BunnyBrains 1988-2002
Reviews

Show Reviews

Record Reviews

Holiday Massacre '98 *

Einstürzende Neubunny *

Show Me the Bunny *

Sin Gulls (Goring St. Eddy) 1988-1998 *

BunnyBrains (aka Matador "Pink Bag" LP)

Dreamtime In Halgamotha

BunnyBrains CD*93 *

Beach Bunny Bingo *

For You I'd Kill/On The Floor Again *

I'm Obsessed With My Looks/Busboy Bop *

GGs Dead Split 45

Bunny Magick *

You Got It (Comin') *

BunnyBrains @ The Cooler 7/3/00 *

BunnyBrains/Sebadoh/Versus @ Avalon 10/22

Loud Music Festival

Edge of Obscurity-Beach Bunny Bingo Review

Edge of Obscurity-Pink Bag Review

Holiday Massacre '98

The Bunny Brains are weird -- but with their given name and what little I know of their bizarre existence so far, that's hardly surprising, eh? I have the vague feeling this is a live album (parts of it certainly are), and "Freshen Up" certainly lives up to the idea: lo-fi, live-sounding, and extremely devolved, it starts out sounding like the band's tuning up (and they may well be) and gradually evolves into howling kitchen-sink psychedelia. Not the psych, mind you, of guys in paisley shirts who take big tabs o' acid and play flowery epics about the summer of luv, but the scary kind -- unpredictable freakouts from guys so strange that it's frequently hard to tell whether they're serious or pulling your leg. Either way, it's pretty out there (but still surprisingly listenable). At times they remind me of Beme Seed minus the shamanistic goddess thing and with a strange sense of humor. Psychedelic punk shenanigans, titles like "Harm is comin' to me every day in every way," "Overdose of cum," and "Robert is a corpse," weird noises and deviant sounds harnessed in the name of punk, psych, and funk... sounds like a good time to me....

—Dead Angel eZine

Holy cows. Or maybe that should be holy bunnies. This CD-R release by The Bunny Brains is either horribly bad or horribly good. I can't make up my mind. I know that I haven't listened to a really 100% experimental noise amalgamation in awhile. This certainly falls into that category. Sheesh. Try as I might, I couldn't sit still through any of the first four tracks. In fact, "Stookey Ring of Evil" contained such unbelievably bad singing that I nearly chucked it. But I'm Shorty, you know. "A reasonable guy." Give me some context and I might come around. Well, I thought I heard a little Lee Ranaldo or something in here. And sure enough, track six on this album, "Birty Doots" is actually a cover of Sonic Youth's "Dirty Boots". Well duh, you say.

After that, I think I started to see how the frenetic and ungainly vocals might work with the guitar distortion and smashing drums. The bass sure is wiggly at times. Like fat white worms worms running through greasy bacon fat. Yeah. Liked the interesting record scratching on "Chocolate Party". Went back and listened to "Switchblade Sisters". That's actually not bad, in that it's a real track. What I mean is that, come on... with all that noise you need at least some semblance of songs. Otherwise you're killing off half of the 1% of the people who haven't thrown it away yet. Give 'em a bone. Make up a melody. Make a few choruses. It might help.

Crazy stuff. I'm going to give this album a 3rd spin after a few weeks rest to see if I get anything further from it. Hey, don't play this on your parents' stereo though. They'll take you outside and shoot you with a sawed off shotgun.

P.S. There have been a total of over FIFTY people who once played in this band. I kid you not, look at the website.

—Shorty 3.1.04 www.shmat.com

A recording from 1998, possibly live (at least live in someone's basement, in lack of an audience), Holiday Massacre ‘98 presents the Bunny Brains in all their sloppiness. It's definitely garage in the delivery, punk in the attitude, country in some places, Krautrock in Davo's insistent bass lines, and spacy (or at least acid) in the guitar work of Dan Bunny and Raimondo Paolucci. All that and occasionally (and intentionally, one guesses) profoundly stupid. Just listen to the lyrics to ?Stookey Ring of Evil," the introduction to ?Switchblade Sisters" (dedicated to all the switchblade sisters in the audience) and snippets like ?Never Did the Deed" and ?Robert Is a Corpse." There's something worrying in hearing a band member ask ?which one?" as the drummer has already started counting. That's what happens at the beginning of ?Upland Lane" (they get it together after a false start). When they do play (and for longer than 20 seconds), the Bunny Brains can bang your head to the wall garage style (?Freshen Up!," everything it should be) or trip with a snarl (?Overdose on Cum"). If cynical lo-fi gives you pimples, avoid at all cost. But if you crave garage punk with a tendency to foray into unusual chord changes (is it avant-garde or is the second guitarist forgetting his chords?), Holiday Massacre will bring you to your knees. Witchy Poo meets the Nihilist Spasm Band.
–François Couture AMG Review

