The Wheat City Journal

18 Rabbit are back!

by Jeri James

After a 6 month hiatus the Rabbits are back and ready to get loud this Saturday at Lady of the Lake much to the delight of their fans around Westman. Taking a cue from Mother Nature the boys began their hibernation right before the snow hit the ground and haven't left the recording room since. The band, which includes Darrin “Dirt Cherewayko on drums, vocalist/bassist Ryan “Fuzzy” Felstead, and Les Mitchell on guitar and vocals, spent many of the winter months locked away in Mitchell's basement recording their fourth album “One State of Being”.

This album took a bit more love from the band as it is the first that 18 Rabbit have recorded entirely on their own without the aid of a studio or producer on site. The band did however send their recordings to Vancouver where their producer Emil Gawaziuk provided the finishing touches (this also allowed for an impromptu trip to Van town for two of the boys of 18 Rabbit all in the name of hard work … although from the stories they told I'm not sure how much work it really was for them). None the less the result was an epic album that flows from beginning to end.

The first track off the album is “Automate”. It is a heart thumping tune that merges the world of rock and the reliance on machines in today's society. Every instrument takes ownership in this song and it is a fantastic start to the album.

If there was to be a hit pop song on the album it would be “Boneyard”. Felstead's voice which is usually rather deep takes on a higher octave for this song and the beat is so catchy you can't help but dance when you listen to it (okay maybe just I can't help to dance to it, but I'm sure I won't be alone on the dance floor on Saturday).

Following Boneyard are “Floored” and “Good Luck”, both of which are your traditional 18 Rabbit rock tunes and they provide a nice blend into what I believe is heart of the album, “Fading Away”.

“Fading Away” was actually the first song that Mitchell and Felstead ever wrote together. It is off of their debut album, “Smoking Gods” and according to Felstead “out of all the songs on that album it is the one that has stood up against the 8 years”. Even so the song itself has grown dramatically from its original version and now features two guest artists. Adrian Kuryliw who plays along with Dirt and Fuzzy in The Poor Boy Rodger Band as well as with Groove Kitchen and Janksta, was approached by the Rabbits to add something to the mix. What resulted was a haunting saxophone sound which adds a great deal of depth to the already amazing song. Another ingredient was the soulful voice of BU student Jess Moskaluke. 18 Rabbit had worked as Moskaluke's backing band a few years ago and were anxious to incorporate her in the album. She adds a feminine touch to the masculine vocals provided by Felstead and Mitchell.

And now for something completely different: at least that's the reaction you get when you move from “Fading Away” into “Gulag”. You almost get into a trans-like state when you listen to “Fading Away” and you are immediately awakened once “Gulag” begins. Followed with “Avatar” or as the boys affectionately call it “the swamp monster song” and “Violate”. It is back to the Rabbit rock, great drums, unique bass lines, and sounds you can't imagine that can possibly be coming from a guitar. These guys are very talented musicians and their chemistry is unmistakable.

Up next is the fastest paced song 18 Rabbit has ever done, “Toe Rag”. This is a hard hitting, head banging, punk rock song if ever there was one. I can hardly wait to see the mosh pit that will begin at Lady of the Lake once this song starts.

The finale is “Lego” and at 8 minutes and 12 seconds long it is a conclusion that will make you remember 18 Rabbit.

The album title “One State of Being” sticks with the Mayan theme as it is a loosely translated name of one of the cultures deities. Every album up to date has incorporated some aspect of the Mayan culture as the name of the band itself derives from one of the most well known Mayan kings. Although when I asked how it came about Mitchell replied “it just sounded cool” and he believes it sums up a lot of what 18 Rabbit is. We are a constant evolving band, our music as well as our influences change all the time and this album is capturing the state we are in now, it could change tomorrow. It is this sentiment that keeps fans coming back to 18 Rabbit. They not only perform but also record their own original music which is a rare and wonderful thing in a city of this size.

It is because of 18 Rabbit's loyal fan base that they were able to score some amazing shows in the last few years with one of the highlights for the band being the opening slot for Buckcherry last December. Kyle Chamberlain, a new media developer and multimedia graduate from ACC, accompanied the band and recorded the concert which has become the DVD 12/28. Along with a few other surprises and special features this DVD shows footage from that concert and is included with the CD “One State of Being”.

The Wheat City Journal

18 Rabbit ready for the arena experience

The biggest arena rock concert to hit Brandon for quite some time will also be the biggest show in 18 Rabbit’s career. While chatting with Brandon’s hometown rockers last week, it was obvious that this gig meant a lot to the guys. Lead guitarist Les Mitchell said, “to sum it all up, we’re very excited and very grateful to be part of this event.” Lead Vocalist/Bassist/Keyboard-ist Ryan Felstead backed that up with a gleeful, “Christmas came early!”

Yes, Christmas has since passed but the boys landed the gig back in the fall when all the pieces were coming together for this five band event. “In terms of audience, the only other gig that came close was X-Fest,” comments Mitchell.

