For real, I just discovered these Boston cats like two, three weeks ago (hey! I'm old... I don't get out to shows much these days!) and already, I think they are my favorite current band.

RIck James called his sound "punk funk," but I think these dudes really deliver on the promise of that label... I think OldPro would dig 'em because they're a bit like Chromeo, but funkier (and with stronger vocals).

(JG has bigged 'em up a few times around here... I don't think BigReg is gonna like them that much, though!)

Their cover of "Human Nature" is on the front page of this site right now, but I don't think that's even close to their best stuff.

Neverland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM3a4DrYWvY

Girl, I'm Like Damn! (feat. Travie McCoy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tHHwVD7txE

Stick Up Kids:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF72N2b5OxM

Advantage Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUjoshF0BZw

Download their music for free here: http://badrabbits.tumblr.com/

You're welcome.

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Well... I'm a groupie now, believe it.

I ride for these dudes like I did for Cody ChesnuTT and N*E*R*D (who BR sound kinda like a more confident and musically proficient version of, btw)

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...and RnB for some reason... but no punk.

.. that transcend mere attitude.

eg.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiHWOWBOBZ0

This is raw, unfiltered punk.

DOES punk true have a distinct sound? Sure, there is a certain sound that most people identify as "punk" but it could be argued that one of the failings of punk was the fact that too many bands just emulated the sound that Sex Pistols and other early bands had rather than applying the aesthetic to find their own shit.

and why it's also interesting to look at the evolution of punk through post-hardcore and emo ("emotional hardcore")

punk became about posing pretty quickly, but the original attitude and spirit lives on in various forms

>punk became about posing pretty quickly, but the original
>attitude and spirit lives on in various forms

Post-punkers just seemed more interested in music as opposed to fashion and broad poses.

but in fairness, i'm not immune to punk fashion, posing, and superficiality: have you seen derek jarman's jubilee? i saw it a few weeks ago and found it a lot of fun and an invaluable snapshot

I just recognize that it had very, very little to do with music, and was probably that way by design too...

It's weird how a lot of old-school punks are STILL mad at The Clash for trying to actually, y'know, *make music*

I haven't seen Jubilee, though... been meaning to for years...

I also recommend this (relatively) new book called Destroy Al Movies!!! The Complete Guide to Punks on Film

??

On one hand, I see how using "attitude" as the definition can apply, but at the same time... Punk musicians have a certain raw, unpolished approach to their instruments whom turn white noise into songs, ballads, etc... It's as if they take a broken radio and force it to work by banging on it..

What I'm hearing in the band you mentioned is a fusion between Rock n Roll and Funk.. and a very clean, refined sound as opposed to a dirty, in your face, choke slam....

But they're a lot dirtier than Cameo or Timex Social Club (who clearly number among their influences).

One thing you have to bear in mind is that I called them "punk funk"... Not "punk rock funk."

Punk rock (as much as hardcore punks may detest that term) was about breaking down and roughening the edges of ROCK music.

I see these cats doing the same thing with funk (or more specifically, to 80s boogie). They still need to maintain a certain degree of boogie's groove, danceability and yes, gloss, while analyzing its structure. So it's not gonna be as noisy as some punk stuff.

Besides, lots of proper punk stuff that's considered classic cornerstones of the genre don't fit the aesthetic litmus test you're imposing either.

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The raw, dirty attributes are there... the riff's, the bass and those hollowed out drums... plus the raspy quality of his voice... all you need to do is crank up the tempo of this tune and it's a great punk song.

I agree though that punk is more of an attitude, hence why bands like Television, Chrome, Minutemen and yes, Clash qualifies as punk even if I prsonally don't hear much punk in them from "London Calling" and onwards...

Bartek is speaking more about hardcore I think...

>I agree though that punk is more of an attitude, hence why
>bands like Television, Chrome, Minutemen and yes, Clash
>qualifies as punk even if I prsonally don't hear much punk in
>them from "London Calling" and onwards...

when I said to Tek that some bands that released seminal punk albums don't meet his qualifications for a punk sound.

I agree that he seems to be thinking more about hardcore.

I know a lot of punk-purists who shit on Television andcall them prog-rock because they had long well-played solos and a relatively mellow style but if you put it in the context of the 70's and how rock sounded then, it makes total sense to call it punk I think-same with Blondie, Devo and even B-52's. Patti Smith however doesn't work as punk to me at all, that will always be the mystery to me...