The five piece BunnyBrains further the lo-fi side of PE, shifting into a country punk vein. Guitars, from Dan Bunny, Raimondo Paolucci and Jim Roberto are the main noise creators (with some less obvious keyboards thrown in) but the drive behind the whole set (which sounds at times like a live recording) is Davo's bass (this is a powerful motivator in most tracks) with assistance from Peter Partenio's drums. 'Freshen up!' gives the band a chance to loosen up before dropping into a swamp rock groove, some primal lyric screams in there, dirty guitar slashes before some increasing feedback and then tape effects close. Shorter than its title 'Harm is coming to me every day in every way' plays some light guitar and throbs before the introduction of vocals (back country) into the mix with 'Stookey ring of evil' where the guitars provide twangs, big sounds and pyrotechnics. The drawled vocals in 'Upland lane' get drowned in the pumping punk country rocker with squarly guitar solo. 'Switchblade sister' gets a live announcement and is a slower number that reminds me of Neil Young &Mac246; both in vocals and melody &Mac246; particularly 'Roll another number' with some noise guitars instead of a chorus. Country rock again in 'Birty doots' with shouted chorus, short twangy guitar and possible keyboards. A wall of sound from 'Overdose of cum' and a suggestion we have entered part way in, eases rebuilds and then into a more tentative conclusion. That mood continues in 'Chocolate party', twice as long as other tracks which opens slowly with scratchy loops and simple guitar and then develops into more open and experimental areas than the rest of the album. Whispered vocals, scraping slide guitar builds to a bit of warbly rock in the last few minutes. Into the final stretch of rock with the banjo loose rubbery 'Never did the deed', a brief improv in 'Robert is a corpse' then 'I love me do' driven by the bass and feedbacky guitar in the heavy instruments spoken word and a band intro which is of the Teddy Roxborough Group (?!) before a grungy climax. Dueling guitars spiral up through 'Plying and dying' into the late night meanderings of 'Greenwich mean sister' with some slurred Doors lyrics and chugging rhythm which is broken by a call of 'take 2' before continuing into the darkness. Good time rock and roll &Mac246; a hoot-nanny pleasure punk.
–Ampersand (Australian Music Mag)

Einstürzende Neubunny

That sure is dang noisy!
–Soos, Spacemouse


Bob, This mix is awful....regardless of the song being mediocre and "white bread" and common, as far as Bunny pellets go...the mix is really a piece of work....you should use some eq and take out the 4k and 8k....it is harsh and rams a red hot poker up my ass and into the side of my eardrum, in a coordinated effort that only you could manage....
–Horlick Choi, BunnyBrains

Show Me The Bunny

Short of the very strange 3" CDR "Einsturzende Neubunny" (who since the days of Can has done such a fine job of coming up with so many parodies of their band name?), this is the most modern Bunnybrains recording, and the one mostly likely to sound like the Bunnybrains if you were to chance upon them in a live setting, though guitarist Raimondo packed up and hit the road soon after these sessions were laid down. Along with "CD*1993," this has the longest and loosest jams of all their albums, and is my favorite by a long stretch. "CD*1993" had that 14 minute version of "Model Bitch (Fashion Version)" that really sends me, and this one has a 10 minute track called "Blessed Mary, Mother of All Saints" that gets my pick of the week. I guess because I like to hear the Bunnybrains stretch out and let fly more than most bands. I’d rather be hogtied and laughed at by former grade school teachers than endure another 20 minute Fushitsusha "interstellar exploration," what I’ve heard of the Charlambides gave me the hives, and in general, noisy psych jams just leave me feeling like I wasted an afternoon, perhaps because they put too much empahsis on "out" and not enough on appealing to your good-timin' glands.