Since their humble beginnings in 2000 the boys have done hundreds of shows on various stages but getting a chance to get a little “Arena Rock” experience is, “without a doubt a huge honour for us,” offers Drummer Darren Cherewayko. Not only is the hometown crowd important to the Rabbit crew, the sound system is also held in high regard, according to Felstead, “we’ve had memorable gigs but with this one we get more wattage!” This show will offer concert-goers just that. You can expect the full “Rock Concert” presentation with more speakers, more watts and, of course, more lights. The guys will have a merchandise booth set up inside Westman Place and will be selling CD’s and T-shirts, etc. So make sure to show your support. For my money, you really can’t go wrong with their latest release “The Blame is Ours.” Produced right here in Brandon, it’s a rock-solid piece of work. Literally hundreds of exhausting hours were invested in the making of this CD. It’s a dual release that comes with DVD extras filmed during studio sessions and more.

Concert Promoter Darryl Wolski is excited about the level of production this show will provide, "we have a bigger stage to work with and, as a result, It's a bigger sound and light system than X-Fest, a real bona fide big Rock n Roll show!" Ticket sales have picked up over the last week or so. “We're approximately 90 per cent sold at this point.”

Friday night’s show is well worth every penny of the $35.00 ticket! Doors open at 6:30pm with Yorkton Saskatchewan’s “Oversoul” taking the stage first, followed by 18 Rabbit. Winnipeg’s Mo-dern/Alternative Rock quartet Jet Set Satellite and Vancouver’s State of Shock help round out a fantastic line up headlined by multi-million-selling LA rockers Buckcherry.

The Wheat City Journal

Great originality on 18 Rabbit's new CD

The name remains the same while playin’ the blame game!

Within the last year or so it seems there has been a rock n’ roll renaissance towards original material within the Westman music scene. This week we feature a band that has been ahead of this movement since they formed to permeate the masses with their inventive and original sound. Since arriving on the scene at the onset of the new millennium, 18 Rabbit has always done its own thing and are respectfully considered by many as leaders in the local music scene. Before listening to the CD the band along with their producer (Emil Spector) we sat down for a quick question-and-answer session which really shed a searing light on what this band was all about and that was in no particular order: dedication, experimentation and an overall celebration in creating music.

Future music

Their website www.18rabbitrocks.com proclaims the band produces “Music For The 21st Century” which I’ve always found intriguing. What would that type of music sound like? Ryan responds immediately with, “I didn't write that!” which causes an eruption of laughter from everyone in the room. Les sums it up with, “it’s a mishmash of all our influences. Which is pretty much everything, every genre of music. It’s really like it’s from the future, there’s no category yet that I find completely describes what we're doing.” This album does have many futuristic tinges throughout but it has enough elemental rock ’n roll throwbacks to please most any hard rock fan.

While the opening track of 18 Rabbit’s third release comes rippling out of my speakers, I settle in to do the first “Face The Music” CD review. The intro to “Levitate” features an effect I’d never heard before. It’s instantly interesting, reminiscent of something U2’s the Edge might start one of his solos with. This guitar effect pulls me in and as the name suggests, would be worthy of bed music for a segment in a Chris Angel Mind Freak episode.

Band bonds

Like most dedicated bands, 18 Rabbit share a brotherly bond. The only difference between them and some others I’ve interviewed is they exude that bond. It actually radiates as the show complete respect for one another as musicians and friends.

Bassist /vocalist and co-founder of the group Ryan “Fuzzy” Felstead offers up this elucidation, “We’d like this to become a full-time occupation that allows us to maintain the lifestyle enabled by our present jobs.”

Chugging guitars

The chugging guitars of Mind Ablaze rattle the fillings out of my back molars as the “Blame Is Ours” pulls me back in. More and more I realize that Les “Teen Wolf’s” guitar tones, effects and thick sounding chords act as a soundscape for Fuzzy’s lyrics supported by a solid rhythm section that serves as the perfect backdrop. The chords become dark when they need to be as the commentary gets a tad more serious and conversely the guitars lighten up when the seriousness of the subject matter is reduced. This combination it would seem is a given with most songs by most groups but this band does it with a certain conviction that mixes an appealing amount of experimentation.

Friendly track

Violent Shine is one of the radio friendly tracks. It has less commercial stuffiness and more of an experimental sound with echoes of early 80s new wave rock. The vocal phrasing and tone remind me a bit of Collective Soul. If there was any hope for a Brandon band to garner local airplay this track might be it. If it were recorded by a major label heavyweight, it wouldn’t surprise me if it hit the rock radio charts.

Lord of War – a nod to the constant unrest in the Middle East and the root cause of that volatility. This track stays interesting with intertwining actual news clips that contain updates from the war torn situation. This six-minute-plus track may seem long and plodding but so has the war in the Middle East and being that this is rock ’n roll commentary on that dire situation, it works. Listen for some upper register vocal prowess from Fjelstead as the track culminates with news clips that feature an appearance from George W. The song concludes with a clip that offers a solution but it’s not from Dubbya . . . well, what did you expect?

