: "[Gram Rabbit] appear ready to claim a place in the line of self-reliant, independent-minded artists who germinated in Southern California’s deserts, from Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart in the 1960’s to Queens of the Stone Age in the ‘90s." The Los Angeles Weekly enthused: "This trio have managed such a deft application of eccentricity that in less than two years they’ve bunny-hopped from shadowy obscurity to a comfortable seat atop a big sticky pile of rock & roll candy. Their Music To Start a Cult To debut caught the ear with its offbeat and persuasive stack of psych-disco twang, mixing deadpan smolder, warped theology and the earnest bite only genuine misfits can muster. The swift and pleasingly strange Rabbit ascension continues to defy any foreseeable limitations."

Gram Rabbit have gained strong notice, and built a passionate following, for their high-energy live performances -- as illustrated by the sea of bunny ears that fans can be seen sporting at the band’s live shows. In addition to their high profile performance at Coachella, Gram Rabbit have shared the stage with Le Tigre, The Raveonettes, Electrelane and Shiny Toy Guns. They also took their act overseas in Summer of 2005 with a prime spot on the UK’s Hyde Park Wireless Festival.

Jesika von Rabbit — Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards, and Bass
Todd Rutherford — Vocals, Guitars, and Bass
Travis Cline — Samples, Noises, Backing Vocals, and General Mayhem
Eric Jonasson— Guitars and Backing Vocals

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Gram Rabbit - Cultivation