The Bunnybrains still understand why drunk people will leave your party when you put the Major Stars on, but will groove and sing and dance and kiss each other (and maybe you!) when you put tracks of equal length/dissonance on by Jimi Hendrix, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Butterfield Blues Band, maybe even Can’s "Monster Movie": without a groove, it’s all just halfassed free jazz. Horlick Choi gets pretty complex on the traps at times (complex by psych rock standards) anyway, but he knows where the backbeat needs to be, and what part of your lower body it needs to kick (front or back, dont’ matter). I mean, you KNOW this is classic rock! At one point, the mystic warrior poet/guitarist Dan Bunny launches into an impromptu verse of Chicago’s "25 Or 6 To 4" in response to the driving bassline. There’s hammer-ons, things sometimes follow the beat, but they can get real gone too, daddio. It’s out, and it’s also real in, sometimes. Can’t be afraid of that either. Start with this one, not only because it’s great, but it’s very near to being sold out. You can get it from the band themselves .
–C.M. Sienko C.M. Sienko Foundation


The BunnyBrains were once named by indie music magnate Gerard Cosloy as the second best band to ever come out of Connecticut. I don't know who was number one. I'd hate to think who was number three. The BunnyBrains are loud, obnoxious, crude, crass, noisy, and loud...and obnoxious...and crude.

There is no intricate composition. No theory. No subtleties. And not much has changed over the last 10 years as far as their sound goes. Sheer gall, longevity, and habit keeps me coming back. That, and they seem to be really nice guys....demented, but well meaning.

I suppose nearly every label that has any interest in putting out a record by the BunnyBrains (including Cosloy's indie giant Matador) probably has at this point. I, myself, put out a cassette by them a few years ago during my horrible failed experiment with running a label. They've got so many records out on so many different labels that they're apparently having some trouble finding a label to give their latest material a proper release. Which is a shame, because it's every bit as good as most of their past records. Yeah, the songs are too long and most of them don't really go anywhere and it sounds like they just got loaded and turned the recorder on, but that's what makes it a BunnyBrains record, damnit.

Show Me The Bunny is actually several years old and has been available directly from the band as a CD-R for some time. If you've heard the BunnyBrains, you know what it's like. If you haven't, imagine a group of deaf drunkards with no traditional musical training attempting to cover old Sonic Youth tunes while a total maniac yells stream of consciousness gobbledy-gook from the noggin of a truely strange fella. This raving maniac is Dan Bunny, the only omnipresent member of a constantly shifting lineup of drinking buddies.

The BunnyBrains are worth checking out if you've never heard them. I'm guessing that just about anyone, at least anyone who can stomach some noise, could find something to like about them. I'm not sure why anyone would need more than a couple of their records really (why the hell do I have 6?!), but every good noise rock collection should contain at least one BunnyBrains album. Why? Because sometimes, when life's getting him down, a man has to get really drunk and have a one-man slam dancing session in his living room. And when those times come around, nothing really does the trick for reaching that point of tension-relieving, full-on demented mayhem like the BunnyBrains.
–Edward McElvain, The Independent Mind

Sin Gulls (Goring St. Eddy) 1988-1998

A singles comp, delivered from on high, using the vessel of the always-astounding Menlo Park label. Seeing the Bunnybrains live, it’s hard to imagine (if you’re a newcomer to their music like I am) that they’ve been around for at least 15 years. They are getting older, and there have been plenty of lineup changes in the interim, but everybody seems to be having so much fun up there, you imagine that they just decided to start playing shows last week. If you’ve not heard them, or had the opportunity to see them play live, it’s a big shambling circus of whit people dressed like a touring funk band. No really, there’s a guy in a dress, a gal in a sparkly halter top, a fellow with long hair, shirtless, with tight pants and a furry bass guitar strap, and when I saw ‘em, one of ‘em was dressed all in military fatigues, a straw hat, wraparound shades, and a megaphone. Tell me that doesn’t sound like the second coming of the funk mob! But it’s not.

