Electronic Press Kit

Juanita and the Rabbit

Lo-fi to the core, Elizabeth ain’t no wilting daisy behind the kit (a la Meg White), but a full fledged force with which to be reckoned—particularly when she takes the lead during a Motorhead cover (Orgasmatron) and an impromptu cover of Bill Withers’ Ain’t No Sunshine; she truly makes womanhood proud: feminine without being delicate, and as integral to the music as Keith Moon was to The Who instead of an obligatory relegation to the sidelines as a passive necessity (again, a la Meg White). Brett deftly holds your attention on stage with his acerbic wit and nimble fingers, and proved himself particularly adept during my favorite song of the evening, Kick You Out of My Head.

Perhaps what makes this band worth following is their ability to take the music seriously, but not themselves. After all, one of their songs is called We Live in a Mutha F’n Van and discusses…you guessed it…living in a van, without a plan, not working for the Man; Chris Farley would be appalled. And they poke fun at the ridiculousness of scenes and their associated acolytes in the song So Hip with the following lyrics: “So hip I think I’ll be sick, and it sure doesn’t help that you smell like shit. So sick you think that you’re hip…” etcetera, etcetera. Long story short: kick ass band, great music, good people. I HIGHLY recommend you see a show or at the very least purchase their new album, which will be hitting the nation’s airwaves in June.

San Francisco husband/wife team Brett and Elizabeth Cline kick some mighty bluesy-rock ass in their 2nd release as JUANITA AND THE RABBIT. Out Of The Grave: Into The Fire is a nice step forward from their debut Feeling The Love / AMPLIFIED!!, in no small part due to their collaboration on the project with local legend TIM GREEN as sound engineer.

Bass and drums never sounded more full and gutsy, and the vocals soar nicely above the instrumental fray. They keep it simple, like local hero NOBUNNY, with better results to my ears than other two pieces like the TING TINGS. It’s also nice that J&TR break the two-piece mold by choosing bass guitar as the lead melodic instrument. And they even include a non-ironic gospel vocal workout called “Faith,” to surprisingly sweet effect.

SOUNDS LIKE: BLACK KEYS, WHITE STRIPES, NOBUNNY

SUGGESTED TRACKS: “We Live In A Motherfuckin’ Van” (hilarious, poignant and rockin’!); “Kick You Out” (just a touch of blues and nice dual vocals); “Orgasmatron” (SIOUXIE SIOUX meets MOTORHEAD with unexpectedly brilliant results)