White Rabbits is a six piece band from Brooklyn, New York, consisting of Alexander Even on guitar, Adam Russell on bass, Matthew Clark on drums, Jamie Levinson on drums, Gregory Roberts on vocal and guitar, and Stephen Patterson on vocals and piano. Originally from Columbia, MO, White Rabbits formed in 2004 and released their first album Fort Nightly in 2007, and It’s Frightening in 2009, which was produced by Britt Daniel of Spoon, who they’ve also toured with.  They received a lot of attention since their debut, and are currently on the same record label as such bands as Radiohead, TBD. Their album exudes confidence rather than seeks approval.  In addition, they have become known for their energetic, and what I would say incredible live performance.

It was cool to see them use two drum sets, a regular drum kit, and one consisting of two large stand up drums.  The drums were, nonetheless, very impacting and a stand out element of the show. Like The Subjects, who they called good friends, people were switching instruments and places, and the guitar player was often on the floor murdering his poor instrument much to the crowd’s delight. However the focal point of the group is hands down Stephen Patterson.  Patterson played two keyboards, while singing, and drinking beer. “Playing,” however, is somewhat of an understatement: Patterson was all over the keys, stomping his feet, bouncing off the bench, leg in the air. One of the percussion players sometimes jumped on the keys as well, which was amusing to see two guys sharing one box piano.

Patterson has a tenor voice and often used falsetto in the songs. Matched with the keys, it made for an eerie effect.  I was surprised to read that their major influence is Ska music; I would have never picked up on that based on their live shows or their studio recording. It had a New York sound, with wailing guitars, plays on rhythm, and a lot of banging—whether it be on the drums or piano. People were dancing and singing like crazy, and shouting song requests. They played “While We Go Dancing,” “Kid on My Shoulders,” which were my two favorites, “Midnight and I,” “The Plot,” “The Company I Keep,” “They Done Wrong/We Done Wrong,” “Percussion Gun,” and others. They even came out for an encore.  The music was cutting edge without being gimmicky or copy cat, and the live performance was stellar. Definitely worth checking out whether it be through the studio album, or a live show.