The Bunnybrains play psych rock the way I wish more people would play it; slow n’ loose, lotta grit, very little "soloing" per se, otherworldly rants and moans, more than one person singing at the same time, people walking into the audience, stuffed animals flying everywhere. You know, fun. Not "serious," like those jagoffs in Acid Mothers Temple. Fuckin’ Makoto threw a TANTRUM when I saw ‘em at Fireside Bowl…I don’t know if his equipment wasn’t working, or he was just lost in "the moment," but he threw his guitar down, stalked off stage, and sat down by the bowling lanes all by himself. Tell you what, the stuff he was doing immediately before didn’t lift me half as high as the Dan Bunny/Chandy Pinkeye guitar phalanx either! AMT wants to show you something important. Bunnybrains wants to show you their thingies while giggling. I’d rather fart and blame it on the dog than sit in the lotus position and contemplate Byron Coley’s navel anyway, so I take the Bunnybrains every time.

Actually, a lot of people (the band included) tend to compare the Bunnybrains to the Butthole Surfers. There’s that, in the way they’re acid punks that aren’t afraid to jam, but especially in the later years, as the song structures get looser and open, they remind me more of Flipper! Compare Flipper’s "Blowin’ Chunks" live album to any BB’s live show, and you’ll see what I mean. There’s tons going on, most of which you can’t hear because it’s all so loud, with a big, solid drumbeat keeping it from falling into noodling. Drummer Horlick Choi and bassist Bobby Bunny are like a beacon in the fog: however much any person in the band gets turned around or disoriented while changing the world through a Boss super-distortion++, there’s always a focus point to come back to. And as Eddie Flowers, a man frequently more perceptive than myself once said, "once you realize that RHYTHM + SOUND = MUSIC, an infinite number of possibilities become available to you." Which is why, when I heard that Bobby Bunny (bassist who recently left the BBs proper to join BunnyBrains88, a revival band from the original lineup) was planning on releasing a 10CD/6VCD Bunnybrains boxset, I thought to myself, "You know, I’d buy that! I’d even LISTEN to it!" Probably a lot too…probably at a time when I should be reviewing other records, but no matter. That’s an issue for later this year, and we’ll not worry about it now.

Since this goes back as far as 1988 and as far forward as 1996, there is a lot of change in the sound, but it’s only apparent if you start at track 1 and then skip to track 17. The progression is pretty smooth otherwise. From the focused punk thrash of "For You I’d Kill" and the amazing "I’m Obsessed With My Looks" (an unusual take one what would seem to be a straightforward theme: "I wanna tear my face/I wanna tear it with dirty fishhooks/I wanna give ‘em something for the textbooks/’cuz I’m obsessed with my looks/I’m so pretty/I wanna charge ‘em money to look at me/cuz a face this beautiful, this unique, this glorious/you SHOULDN’T GET TO SEE FOR FREE!!!" You think "Sassy" or "Jane" might wanna release this as a flexi-disc?) down to the hulking sludge and space-rock mumble-scapes of "Space Symphony #3" and "Whitewater Bathtub," the most significant addition to the later albums is the ubiquitous Q-cord played by La Personna (of U Can Unlearn Guitar, Cock E.S.P. and others), which has the dual effect of being spacey and transportive but not especially ponderous. Sometimes sounding like the oscillator wheezes of someone like Ben Wolcott (To Live and Shave) or Alan Ravenstine (Pere Ubu), it mostly adds something even more alien to the already bugged-out spectacle.

Because it’s all recorded as small, digestible chunks (these were mostly either singles themselves or split singles with other people), it’s something you can put on and take off while you’re dressing up (and putting makeup or cologne on your beautiful face) for a night out, as opposed to full-length regular albums like "Show Me the Bunny" or "CD*1993," which tend to make me late for work/forget to eat. This also has more (and better) funny bits on it than any other albums. You get the OJ Simpson getaway narrative of "Onic Outh," the plea for responsible parenting that is "Bus Boy Bop," and such mildly smutty classics as "How Am I Supposed To Tell You I Love You (When Your Dick’s In My Mouth)" and "On The Floor Again." More fun than is allowed by the 2003 Modern Psych-Rock Policies and Procedures Manual by a factor of two.
–C.M. Sienko C.M. Sienko Foundation


The 'brains' formed in late 1988 deep in Danbury, CT; some college kids, some art freaks, people who felt that time should not be passed, but slaughtered with the primitive sweet sounds of the depraved. The Brains were never a noise band, or an art band, or particularly high brow; you could probably argue that they were never a band at all. Over the course of ten years or so the Bunnies recorded a fairly impressive output, a great many albums, singles and comp tracks. Their singles are by far some of their best work, and are collected here for you to finally get your hands all over.
–Forced Exposure

The BunnyBrains' "Sin Gulls" is a singles collection of their scum noise rock that has some solipsistic pretentions of being "art." Although the BunnyBrains probably would deny that. These sloppy garage songs heaped with sludge distortion and unapologetic tone-deaf vocals sound like Jim "V-3 / Vertical Slits" Sheppard writings song for a Pere Ubu tribute band. Just when you thought it was safe to look in the bargain bin...seriously, we miss these guys
–Aquarius Records Catalog.