She always struck me as a hippie.

Might have to buy a hardcopy just so somebody does.

I don't understand this For Rainbows model that current bands have now, though: "Download free or Buy It or Donate"

99% of people gonna grab it for free, so what's the point of offering those options?

I decided against copping, as my CD shelves are overflowing as it is, but I did the download and donated a few bucks. The EP is quite good - definite pick-me-up for a boring afternoon at work, and I'm gonna be playing it the rest of the week at least. They have a very old school and professional tightness and songwriting chops. You can tell these guys have been around.

As it is, it's just hard for me to justifying purchasing CDs unless they've got really souped-up packaging or something.

I'll donate a few bucks later too.

I mean vinyl is clearly the superior package, but CDs are more portable, easier to use, and less prone to wear and tear (at least if you care for them properly). However, I have thousands of them, to the point that my entire back room and part of another has most of the available wall space covered with shelves full, and this is really impressing on me the need to go digital and be a little less old school. I still like buying physical products, but I'm just running out of room - and really dreading the next time I have to move. It's been a few years now and last time was bad enough.

but since I discovered mp3 and their accompanying players, it seems to me like the compact disc is just a big scam (well... we all know it is). You're paying for a plastic box that contains a plastic plate holding the digital files, which contain the actual music... which you can find for free without even trying.

Most times if I buy a CD, the first thing I do is rip the mp3s so it makes more sense to just skip the middleman altogether.

Contrary to popular belief, CDs are not more durable, by the way... I've lately been going through the collection to check out CDs I haven't listened to in like 10 years. Some of them are showing traces of decay on the edges.

(tapedeck would gladly tell you more about that, though...)

We should kill this before it devours the thread whole. But I just can't help myself...

>but since I discovered mp3 and their accompanying players, it
>seems to me like the compact disc is just a big scam (well...
>we all know it is). You're paying for a plastic box that
>contains a plastic plate holding the digital files, which
>contain the actual music... which you can find for free
>without even trying.

I definitely see your point here, but I do like packaging (especially a nice digipak or just a good, thick booklet with good liner notes; I'm also a big fan of the pricy, opulent box sets done for Miles, Trane, etc.). Also finding mp3s at any bit rate is one thing, but finding lossless rips is another. They still aren't that widely available. As for stuff being free, that doesn't come into it for me - when I download, I'm paying for it. So I figure if I'm going to pay anyway, I should see how pricy the physical artifact is and make a decision about if it's worth a little extra to have something I can hold and read. Also, since I listen to a lot of older music, many of the CDs I buy are older and on sale - so it's not like it would cost me much (or any) less at iTunes or wherever else.

>Most times if I buy a CD, the first thing I do is rip the mp3s
>so it makes more sense to just skip the middleman altogether.

I do feel you on this one. Even when I buy vinyl or tape I rip it straight away so I can listen on my PC. Which is kind of messed up but it saves me having to bust out the turntable too often.

>Contrary to popular belief, CDs are not more durable, by the
>way... I've lately been going through the collection to check
>out CDs I haven't listened to in like 10 years. Some of them
>are showing traces of decay on the edges.

Yeah, I'm familiar with CD decay. Though luckily not from personal experience. I've been going back through and re-ripping my entire collection lossless, and despite some of them being 20-25 years old, they're still looking and playing fine; I haven't found a bad one yet. But the whole point of the rip is for that inevitable day, whenever it might be coming, so obviously it makes me nervous! From my experience though this thing is still not that widespread. I've heard that it has to do with how the disc is manufactured - certain processes and plants might have done a worse job than others - and also with how you store it. Whatever the variables are, so far I've dodged that bullet.

My problem with vinyl is that if you play it whatsoever, it will start crackling and will even get skips and scratches in it for basically no reason. I've bought a small number of brand new records that had skips in them already. It's just not the most durable format from what I can tell, and I really take care of my stuff too. CDs will put up with more abuse without sounding any different, and if it does get scratched up I have a CD buffer/refinisher that I bought for $30 that will usually fix it right up. Generally I've been happier with the lifespan and performance of my CDs, which is why I have ended up owning a whole lot more of them... that and the fact that they play in my car..!

>You can tell these guys have been
>around.

