I suspect this may piss some of you off. In fact, the band I'm about to discuss, by all accounts, absolutely blew away a SXSW showcase sponsored by this very website. A showcase that, without the following band, might even have kind of sucked (The Head Set were stuck in an airport). So, this might even piss off the fine people who pay my exorbitant salary around here.

But.

I can't go to war with White Rabbits. I just don't like this band. They live in my neighborhood (the Wick, neighbor!) and have been sucking up blog posts and press in New York and around the country. The L Magazine named them a 2007 "Band to Watch" and just since the beginning of May, twenty-four separate blog posts have been written about them. That's two a week. That means twice a week for the last two-and-a-half months, someone, somewhere has found this band so compelling that they had to post some mp3s, write a 200 word-blurb, and practice written oral-sex. Worst part is, this is, sadly, another blog post about the White Rabbits.

And then this week they hit Letterman. Yes, David fucking Letterman. On their own this band can't sell out the Mercury Lounge but they're on national television in right-next-to prime time. Check the video here.

Rewind six months. Here's the issue. I read what people write. I listen to what people say. And then I see for myself. Their songs, I thought, well, their songs are okay. They sort of sound like a more melodic version of The Walkmen. God, that comparison must piss them off, I thought. But it still stands. Let's go see the live show. Everyone talks up their live show. Two drummers, I heard. Big sound. Fun attitude. Gosh, this is exciting - let's get on the guest list.

So they're playing after The Jealous Girlfriends at the Mercury a few months back and we go. Turns out they're better than The Jealous Girlfriends. Turns out a cold is better than malignant cancer too. Both bands are just ... boring. Sure, the Rabbits have two drummers but it's hard to figure out why. Did you have two friends who played drums and couldn't decide which one to bring to when you moved to Brooklyn? I could respect that, I guess. The songs are wailing in a way they're not on the album. The lead-singer looks like a small animal and this might just be the most charming part of the whole evening.

But. I can be a real judgmental fuck. It's not fair to anyone. Least of all a potentially awesome band on a bad night. So, when I see they're playing with Vampire Weekend, I think, "I'll give them another shot." This time, they're at The Bowery and I figure this must be a sign they're getting bigger (and hopefully better).


Vampire Weekend is the undercard and absolutely destroys a crowd of Columbia kids who all went to college with the band. This is the definition of a home crowd. The kids are fired up, dancing, shouting, drunk. This should be a slam-dunk for a good headliner. Sure, they're not your fans but they are fans. And there are lots of them and mostly, they want music. So while the White Rabbits are setting up their drum-kits, you feel like this could be big. This is what music is all about - taking fans of other bands and making them fans of your band.

So White Rabbits start to play and it's almost the same set as before. It's not bad but it's not good. It's loud and whine-y. The crowd starts to thin. It's like time-lapse footage of the venue filling up but in reverse. By the middle of their set, I don't want to see this shit anymore. Not only is the music weak, you're looking at the definition of "not electric." This band took a room that was about to burst with energy and killed everyone's buzz faster than you can say, "hey, want to catch the subway." Which is exactly what happened. I'm sure a few White Rabbit-heads stayed until the bitter end but I can tell you, I would rather wait for the JMZ than watch a band clear a room like that.

So, that's Earnest Attempts: 2, White Rabbits: 0. And as I listen to their record as I type this, I have the same feelings I had in the beginning. Decent songs. Could be fun live. Let's give this a shot. But, we've been down that road twice. Small venue, bigger venue. Weekday, weekend. Just when does this band get awesome? Maybe never. Maybe you just need to see them on national television or on the scene at their 6-man apartment where they live like family. Maybe then.

Or maybe not.

Labels: no i am not impressed