I recently spoke with Alex Even, guitarist from Brooklyn-based rock band White Rabbits (currently touring around Australia). He spoke about his move to New York, New Years mishaps and how he got into what he is doing today!

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Hello, how are you?

Are you in a cave? It sounds very cavernous where you are.

Yeah, I apologise.  I'm in a pretty open room.

[Laughs]

How are you?

I'm good, I'm good. I’m sitting in my apartment in Brooklyn.

Thank you for speaking with me today, I really appreciate it.

No, no problem. Thanks for calling.

OK, first question, 2009 saw the release of your 2nd LP, It’s Frightening. To me it sounds really fresh, do you still feel that way about it?

Well, I mean it probably begins to sound a little less fresh to me. I...I still like the record a lot, I think it’s a pretty fun record to listen to. To me it doesn’t sound like a lot that exists in pop or rock music  

It was produced by Britt Daniels from Spoon, how did that come about? Were you friends, just fans of his band?

They came to one of our shows a couple of year ago and we tour with them and sort of subsequently had lots of conversations about music, and played music together and sort of became friends. Basically we accidentally worked with him. One of our drummers meant to send a text to somebody else, but accidentally sent it to Britt. That was how he produced our record.

It was a good mistake.

Yeah, it was a bit of chance as well.

It worked out well! The album was released through TBD Recordings, which is the current home of Radiohead and Underworld. How does it make you feel that the same people that have faith in these bigger bands also have faith in you? Does it put pressure on you in anyway?

Ummm, no. I mean, it’s flattering. I wouldn’t say it puts pressure on you. Those bands you just mentioned are sort of where they are today because they take chances and perhaps fail but it’s expected that they’re going to be taking chances. And so I feel not really a pressure, but more of a responsibility, I would say to make sure we try and give the fans the music that we put out.

With the release of the most recent LP, how do you feel about Fort Nightly (first album), when you go back and listen to it, or play the songs? Do you feel differently about it?

Well, yeah the songs have changed for me over the years but I can’t say I’ve listen to the record in a while, I couldn’t really tell you about that but playing the songs it’s still...we fool around with the material, we don’t necessarily adhere to the arrangements or the vibe of the recorded material, so we’re still experimenting with that, and umm..you know it feels like songs that we wrote when we were a couple years younger [laughs], but it definitely documents a certain point in our lives.

White Rabbits is a rather unassuming name; I feel it doesn’t really give much away. Where did it come from?

Ahh well we were looking for a band name and we all sort of think that band names are a little silly no matter what, and at the time we were having a discussion...we were watching a documentary about Altamont, the music festival in California, and Jefferson Airplane was playing and we said what about 'White Rabbits'? And then we just settled on that, but it doesn’t really mean anything to us, it’s sufficiently opened ended that it works are a band name but it doesn’t symbolise anything about us, or our mentalities or our music.

A few years ago you sort of relocated from Missouri to New York. Obviously New York is a musical mecca, but do you find it inspirational place to be based, in comparison to back home in Missouri?

Ahhh, we all, with the exception of Brad our bass player who’s from New Jersey, we’re all from Missouri and we all met there, and everybody was kind of at university and it was a university town, and pretty soon after we started playing music together we decided that we wanted to move away and we wanted to go to New York. It seemed like a very romantic thing to do. New York has been nothing but amazing...have you ever been?

No, I haven’t. I’d love to one day!

There’s never a lack of, sort of...vibrant kinetic energy that motivates you to work harder and...yeah, New York has been a great place for us.

That’s excellent!   Well, this coming New Years you’ll be in Australia, playing Falls Festival, have you seen the line up at all?

Ahhh, I haven't actually. Do you know who's playing?

Yeah, ahhh Grizzly Bear, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Moby. Emiliana Torrini, Editors, Andrew Bird, Seasick Steve. Jamie T, Datarock...

Are you reading this off a press release?

[my best friend, who happened to be with me in the room laughs] I...may...be. I do know it but...

[laughs] Is somebody laughing? Who else is in the office?

My best friend is here!

I didn’t know we weren’t alone!

Ahhh! I’m sorry, I won’t lie to you again! My friend is here for moral support!

Tell her "what’s up?" Or I guess I can just say "Hi friend! How are you?"

Hey! She says hello!

[laughs] Cool! Well, all of those bands are good, so I’m excited for them too...

[laughs] You don’t have to lie, it doesn’t matter. So, this is your first tour to Australia, isn’t it?

It is, it is. I’m very, very excited. It’s summer there, right?

Yes, yes, it’s very warm. It’s pretty warm today...it’s going to be hot.

Yeah, I can’t wait. I do much better in the warm.

Oh really? A lot of bands come here, and they can’t handle it.

[laughs] I mean, if it’s 300 degrees Celsius then...

What do you hope to show your first Australian crowds?

I dunno, I just hope we play well and they like the music that they’re hearing and that we sort of...welcoming to a crowd and not confrontation and people just feel like they can let loose and have fun.

Well, the venue for your Melbourne show, the Corner Hotel is a really great venue, I recon it’ll be a really good show. In my own opinion.

I will be terribly disappointed if Australians didn’t like us.

I think we will!

Thank you.

What would you be doing to celebrate the New Year, if you weren’t touring here?

Oh, I actually have a really bad track record with my New Years. I feel like something bad always happens to me, I never actually have fun on New Years.

Oh, that’s not good.

I would probably just lock myself in a room, and try not to get into trouble but that always seems to happen to me on New Years.

Ohhh... don’t jinx yourself!

[laughs] Oh no it’s more...I’m not going to give you the details of my drunken New Years!

[laughs] That’s ok, I don’t really want you too!

[laughs]

What was it that made you want to become a musician? The one thing that pushed you to pick up your instrument?

Ummm...I’m not sure if I can point...when I was growing up I had an older brother who was in college or at university, however you say it. When I was in middle school, he would come home and visit and show me all of his new records he was getting, listening to punk bands and indie rock and stuff, so he kinda turned me onto...alternative music, and that made me want to maybe play the guitar. And it became a vicious cycle, where now I’m a starving artist and I’m 25...so thank you Matt, you ruined my life!

[laughs] Awwww

I’m kidding, I’m kidding!

No! I’m glad he did it, I thank him. Last question, are there any bands we should be on the lookout for in 2010, any peers we should keep an ear out for?

Sure! Yeah, there are a few new bands from Brooklyn that I really like that don’t get as much attention as I think they should. Umm, there’s a band called ‘here we go magic’, they’re really great. And, ahhh...there’s a band called Glass Ghost who are also fantastic, and you guys should check them out.

Well, thank you very much. Definitely will! Well, that’s all I got for you. I really appreciate this, thank you very much!

No problem, thank you...and thank you friend!

No problem! She says "No problem"!

[laughs] Alright, cool.

Well, see you in the New Year!

Alright, sweet. Sounds good!

Bye!

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