Washed Away, BTCP and Crowned somehow run together, harkening me back to the days of the album listening experience. These tracks offer up riffy, rhythmic arrangements that might provoke envy from even the most established recording act. In the tracks “Whipping Boy,” “Juggernaut” and “Back To Me” the listener is offered what I consider the signature 18 Rabbit sound. These tracks have an unmistaken mysteriously ominous texture.

Group effort

The band’s arrangements are a total group effort. Says Les: "With the exception of the lyrics which Ryan does, it’s completely a group effort 100 per cent. Someone will come in with a germ of an idea and the others will add their own stamp to it and it becomes an entirely different entity than the original idea it started out as. Fuzzy adds to that with, “What’s really cool is, we've been playing together for so long that things sometimes just happen and you don’t know why they happen so you always make sure that you’ve got a tape machine running to record what you’re doing because sometimes you don't know what you're doing until after it’s been done!” Drummer Darrin “Dirt” Cherewayko complements that with, “what I like about the album is it’s live, nasty, raw and not overly produced. We did what we want and we're all good friends and get along fine to the point where if anyone of us has an idea we're all very open to different ideas and listening and trying out new things too.”

Surprises

“Blame” is a 10-track sonically sound slab full of surprises or as I like to describe them, explorative audio delights that exemplify the groups ever evolving sound. To have an album of this quality created right here in our own backyard should definitely be considered a feather in the Westman music community’s cap! It’s accompanied with a DVD full of many extras and is available at most record stores in the Westman area. Make sure to check out one of their sets throughout Ridgefest weekend, July 7 on the Ridgefest stage in the back lot of Planet KIA on Eighteenth Street North or during the after party at the 40.

The Quill

Brandon University's Student Newspaper

by Tim Brown, Arts and Entertainment Editor

"I've never actually seen 18 rabbit play; I'd never actually even heard any of their music until I sat down and listened to this CD. I have to say though, that I'm fairly impressed with what I heard. I was expecting the typical mix between The Tragically Hip and other overplayed sounds in the Canadian rock scene, but my assumption was proven wrong. With a nice mix of moody rock and experimental guitar lines that at times almost sound like something you would hear in an electro-clash / new wave song, it was easy to see that this isn't what you usually hear on the radio. I've always been, and always will be a supporter of bands who decide to take a step in a direction away from what is considered to be mainstream. That is exactly what 18 rabbit do.

Reading an article in the Brandon Sun, the group says that their first album seems to lack the focus that they wanted. There is definitely no lack of focus on Our Place in the Shadows. The album flows beautifully and without any major flaws. There are even certain times that I can hear a glimmer of Katatonia (a somewhat similar, moody metal sounding band that I've listened to for a while now). The use of the sound clips throughout the album also work really well in adding to the song. It seems to help with keeping the album focused. I'm very impressed with this album and it's ability to grab the listener at the very first song and not let go until the very end of the last.

The members of the band (Les Mitchell, Ryan Felstead, and Darrin "Dirt" Cherewayko) communicate really well on each of the tracks. Lately, listening to bands, the music seems to feel really divided. It's like these bands have never played together. They aren't able to feed off each other and come together to form one harmonious sound. 18 rabbit achieve that sound, and it's probably due to the fact that they play quite a bit around the Brandon area. I hear nothing but good things about their live performances and I think it's probably time I found out. I think it's probably time you found out too."

The Brandon Sun

Local band releases second album

by Joanne F. Villeneuve

18 rabbit releases its second CD

"Named after the 13th ruler of Copan, a Maya city in Honduras by Ryan Felstead, the archaeology major in the group, 18 rabbit recently released its second album.

The Brandon-based band had been through a few incarnations before settling on the current personnel - guitarist Les Mitchell, bassist/keyboardist Felstead and drummer Darrin Cherewayko.

Their efforts in the studio produced our place in the shadows, a collection of nine original songs.

Each of the musicians gives a solid performance on this disc, helping to create a unifying sound that is well on its way to becoming their trademark.

Tinged with techno effects and underlying energy, the overall effect is earnest, lacking the over-produced slickness of their contemporaries' recordings, thus revealing the essentials - poignant lyrics, catchy melodies, simple harmonies, and steady, driving rhythms.

Though his baritone is somewhat reminiscent of The Hip's Gordon Downie, lead singer Felstead is unique in his own right and helps establish in each of the songs, a raw, edgy, passionate identity.

Meanwhile, the banter between the other musicians which was inserted between cuts and which sometimes carry on within a song, sets up or carries forth the mood.

Witness the chatter at the outset of dilate - a song about pop culture and the future of communication. The lyrics maintain the theme of unwillingly getting swept away by changes in society.

Musically, the stripped down tracks are highly effective. The keyboard effects are simple, but either introduce a repeated melodic pattern, or in other instances, they steer the tempo. The starkness of the drumming is supported by the grinding guitar lines.

All in all, this project is more than just promising. It reveals a rock treasure in our very own backyard.

The newly-released CD, Our Place in the Shadows by 18 rabbit, is now available through: www.18rabbitrocks.com or at local CD outlets."