Rabbit Rabbit
Northampton, MA’s Rabbit Rabbit presents us with their ‘farewell’ LP.
Peter Nichols of Great Valley / Grape Valley has moved the Spooky Town Tapes party over to LA launching the imprint Nicey Music, with a commitment to DIY excellence that Peter refers to as being “dedicated to the freakiest, shiniest pop we can imagine.” The first release on the imprint is the final farewell album from Western Massachussetts’ cult psych group Rabbit Rabbit, with I’ll Always Remember You. Featuring Nichols’ girlfriend Louise Chicoine, with Jason Lavoie, R.R. Macomber, & Jeremy Dubs. Rabbit Rabbit refers to their sound as the “darkest glam rock yet”, with Louise’s theatrical delivery, Jeremy’s fervent rhythm section, and Jason’s side-winding guitar expressions.
I’ll Always Remember You is the keepsake / forget-me-not to remember Northampton’s one and only Rabbit Rabbit for all time. From the opening dark skanking “We Chunk Way”, stormy skies and unsettled sentiments together converge in an invitational to join the group as you step into their world of weirdness & wow. Antagonistic elements are battled like on the electric eeriness of “Big Bad”, before turning up the distortion and volume on the head twist & turn of “Twisty”, to the reiterated feelings that remind the dearest ones that you’re always thinking of them when you’re dreaming on the title track, “I’ll Always Remember You”. Dissonance and the brink of destitution is entertained on tracks like “Verhaulten”, the banshee bash of “Sig”, to seeking histories and beginnings both new and old on “Origins”. Moments of respite but still with the requisite weirdness remain on “OooLaLa”, moon calls & lunar signs on “Howlin’”, right before Rabbit Rabbit leaves you with one of the big highlights from the album with the finale of “‘Membrance” that leaves you with one final blast before parting. Join us now for our recent discussion with Louise & Peter discussing everything Rabbit Rabbit & Nicey Music.
Take us to the jump from life back east to moving way out west to LA.
Peter: It took a long time!, I mean we’ve basically been living out of our vans since last July, when we spent 2 months touring the US with my band Grape Room and its mirror-version The Lentils. Louise was tour manager. That trip was enough of an uprooting that we all kind of took it as an opportunity to make a big leap. We went for the biggest leap we could imagine, more or less.
Describe for us the evolution from Spooky Town Tapes to Nicey Music.
Peter: It’s true I ran the tape label Spooky Town for the last decade. That experience and conversations Louise and I have had during this last year on the road generated a lot of questions about what DIY really means. Nicey Music is a partnership Louise and I share. Experimental vertical empire, partially inspired by the life of Joe Meek. Basically the two of us are extremely lucky and grateful for the love and the friends and the music around us in our lives all the time. Life gives us a LOT of energy and we’re trying to give all of it back.
Give us insights into the creation of the farewell Rabbit Rabbit album I’ll Always Remember You.
Louise: RR was one of those bands that had a hard path, but that last album went so smoothly. The writing, recording, production, all of that was super streamlined. The first thing that popped out was the hook from the title song “I’ll always Remember You”, and right off the bat it was a different game for us. That album is much more confident, personal, and biting than anything we had done before. I want to say its full of sweetness and hope as well, but really only so much as a loved ones departing words. Every week while writing at Jay’s studio (Ludlow,MA) it would be polish up our work from last week, sketch out the new song. Jeremy and Becca were really tuned in so our rhythm was really heady, even when we were bending it. Jay was super inspired then too, whipping up licks that ran the consistency of broken glass to silk ribbons. Personally the writing of those hooks absorbed me. I would leave parties to go sit in my bedroom getting sick and high on the emotions of writing those vicious little hooks. It felt really good.
Reflections from Rabbit Rabbit; press photo courtesy of the band.
What’s next in the works post-Rabbit Rabbit?
Louise: Most of the members of RR are back in Mass working on other things now. Jeremy had been working on Speak for sometime before the end of RR and he is still at it. Jay plays guitar in a group Moon Power and works in his studio there in Ludlow. Becca does some horns on Speak but she is really busy stirring up the health care world. Musically for me I’m lucky enough to work with Peter bringing to life Banny Grove, our pop superdiva. Also working non stop at Nicey Music.
What other releases are in store from Nicey Music?
Louise: We are blasting it off with Peter’s latest work for Grape Room “Heart of Gum.” So stoked to get this LP out there because its brilliant. After that a 7” fully loaded from a real debutante of the modern world Jackie (of Sediment Club and Urochromes) under the name Marky Cones. Last on the docket at this time, the first full LP from Banny Grove “Who Is She?”. I think Banny is really going to make waves.
Other cool things happening in LA right now that you two are stoked about?
Louise: It’s so fast out here! There are so many amazing things and people and places! We are really pumped for our friends Greg and Nicky who run the roach motel. Nicky’s little sis Juliana is the front woman of the most amazing band too, yet to have a final name other than ‘Juliana.’ I’m pretty pumped that Odwalla88 is out here now. I’m always curious to see what those two are working at. It’s such an inspiring and bizarre world (LA) I love everyone I meet.
Rabbit Rabbit’s I’ll Always Remember You is available now from Nicey Music.