Although Connecticut competes with New Mexico and North Dakota for the honor of being home to the fewest rock bands, it did spawn the enduringly bizarre Bunny Brains. Similar in sound and approach to the noise-punk of early-‘90s outfits like Drunks with Guns and Strangulated Beatoffs, the Bunny Brains have been playing loud, crazily and in costume since 1988. That they’ve lasted this long is surprising, but that they’ve lasted this long without displaying a shred of musical evolution is downright astonishing—and more power to them.

Over the course of their existence, these Bunnies have hopped from label to label with alarming (in)consistency, releasing split singles with other bands, special CMJ giveaways and flexis tucked into obscure fanzines. If you missed out on “Cold Nut Soup” because it came out on a Belgian label, fear not: It’s on Sin Gulls, along with 16 more songs of the same ilk. As the disc spins, sweet memories suddenly come flooding back: the nauseatingly saturated sludge of “You Got It Coming,” singer Eg the Poet’s deranged squeals on “For You I’d Kill,” the rambling chaos of “Left Alive”, the ear-piercing noises on “Whitewater Bathtub” (which are guaranteed to make small dogs yelp and big ones try to bite you). It’s all there, and this is a truly splendid cacophony.

Granted, the Bunny Brains probably wouldn’t top anybody’s list of favorite bands, but this CD does allow us to reevaluate their, ahem, oeuvre, which firmly proves them to be one of the most consistent acts in recent memory. Proudly lo-fi (everything sounds as if the studio’s mixing board had been operated by a gang of drunken monkeys), the band has remained surprisingly solid and coherent over the years: The Bunnies were chaotic and crazed when they started, and godammit if that isn’t exactly how they are now.
–Elisabeth Vincentelli TIME OUT NEW YORK, November 2-9, 2000

***A collection of the most "on" tracks from Connecticut's messed-up, do-whatever sonic terrorizers recorded over a ten-year span of derangement and rarely-equalled retardation-of course, college radio loved them. A seventeen-song howl-and-growl rock orgy, much of which is long out-of-print and will never find its way to eBay (their fans are notoriously tight-fisted). Previous releases on Matador, Blackjack, Now Sound, and Total Piece of Shit.
–REVOLVER


Way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY off the deep end...!!! And...here's the best part...this band's music is a RIOT. Just reading the song titles had us laughing our asses off. As embarrassed as we are to admit it, up to this point we had never even heard of Bunny Brains (great goddamn band name, huh?). But now that we have, we will never forget them... This is a collection of the band's singles (?!!!?!!!), although don't expect to hear "singles" in the usual sense of the word. This band's singles have absolustely NO hit potential whatsoever. The "tunes" are sloppily and strangely concocted noise pieces in which the instruments go anywhere and everywhere...and the lead "singer" speaks, sings, screams, and just goes completely out of control. Rather than coming off as some serious art posers, however, this band comes off as more of a strange curiosity...with an intense sense of humor to boot. This is challenging stuff to be certain...and we could not recommend this music for anyone EXCEPT those very few individuals who are able to listen to ANYTHING and enjoy it. We feel sorry indeed that we were never able to experience this band live, because it must have been SOMETHING ELSE. The odd folks at Menlo Park Recordings display pure GUTS for releasing something like this (and someone at the label deserves a medal for writing an absolutely hilarious biography, which was a riot to read...). Do you have the BALLS...for Bunny Brains? We SHO duzz....! Favorite song title: "How Am I Supposed To Tell You I Love You (When Your D*ck's Stuffed In My Mouth)." Band web site: http://www.bunnybrains.net. You should check out ANYTHING put out on the Menlo Park label...see their web site at http://www.menloparkrecordings.com. (Rating: 4)
–LMNOP Baby Sue November '00


