We have seen the future, and it is the Bad Rabbits. Boston-bred and simply bad ass, the Rabbits are the ones you probably didn't see coming: Trying to define their sound, we hear everything from Boyz II Men to Modest Mouse. So, we took a minute to catch up with Bad Rabbits at the first-ever Boston Calling music festival, held this year at City Hall Plaza. Just one month following the bombings at the Boston Marathon, the Bad Rabbits tell us about their diverse musical influences, their favorite Boston spots, and the surreal experience of returning to a city damaged, but not broken.
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You guys have such an interesting sound. What are your musical influences?
Dua: "Vocally, for me, it’s a mix of Sly Stone, Cee-Lo, Michael Jackson, Prince!"
Graham: "For me, when I was in high school I listened to a lot of punk music and rock like Pearl Jam, Sound Garden, Smashing Pumpkins. My parents played a lot of Stevie Wonder, Harvey Day, Michael Jackson."
So, did you all go to school together at Northeastern? How did you ultimately get together?
Dua: "It was like this. Me and Salim met at a party. Salim said, ‘We should start a band.’ It was me and Sheel. And Sheel introduced me to Graham and Santi. I begged for him to be in the band. He was like, "Eh I dunno.’ Because he didn’t like me at first. We went to school together. We partied a lot together and went out in Boston and became friends."
Dua: "It was like this. Me and Salim met at a party. Salim said, ‘We should start a band.’ It was me and Sheel. And Sheel introduced me to Graham and Santi. I begged for him to be in the band. He was like, "Eh I dunno.’ Because he didn’t like me at first. We went to school together. We partied a lot together and went out in Boston and became friends."
What are some of your favorite Boston haunts?
Dua: "Our House!"
Graham: "Good Life is the bar for me!"
Dua: "Our House!"
Graham: "Good Life is the bar for me!"
How does it feel to be from Boston and come as the opening act for your city, especially after Boston has faced so much turmoil?
Graham: "It feels amazing. It’s an honor, really. For us to be on the lineup is incredible. It’s a testament to the will of the city." Dua: “I’m not gonna talk s**t about other cities, but Boston is protected. We definitely aren’t scared. It’s a city with a lot of pride. People really rally around the city.”
Graham: "It feels amazing. It’s an honor, really. For us to be on the lineup is incredible. It’s a testament to the will of the city." Dua: “I’m not gonna talk s**t about other cities, but Boston is protected. We definitely aren’t scared. It’s a city with a lot of pride. People really rally around the city.”
Photo: Mike Diskin