Steve Aoki – Turbulence:

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The group might be a rock, punk band, but they also have a heavy basis on R&B music, and that can be a daunting title, especially when you land a spot on Warped Tour. Yet Bad Rabbits did just that–and grabbed a hefty fan base as well.

“We weren’t like anyone else on that tour,” bassist, Graham Massar. “A lot of the bands on the tour actually really rallied around us. We made friends with the bands you find on Warped Tour… they really championed us to their fans.”

Since their slot on Warped Tour, Bad Rabbits has taken influences from the other bands and pushed it into their own music.

“It was really awesome to watch these really great bands everyday,” Massar said. “It’s really been great for us, because a lot of them are returning to our shows when we tour across country.”

On May 14, the group is scheduled to release its newest album, American Love.

“I think this one showcases a little bit more of the musicianship, a little bit more of the live element,” Massar said. “We really honed in on the songwriting process.”

Even though the album won’t officially drop until after 11Fest, #Fest-goers should expect to hear new music from Bad Rabbits. Massar said the group will absolutely be playing new music at Saturday’s show.

“Playing the songs live is totally different for us than someone  just hearing he tracks on the album. We just add (another) element live. It incorporates a lot more of the rock, punk, hardcore live energy of a concert,” Massar said.

The group brings in a range of influences, and that includes the member’s origins as well. The band mates have ethnic backgrounds from eastern Europe, to Argentina, to India, to Liberia and Ghana.

“It’s one of the biggest parts of our band,” he said. “We all have a different ethnic upbringing.”

For Bad Rabbits, that is one of their defining factors.

“We all kind of bring a different background to the table,” Massar said. “There is a lot to learn from each other and I think that really plays into the music…it’s not like we grew up with the same background or upbrining.”

Follow them on Twitter: @BadRabbits

-Shelby Lum

@shelby_lum

The post Bad Rabbits To Bring Diversity to 11Fest appeared first on #Fest: The Official Website.

Well, it may not have exactly began his rapping career, but it did give it a jump start.

“I played trumpet in the seventh grade, and then I started rapping,” said Jerreau. Each of the members, whether formal or not, have a long history with music, and they have each made it their career with rapping for Fly.Union.

“I didn’t study (music) past high school. I played instruments in high school, but I always created music and made beats throughout my life, same as Iye,” Jay Swifaa said.

Iyeball agreed. “All of our families have backgrounds in music,” he said.

With that those heavy roots in music, the members of Fly.Union are not without experience both on stage and off. The trio is known for meshing styles with rap, including a large influence from their home town and state: Columbus, Ohio.

“To be able to do shows in Columbus, Cleveland, Akron, and Cincinnati, it’s a great when you have the support from your own state,” Jerreau said.

Fly.Union may have beginnings in Columbus, but the members have been finding audiences around the nation who are amazed with their music. The group is fresh out of SXSW in Austin, in addition to having opened for Kendrick Lamar, performed at Jay-Z’s Made in America festival, and their music is heard in the shows Buckwild and Black Ink.

The difference between Fly.Union and other groups: they value their fans. A lot.

“Recently we have been introdcuting this thing at our shows of what our crowd wants to hear and work it into the set,” Iyeball said. “You don’t go on stage and hit play…it lets us take the energy from the fans, convert it, and give it back.”

The group’s style meshes layers into it’s beats and music, along with its innate influence from Ohio and the Midwest.

“We’ve got a lot of influences. Our style is whatever we feel at the moment,” Iye said. “We try to immerse ourselves in the culture and give something back to it.”

Their plans for 11fest? “Other than killing shit? Naw,” Jerreau said.

Follow them on Twitter: @FlyUnion

-Shelby Lum

@shelby_lum

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