History happened and I missed it. This collects songs from a decade of madness (1988-98). Bunny Brains' particular aroma of noise reminds me of Flipper, an uncoordinated howl of raw emotion that shakes my lapels without any regard for subtlety or musicality. Building on basic riffs, Bunny Brains seems to be nothing more than an excuse for venting, ranting and hypnotizing yourself on heavy bass, thumping drums and fuzzed guitar. "GG's Dead (and I'm not feeling too good myself)" and "How Am I Supposed To Tell You I Love You (when your dick's stuffed in my mouth)" are prime examples of Bunny Brains' tenderness and sensitivity. Bonus points for the Squeeze reference in the title.
–Anton Warner Ink 19


There still is fear-inducing music to be heard, though. New York/Connecticut's Bunny Brains and I also go way back. Many, many years ago, at a college not too far away, I blurted out the name while spewing some of the verbal drek that art students are so well known for and a band was born. At the time I was in a band called Invaders From Sears, and one of my bandmates--now known as Bobby Bunny--took the name and ran with it. I didn't do much with Bunny Brains, but the band has outlived my involvement by more than a dozen years. Now the Brains have four CDs, four LPs and numerous singles under their belts, and they continue to crank out the noise unflaggingly. Sin Gulls: Goring St. Eddy 1988-1998 was released on Menlo Park Records last year, and contains 10 years of singles. Good golly, what hath I wrought?

The most infamous Bunny is Eg the Poet, a longhaired, bearded, rabble-rouser in a tutu. Or a wedding dress. Or whatever he can squeeze into that day. The Brains are noise meisters. Songs are not so much written as they are birthed--for better or worse. Eg speaks, sings and howls songs like "Seat Me in the (Vivisection)," " How Am I Supposed To Tell You I Love You (When Your D*ck's Stuffed In My Mouth)," and "For You I'd Kill." Other members include the aforementioned Bobby, bass pounder and thong wearer; Horlick Choi, drummer and stuffed animal look-alike; Chandra Pinkeye, guitar mauler; and occasionally, a guy known only as La Persona. Outfits are always spectacular and rude, often involving various states of undress.

Now when I say noise, I mean noise. Bunny Brains are extremely loud and chaotic. Some songs are great, others are like a brain flossing you didn't really need. Melody is fleeting, words are concocted on the spot, tempos come and go. There's a lot of low-end rumbling, drum pounding and the high-pitched squeals of amplifiers on overload. It can be unbearable. Or it can be amazing. I've been to many Bunny shows, and I've seen nudity, filth, diapers and hundreds of stuffed animals that get thrown around and mauled. Sometimes, when the smoke clears—and I mean that literally—you can be left standing there, laughing at the overwhelming humor and shaking your head in wonder at how adults can carry on this way. But stuff like this gives me hope. Bands like Bunny Brains laugh in the face of everything normal and good, and well, bless 'em for it.
–Elisa Flynn New Mass Media Weekly October 18, 2001



BunnyBrains (aka Matador "Pink Bag" LP)

The Brains do a total one take improvisation freak out the likes of which hasn't been seen since "Copernicus" from the late Eighties. The free forms range in style from the "Song" sounding "Cardinal" to some super-freakadelic-noise-wing-dings-extremes. Inspiration for some of the vocals provided by the penis in the rat trap pictured on the record sleeve. There's a nice little spoken word encouraging designer plaid wearing teary-eyed Cobain worshippers to "Do the Same". It's the Bunny Brains all right.
–Hairy Kari Edge of Obscurity Music Database Aug. 9, 1995


This out of print classic psychedelic rock effort by the BunnyBrains ranks up there with the best of “Silver Machine” era Hawkwind and the farthest galaxies of the B-hole Surfers – A poetic sprawling affair from one of the true iconoclastic underground bands in the USA
–eBay October 2002

Dreamtime In Halgamotha

A mixture of art-house noise and rock minus standard vocals, except for an occasional yell or telephone answering machine message, etc. Much of the tracks are repetitive and wondering at the same time. Traces of funk-psychedelia can also be found occasionally.; for the most part, Bunny Brains sound as though you were sitting in on a rock band in their garage on a 97 degree day with too much beer and not enough time..
–Michael Breece GAJOOB 6/25/99



