The Trojan Rabbit
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The Trojan Rabbit

| INDIE

| INDIE
Band Alternative Rock

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"Newcomers The Trojan Rabbit come out of their hole"

When we meet at Allyn's Cafe, the band members of The Trojan Rabbit (TTR) are restless. Stirred up. Peter Underhill, lead guitarist, points at TTR's female vocalist, Bebhin Blank, and says, "At least we don't have to deal with male-lead-singer egos."
Blank laughs and responds, "I have the least amount of drama here."

"I'm the real drama queen," Underhill admits.

Then they bash Thomas Curran, the bassist, for being late.

Drummer Brian Kitzmiller says, "Thomas' motto is 'I'm on my way.' "

Behind the newly formed TTR, a jokey camaraderie lurks, and this mix of depth and humor leaks into their music as well.

At their debut Mad Frog gig, it's past 1 a.m., and the crowd is thin by the time TTR takes the stage. Blank is slender with auburn pigtails a shade darker than her red Ibanez. Underhill sports a T-shirt that reads, "Phyllis is 50." Curran grins behind his bass. Kitzmiller, also grinning, takes the drums. At the mic, Blank announces, "In case you wondered, we don't do covers."

Blank's voice, bluesy and clear, holds an unashamed depth. In a lanky dance, she sings loud and smooth, throwing a harder vibe into her crowd play. Between songs, she belts out, "I'd like to be on the cover of Elle someday. No, Hustler!" TTR songs go from bluesy Rock to Bluegrass, creating an upbeat groove mixed with Funk. Blank says her influences are broad, ranging from Grace Slick to the Ska band Hepcat.

By 1:30 a.m., stragglers from the bar's other side snake closer to the stage and the crowd thickens. Late or not, TTR appears relaxed and awake, as if sharing an inside joke.

Back at Allyn's, wry smiles all around, they poke at each other, stabbing at sarcasm. But behind the flirty jabs, there's the hint of genuine friendship.

"Thomas is the gum chewer who wants to save the world," Blank says, wearing a camouflaged Aerosmith T-shirt. "Brian's quirk is that he only gets mad in private. Peter doesn't drink, and he's crazy. As for me, I'm a man trapped in a woman's body. I like to smoke, drink and play video games."

As in their music, there is a strange complexity under the surface, one that is evident in the story behind the band's beginnings. Blank, singing by the age of 6, "got sucked into Jazz bands and started playing bass." Later, she picked up rhythm guitar, joining the band Foxy McCoy as the frontwoman. There, she met Underhill.

Underhill started guitar lessons at 14, and describes his teachings simply: "Somebody showed me how to get around it." After joining Foxy McCoy, he called Blank, suggesting they start a side project. Last winter, Underhill got a job selling Christmas trees. Kitzmiller, formerly of Ray's Music Exchange and Heavy Weather, was taking a music scene break. But he needed a Christmas tree. Soon, Underhill sold him a tree and a new band.

When they put out an ad for a bassist, one response said, "That's me. I'm it," with no name attached. The stranger was Curran, the bassist from local band, Life Without Balance. Smiling wide, Curran sarcastically brags, "I've joined 17 bands that broke up before the first practice." Learning his style from his father's "basement-band, hippie atmosphere," and despite numerous tattoos and 5/8 gauge ear holes, Curran has a loose, excited edge. His influences, including Smashing Pumpkins and Bootsy Collins, add Funk.

"Really, it's the love of Monty Python that brought them together," Blank comments. (In fact, the band's name comes from a scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.)

Underhill's "side project" evolved into The Trojan Rabbit. Blank says, "I'd like to keep the same people together for a long time, to commit and take it beyond Cincinnati. And trash a hotel room. I mean, really trash it."

The other three agree to commit to trashing. - CityBeat


Discography

November 2005: The original line-up recorded 'Welcome to the Hole' a 3 song EP. Early in 2006 the band added a forth track and re-released it as 'Get Back in the Hole'. The songs included on the EP were Void, Back Pocket Girl, Dixi Crystal, and Gonna Be.

A re-mastered version of the 2005 EP called ‘Welcome Back to the Hole’ was released with an additional track, Dixi Crystal.

All tracks for the EP and the re-master were recorded at Roc Records in Cincinnati, Ohio. They were produced and engineered by Joseph W. Petrocy.

'Beat To Hell' is now finished and was released in September of 2007.

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Bio

The Biography of "The Trojan Rabbit"

The Trojan Rabbit is a modern alternative rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. The band formed in September of 2005 and began playing regularly, logging over 100 shows in their first 15 months. Their EP "Welcome to the Hole" (recorded two months after they first played together) has earned significant broadcast and internet airplay.

The band is fronted by Bebhin Blank, lead singer and principle lyricist. Lean and energetic, Blank has a rich well-trained voice. This powerful alto is a welcome relief from the piercing near-sopranos with thin vocals that all too often reside in this rock genre. There is no reaching for the earplugs when she belts out a strong chorus while strumming her guitar; but she may very well knock you out of your seat.

Taking the reigns and powering the wagon-train down the rock and roll highway is Chris Mullins. A Virginia native, and recent member of the Stapletons, he has taken the band to that next level since joining the band as lead guitarist in late 2007. His hard driving blues-based rock licks, commanding stage presence, and dedication to writing and tweaking songs is a welcome addition to the band.

Providing a driving low end and adding a percussive element is bass player Thomas Curran. His style is very unique, combining funk inspired slap/pop and more traditional walking bass lines. This mesh of styles came from growing up with the bass players in his father's band, two bass players in one rock-fusion band. These two taught him their individual styles and Thomas fused them into one.

Driving this fusion of styles is the steady beat being pounded out by the well traveled drummer, Brian Kitzmiller. Brian is a veteran of the touring music scene with the band Ray's Music Exchange and a former studio drummer for Liquid City Records in Seattle. He has seen it all, done it all and is ready to do it again.

All the members bring their individual sounds, personalities, and backgrounds together to provide a unique and undeniably jamming music experience.

The Trojan Rabbit's first full-length CD "Beat To Hell" is finished, and was released in September of 2007.