The vocalists of Blue Rabbit.
Friday night, local indie sensation Blue Rabbit headlined the Delusions of Grand Tour at the Hotel Utah. The tour features three indie bands - The Hoof and the Heel, Gregg Tillery, and Marcus Very Ordinary. For each stop the tour makes, they invite one local band to headline.
The Delusions of Grand Tour's unique blend of musicians has led to ringing success - their first night, a Tuesday, they sold 150 tickets at the Viper Room in L.A. The show at Hotel Utah was no exception - it was packed all night long, and even more packed for Blue Rabbit.
Watching Blue Rabbit perform live, your first question is why aren't they already famous? They're unique, they're catchy, and above all, they're wonderfully personal and quirky.
When Blue Rabbit took the stage, the room was filled with chaotic chatter. To get everyone ready to pay attention, lead singer/song writer Heather Anderson and her harmonizing vocalists Arami Reyes and Sarah Rocklin sang an acapella riff from Blue Rabbit's award winning song "Sleep." The brief snatch of song instantly quieted the rowdy crowd, opening the door for Anderson to start the set with everyone's full attention.
The band quickly enthralled the audience with song and showmanship. While many bands don't bother to dress up for a performance, it's always nice when someone does. Blue Rabbit does not disappoint - the three female vocalists conjure up images of torch singers with sexy fitted dresses, and all the musicians dress up too - making for a nice change of pace.
Anderson had a great introduction for each song - for the first song she told a knock knock joke about an interrupting cow, garnering cheers from the audience. The second song she introduced as being her father's favorite (Yellowbird), and a set list selection for the evening because he was there for the evening. Hands down though, my favorite song introduction was for "No Batteries."
"No Batteries" is a song about why a vibrator wouldn't ever serve as a replacement for a boyfriend. Anderson introduced the number as being a Valentine's Day present for someone special. The patter drew the crowd into every song and formed a very strong audience connection. Combined with the emotional, powerful vocals of Anderson, Reyes, and Rocklin, it made for a very intense performance. One of the evening's highlights was when Reyes sang lead on "Like I'd Like You" - a song about an intensely passionate, dysfunctional relationship. Reyes poured emotion into every turn of phrase. "Like I'd Like You" stands apart from some of Blue Rabbit's other songs because it doesn't have as much of a pop feel to the lyrics, it's more a song you sit back, take in, and find yourself haunted by later.
During the show, Blue Rabbit brought up 3 additional vocalists - the ladies of Conspiracy of Venus - to accompany on some of the songs. The sound of six women singing the baroque, art rock songs of Blue Rabbit was nothing short of inspiring.
Rounding out the evening, the band unveiled a new song that's in the works - Drink. Drink is a dreamy, slow melody with soaring violin solos and powerful lyrics - "If only I could be your drink and blur the edges of your pain, wipe out the thoughts you don't want to think..." it's a sad, beautiful song.
As an encore, Blue Rabbit performed one of its most popular tunes - "Missing Piece." Again, it was accompanied by a great introduction. The band's violinist was injured right before the group was headed to Nashville, forcing them to find a last minute replacement. While they were away, they thought of their missing violinist as the "Missing Piece."
On the whole, Blue Rabbit is one of the best bands playing in the bay area right now in terms of ingenuity, heart, and sound. They're definitely one of those hidden gem bands - once you hear them you wonder how it is that you never heard of them before. You may have missed this show, but try not to miss the next one! Check them out on their myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/bluerabbitmusic
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