BunnyBrains CD*93

Bunny Brains are my favorite band so I was very pleasantly surprised to see this CD release only one month after the release of their double LP. All new stuff recorded in the BB's typical one-take fashion and as fabulous as anything else they've done. Noise, guitars, bass, rhythms! Draws you in and out of a trance with the creeching-melodic vocals. Everyone should own this — Especially if you missed out on the LP.
–CK MAXIMUMROCKNROLL


The name Bunny Brains conjures images of crazed music arising from cramped quarters and players probably naked and on amphetamines. It all makes sense when the disc starts, until they settle into the organ-ground, dinosaur dirge-groove of the nine minute "You're A Stud." Bunny Brains are a rolling-thunder basement band with ancient prog rhythms and Weenlike bombast, and some entertaining butt-rock tendencies on, for instance, "Kukla, Fran and Bunny."
–Patrick Barber PUNCTURE


It doesn't get much rawer than this. The Bunny Brains start out by concocting a delicate layer of noise and banshee wailing, carefully add on more layers of noise, and then top it all off with even more noise, to boot. Carrying a sort-of art school mystique about them, The Bunny Brains seek to test the stamina of even the most jaded and avant garde music listener out there. It's like Sonic Youth, minus the snobby sophistication.

If you're into this type of thing, then The Bunny Brains are exactly what you've been looking for: brash, unrestrained, and ready to cause some serious damage to your stereo system.
–Bret Van Horn Spoiler Webzine Issue 3.01 Winter 1999-2000



Beach Bunny Bingo

Connecticut's purveyors of the world's finest anti-structure what-the-fuck rock'n'roll, present their most diverse, if uneven (perhaps appropriate), 10 inches of schizoid punk. Opening and closing the record are O.J. related chants & phone hijinx, inbetween, the facets are numerous. "Coco Yoko" is a raga-like guitar percussion and "wheedle" trio, followed immediatly by the slab of B.B. classic sludge "Mischievious wit of Susan Smith", which if I could decipher the lyrics, would certainly take her to task. "Blood On The Snacks" is appropriately tasty and represents the straightforward power of Brains gonzo riffage and psych pulse. The relentless distorted drumbeat of "Smack Subscription" buffet by molasses guitar and echoed vox. Side 2 contains the amazingly stupid live track "Country Funk ELP"- stupid, not bad; The abbreviated voice digitized version of "Mr. Tommy", credited to HAL!; and "Bring Me The Head Of Trent Renzor" which savages the arrogant faux-industrial schlop of the title character. Drugs, fuzz, beer, sarcasm, noise all add up to fun.
–Howard Beale Edge of Obscurity Music Database March 6, 1996



For You I'd Kill/On The Floor Again

Bunnybrains "For You I'd Kill" (recorded in 1989 despite the topical title) sounds a lot like Jad Fair, specifically one of the early Half Japanese rockers. It's sounds so much like an early Half Japanese rocker that it's just as GREAT as an early Half Japanese rocker. I guess the difference is that the Bunnybrains get a little nastier with the imagery, repeating "For you I'd kill!!!!" over and over in a high howl. But it's not quite totally evil -- like with Fair, you get the feeling that the singer might be a shy wise library nerd in real life. Besides, the band makes it so groovin', that geekiness, barbarianism, and killing are just puppet issues, with grooving being the real issue.
–Blastitude, Issue 10  october/november 2001


At their best, Big Black; at their worst, Drunks with Guns; these Connecticut guys have my vote for lo-fi, down-and-dirty single of the year. They have a sense of humor too. The singer, Eg the Poet, hits screechy high notes and sometimes sounds like Daniel Johnston if he recorded for Amphetamine Reptile. Much better than the song titles would suggest.
–Elisabeth Vincentelli, PUNCTURE #25


Great Hats! Industrial meets grunge meets HAWKWIND with a prescription for downers. Absolute fucked up noise that made no sense. And since neither band nor anybody else cared about this flaw. I had a good time.
–FLIPSIDE #77


From the genetically mutated children of Flipper and Butthole Surfers comes a noise so thrashy, so warped, and so insane, that no one in this lifetime could possibly have any idea of what these looneytunes are all about. They must be doing some really good drugs — I'd like to meet their dealer. The homemade sleeve is done cheesily in magic marker, the record label itself has the song titles scribbled in with colored pencil, and the recordings were done in one take (probably on someone's boom box) with no rehearsals whatsoever. This is beyond awful, but that's what makes The Bunny Brains so great — ask for it by name!
–JK, UNDER THE VOLCANO #10


