White Rabbits

A love of the Specials and the Everly Brothers holds this New York sextet together.

A A A Comments By Jon Solomon Thursday, Oct 11 2007

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With Action Action and Blue Million Miles, 8 p.m., Saturday, October 13, Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer Street, $10-$12, 303-291-1007.

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Chemistry is key when it comes to being in a band. For the guys in White Rabbits, it's everything. Since moving to New York from Columbia, Missouri, two years ago, all six members have lived together in a loft that doubles as their rehearsal space. Kindred spirits, the guys all share an affinity for early Two-Tone Records releases, particularly the Specials, as well as the harmonies of the Everly Brothers — which is evident from listening to Fort Nightly, the act's debut. We spoke with Jamie Levinson, one of the group's two drummers, about making that record and about a new single that includes a version of Randy Newman's "Beehive State."

Westword: Although your debut, Fort Nightly, just came out in May, you guys have already been working on new material, right?

Jamie Levinson: We have a seven-inch coming out with two new tracks. I think it will have a digital release probably through iTunes or something. That's coming up pretty soon, and then we have a few more songs that we're working toward the second album with. And once we get back from this tour, which ends in mid-November, we're pretty much going to be off the road for a few months, just focusing on writing the rest of the album and getting it done.

Is it going to be along the same lines as Fort Nightly?

The second record is always that cursed one where people branch out too far or don't branch out enough. We just really want to stay smart about it and make music we're proud of, which is how we went about the first record. And try to grow a little more. We know a lot more about each other and how we write the music now, so hopefully it will prove to be a little easier to write the material than it was on the first record.

How was it making that first record?

It was really a learning experience. We were a band before we started writing a lot of that material, and some of the material had come from some of the earlier days. But a lot of it really took shape in New York, and it was kind of fueled by being broke and having to adapt to this new environment. So I think there was the paranoia of getting adjusted in that first record — some of the darker moments. But we're all pretty positive people, too, and it definitely has some poppier, lighthearted moments. It kind of took shape as we were all adjusting and living together. It really wasn't a painful process; I mean, we all get along really well.

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