Interview with Ken Andrews of The Year of the Rabbit, Emo's August 16, 2003.

The sticky Austin Air oozed over the outdoor stage at Emo's as we waited for tour manager Lee to find Ken Andrews, lead singer/founder of The Year of the Rabbit, for our interview. After a brief wait, which was spent trying to fit batteries into my little handy dandy personal fan (a futile effort), Ken ambles up tentatively, lugging a large black carrying case for something (no idea what), seemingly not certain who was there to interview him. After amiable introductions, we settled in on the black bleachers along the east wall of the venue. I warned Ken that this might not be a typical interview, as bandchat.org let's the music speak for itself, and likes to focus on learning more about the personality(ies) behind the music.

The first questions of the interview came from Katie L., Austin BCDO correspondent. Knowing that bands do plenty of interviews, it's always interesting to learn 'what is the most annoying question asked during interviews?' According to Andrews that question occurred just the day before. Asking someone like him, who has been in the music industry for over 10 years, to encapsulate in one short answer what the band is about is quite a task. We were interested in knowing what was Andrews' favorite song to play, and it was not an easy question for him to answer. After thinking a minute, he states that he doesn't know where to start, as his favorite song changes. One of those songs however, is the song "Lie Down", which was a turning point for him. He describes it as a soft spoken song that defines the sound for the band's record. However, when performing live, his favorite song changes nightly. Currently his favorite is Rap.. a more aggressive song.

If Andrews was thinking that these interview questions really weren't all that different, the speed was about to change as I began to throw them his way. What he was unaware of, was that the questions I would ask were based on information relating to the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Rabbit. Having learned from their official bio that the band doesn't talk about what the meaning of the band's name is about, I figured it wouldn't hurt to do some curiously pointed inquiry. According to www.chinese.astrology.com the Rabbit is timid, thus, I was interested in knowing, which, if any, member of the band was timid. "Sol is the shyest, but he's not really shy" stated Andrews (referring to Solomon Snyder, YOTR bassist. I'm thinking, darn, there goes the theory of the band representing the astrological characteristics.

Attractive is the next major trait one finds in the Rabbit. Asking "Do you think of yourselves as attractive? If so, in what ways?".now this question got a great reaction as Andrews immediately began chuckling and said "Sure.we're not discussing that!" It seems humility should be something that would be a major trait that the Rabbit would possess, as discussing attractiveness is a topic that Andrews stated the band tried to avoid.

As much as Andrews avoided the attractiveness issue, he became animated and effusive when asked 'what does the band need in order to thrive?' The inspiration of new material is something that the band thrives on and needs. "We're all junkies for the buzz you get when you come up with a new song." Andrews must feel great most of the time because from what I've read, he is a prolific songwriter. Those songs, and the songs the band have written together, qualify in my book as one of the traits of the Rabbit, as having a solid base is important. That strong base is further reinforced when addressing how the band deals with emotional upsets. According to Andrews, the band is pretty cohesive. While on tour they seem to get along pretty well, with the exception of this particular day, when the Austin heat and humidity got emotions a little heated by the end of the sound check. Not that the band isn't used to the heat, the stage in summer is hot, and "usually by the end of the first song we're used to it", stated Andrews. "Once the show gets going it doesn't matter anymore!" Check off another Rabbit trait: disliking arguments and conflict.

When asked to describe some of the characteristics of the people he surrounds himself with, Andrews appears almost exasperated, as he comments that these are deep and contemplative questions. Remember, I warned him before we got started! My search for confirming my theory that YOTR was somehow similar to The Rabbit, was somehow validated once again as Andrews stated "I don't surround my self with many people. I have a small group of friends and the band." Each of his friends has varied characteristics including the band members whose personalities fit different niches that fit well for the overall balance of the band. Examples he offered were "Jeff (Garber, lead guitar) gets things done. The others sit around and drink beer.well.Jeff drinks the most beer.but he gets things done!"

Having been a bit excited when talk got to all that beer, Andrews settles in again, very seriously describing how he took his time while auditioning the band. Making the decision about the band was a lot about the music, but "a close second was how they fit in" says Andrews quite solemnly. Winding down the interview, as we were all beginning to feel, well, whatever you feel like when you've been sitting outside in almost 100% humidity and high 90's heat for over a half hour.we moved on to the less serious, but staple questions we like to ask bands. If Andrews were jello, what kind would he be? "Pudding.Chocolate."

After the interview, Andrews heads for the bus, passing by some apparently die-hard fans, waiting outside in the heat 5 hours before the show hoping to catch some time with a man they seem to idolize. Andrews does not disappoint, stopping to talk with a young man wearing a Failure t-shirt, and another fan who introduces his friends. As for me, I'm looking forward to the concert, as I've explored all I can about the YOTR link to The Rabbit, and find that there are some positive threads linking the two, whether by chance or design. Check out their music and figure out for yourself if it even matters how or why they are the Year of the Rabbit.

-Katie L. and Reba
Bandchat.org Correspondents