Just to follow up on this, they used to be (for the most part) Eclectic Collective, who leaned more towards the alt-rock spectrum of things and were definitely respected for their live chops. I'd attribute some of the busyness of the Bad Rabbits sound to them still developing this more streamlined "new jack" sound from a denser band dynamic.

They started out as Dexy's Midnight Runners worshippers (yup!) but went in a more 80's R&Bish pop direction after that... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmtZNUSNlVA

Their last album "1987" was way to inspired by the worst part of the 80's for my taste though...

Not much punk in this band though even if they are big amongst swedish indie-fans...

GTFOHWTS

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmtZNUSNlVA

I dig this a lot... Yeah, I can see what you mean by "the worst part of the 80s"... they've got some Prefab Sprout DNA in there somewhere, but I actually liked that part of the 80s (while recognizing even then that it was corny) so I am not offended at all.

I'm gonna get up on these cats... Thanks for the recommendation!

i love discovering new music
well.. not so much in this case
but im very open minded to music
___________________
Nas >>> your favorite rapper's favorite rapper

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQR4ewtfZp4

They cool but I don't agree the vocals are better or music funkier than Chromeo... I mean maybe in a technical sense but I think Chromeo does a much better job at arranging and creating grooves and hooks. Bad Rabbit is a bit too noisy at times... it's like they trying to ram a groove down your throat rather than just let it flow. Their sound reminds me more of one of those early 90s groups like Joe Public... I think there is a lot more 90s in this than is the case with Chromeo's music. Again not saying they bad but they don't move me half way as much as Chromeo does (Going to see them boys Friday in Oakland by the way) I do love that BR cut "Can't Back Down" though

*edit*
I see BR is out this way in a few months... I might go check them out.
_________________________________
Reunion Radio Podcasts
Bringing Together Five Decades of R&B/Funk/Soul/Dance

http://reunionradio.blogspot.com/

Latest episode- "Hood Classics Vol 1"

Part of it, anyway...

Damn... You compared them to Joe Public, though. That's hard (and I actually liked JP and still find most of their album quite listenable... was even planning to make a post on them one of these days).

EDIT: "Can't Back Down" is one of my faves too... I meant to include that one in the samples but somehow it got lost.

And videos rarely keep my attention anymore.

Not really feeling the song with Travie (ugh) McCoy, but I think I'm on board for this.

but he managed not to ruin it

overall i'll give em a 6.

however the band they opened up for...foxy shazam...lil better


i will work harder


http://tinyurl.com/23yexkq

laters

comparison..

but they are a solid band

I said that they embody the name "punk funk" more than Rick did, as his music was more like... Arena Funk, if anything.

they is alright, nothing that really knocks me out, but if they were doing a Budweiser superfest and drinks were 75 cents a cup and they were selling some Kettle corn with some greens and I had 25-30 minutes to burn, I would check them out live, but they ain't gonna get my attention to listen to at home.

in truth though if John mayer got with a Band like that, it would add some snap to his thing.

if they had a cat who had a real lead role and not some broke knickle and dime jive hack turkey like travie Mccoy, then they might get up to being a legit 2nd tier act.

late or otherwise

us older folks need to keep each other informed :)

>(JG has bigged 'em up a few times around here... I don't think
>BigReg is gonna like them that much, though!)

I do love how seriously they are going with the vocals tho(he's not as strong as his heros but he's really going for the inflection no matter what and thats half the battle), that's my fav part.

avy: our new album. you may just like it. listen for free online @ http://theyesyesyalls.com

http://twitter.com/shamelessplug
http://theyesyesyalls.com

I was like "damn the Yes Yes Yalls and Bad Rabbits would be a great show"

been tryna hook up another.


avy: our new album. you may just like it. listen for free online @ http://theyesyesyalls.com

http://twitter.com/shamelessplug
http://theyesyesyalls.com

whats your fee?

bring back You Look Like Crap Today btw.

always negotiable and always reasonable.

and man i wish yllct was still going...unfortunately it's retired. twoname pulled the plug (lol...plug) when his mom almost stumbled upon it. he was homeschooled...parents very conservative/religious people...it wouldn't have been good. i been thinkin bout startin another one up maybe just me and john blake or somethin.


avy: our new album. you may just like it. listen for free online @ http://theyesyesyalls.com

http://twitter.com/shamelessplug
http://theyesyesyalls.com

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