(AllHipHop Alternatives) R&B is one of America’s great musical genres. As the music born from jazz and blues artists like T-Bone Walker, Roy Brown, Paul Williams, and many others continues to expand to the four corners of the globe, R&B’s vibe evolves with each generation.
Rhythm & Blues has gone from the early invention of Rock & Roll in post-WWII times, the 1960’s soul of Stax and Motown Records, late 20th century New Jack Swing, and now apparently back to its rock roots. Thanks it part to the 5-piece band known as Bad Rabbits.
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Bad Rabbits refer to their music as “futuristic R&B and post-rock.” It is that eclectic sound that made their debut album American Love a favorite of critics and led to appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and The Arsenio Hall Show.
The collective is made up of performers with varied cultural backgrounds. Fredua “Dua” Boakye (vocals), Sheel Davé (drums), and Santiago Araujo (guitar) are all first generation Americans whose respective families represents India, Liberia, Ghana, Italy, and Argentina. Salim Akram (guitar) and Graham Masser (bass) round out the band prepping to drop their sophomore LP this summer.
Grammy-winning songwriter/producer James Fauntleroy (Kanye West, Drake, Justin Timberlake) is contributing to the project. Bad Rabbits are now signed to Fauntleroy’s Not For Hire label. The group has also announced they are being managed by Steel Wool Entertainment’s Kevin Morrow.
Recording music is a vital part of an act’s exposure to a larger audience, but it is the live experience that forms an essential bond between a band and its fanbase. Bad Rabbits 2014 tour schedule will place the Boston-based crew in venues throughout the U.S. and Great Britain. The trek includes a set during SXSW later this month and a stop at the Roots Picnic in May. They will also appear on the Warped Tour this summer.
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As Dua, Sheel, Santiago, Graham, and Salim share their R&B/Rock hybrid across continents, the band’s only goal is to present a sound that is authentic to who they are as artists.
“We’re just doing what comes naturally,” stated Sheel. “It isn’t about trying to be something we’re not. It’s about just going with the flow ultimately. We’re not forcing anything.”
Follow Bad Rabbits on Twitter @BadRabbits.
Check out Bad Rabbits’ full tour schedule below.
Bad Rabbits Live Dates:
3/7-3/11 Miami, FL @ Parahoy! – Paramore Cruise
3/16 Austin, TX @ SXSW – Palm Door
3/17 San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
3/28 North Hampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
4/1 Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia at LA Live – Warped Tour Kick-Off Party
5/31 Philadelphia, PA @ 7th Annual Roots Picnic
UK Dates
5/1 Cardiff, UK @ Clwb Ifor Bach
5/2 London, UK @ Borderline
5/4 Glasgow, UK @ King Tut’s
5/5 Newcastle, UK @ Academy2
5/6 Birmingham, UK @ Academy3
5/7 Leeds, UK @ Cockpit 2
5/8 Sheffield, UK @ Plug
5/9 Norwich, UK @ Waterfront Studio
5/10 Bristol, UK @ Exchange
5/11 Southhampton, UK @ Cellars
Warped Tour Dates
6/13 Houston, TX @ Reliant Park Main St. Yellow Lot
6/14 San Antonio, TX @ One AT&T Center Parkway
6/15 Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Pavilion
6/17 Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
6/18 Mesa, AZ @ Quail Run Park
6/19 Las Vegas, NV @ Luxor Festival Grounds
6/20 Pomona, CA @ Pomona Fairplex
6/21 Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
6/22 Ventura, CA @ Country Fairgrounds
6/25 Chula Vista, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre
6/26 Wheatland, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre
6/28 Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
6/29 Portland, OR @ Portland Expo Center
7/2 Maryland Heights, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
7/3 Nolbesville, IN @ Klipsch Center
7/4 Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
7/5 Montreal, QC @ Paterre I’ile Notre Dame at Parc Jean-Drapeau
7/8 Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Banks Arts Center
7/9 Scranton, PA @ The Pavilion
7/10 Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
7/11 Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
7/12 Wantagh, NY @ Nikon Jones Beach Theatre
7/13 Hartford, CT @ Xfinity Theatre
7/15 Burgettstown, PA @ First Niagara Pavilion
7/16 Cincinatti, OH @ Riverbed Music Center
7/17 Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
7/18 Auburn Hills, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills
7/19 Tinley Park, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
7/20 Shakopee, MN @ Cantebury Park Festival Field
7/22 Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
7/23 Virginia Beach, VA @ Farm Bureau Live
7/24 Atlanta, GA @ Aaron’s Lakewood Amphitheatre
7/25 St. Petersburg, FL @ Vinoy Park
7/26 West Palm Beach, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheatre
7/27 Orlando, FL @ Central Florida Fairgrounds
7/28 Charlotte, NC @ Music Pavilion Charlotte
7/29 Nashville, TN @ Tennessee State Fairgrounds
7/30 Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheatre Summerfest
7/31 Bonner Springs, KS @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
8/2 Salt Lake City, UT @ Utah State Fair Park
8/3 Denver, CO @ Sports Authority Field