Fuzzed out garage raunch along the lines of PUSSY GALORE or SAD SACK but a tad less abrasive. Malcolm from BROKEN TALENT is in this band so you knew it was going to be pretty good. Great effort in the packaging dept. with lots of different sleeves, scribblings, etc.
–BD, MAXIMUMROCKNROLL


A co-worker saw a bare penis in REAL LIFE once and asked, "They let you do that?" I had a devil of a time explaining that you can do most anything if you have the bucks and don't look real hard to find a "they" to ask for an O.K. This band is a good example. They do whatever they want 'cause it's all self made and promoted, right down to the spray painted, ink stamped and magic markered cover. Most of the vocals are caterwaul and the music is a cacaphony of straight ahead bass driven beat and anarchic guitar screech and noodle. Real, honest, down home, this is us whether you like it or not. Better than loads of major label "artists" if you ask me.
–REAL LIFE IN A BIG CITY #51


L: O.K.!! Oh man what a bad riff, but tis bad ass and atonal at will. B: Yes, just like leaning into a grindstone wearing steel clothes! A car getting a flat but pushing it at full throttle. For U I'd Kill! L: Wow, y'now I really love this song, the sonics are here... another bad riff but it totally rocks... that strangely savage Southern New England narrow minded snarl but this opens wide and says welcome to rock and roll, listen and love, the world is eternally new...
–Lou Barlow, Bob Fay, POPWATCH


Raw, fuzzy, distorted punk maddness that comes off a bit like FLIPPER with female vocals. The kind of sound that could damage your tropical fish and house plants. Unique, one-of-a-kind packaging as the sleeve appears to be page 131 of a "Color Me Beautiful" book. Hand written band name and songs on the sleeve and vinyl. And a baseball card thrown in the package for some reason (Alvarado Espinoza of the Yankees if that means anything to ya.)
–EBAY

I'm Obsessed With My Looks/Busboy Bop

Pranksters from hades, The Bunny Brains, have put out their second seven-inch. It's got two songs...Two tunes that will stick in your throat like curdled tree sap. Each one comes in its own unique cover. No two ar alike. Yowza.
–HIP 3/15/93


...A feast of havoc and distortion while the singer reiterates the title... The packaging of this single is uniques too. It comes in a faded leatherette red high school diploma case.
–WARD MUSIC MONTHLY



GG's Dead 45

The Bunny Brains do “GG is dead and I’m not feeling too good either.” This band takes hard drugs! I mean you can’t really figure what they are playing. The signer [sic] is yelling so badly, and the guitar riffs are so weird. I guess you need to be on drugs to listen this. After listening to this you can agree with the song title that they are not feeling too good.
–QUEBEC HARDCORE NEWS

Bunny Magick

After watching them open for Sebadoh last fall, MAGNET's Phil Sheridan said, in all seriousness, "Bunny Brains is the worst band I have ever seen." After giving Bunny Magick a couple of spins, I can understand what he meant. Though the Supreme Dicks once described themselves as "one guy trying to play a song and six guys trying to destroy it," this description lends itself better to the racket made by Connecticut's B-Brains. But somehow these rascally rabbits make their two-chord (if that many) improvo-rock work. Breaking up Bunny Magick's originals with a few entertaining samples (including the LP-opening anti-drug number from a sincere-sounding kiddie choir), the Brains have released yet another record of frustrating songs that are both inspired and original.
–Eric T. Miller, MAGNET


Two-thirds of the records presented to a fellow like me are silly style exercises, lamely threading pop music through some freshly-derived new formula. It's like Mattel putting a different dress on Barbie and calling it a new doll. So when a stunted-growth crew like Bunny Brains take the Zip Code Rapists to heart and set about ridiculous recordmaking, the change of pace in their rehab-ready exercises really makes an impression.

This album's beutiful cartoon-surrealist jacket art by Todd Schorr masks an amnesiac assortment of wet comedy slaps and unfocused bomb jams. A children's choir sings "Drugs No Way" to push everything off to a good start. The tickling torrents of "Onic Outh" (Double Pumped Version)" and "Blackjack Bunnyjet," present a love for din as clearly heard as anywhere in the same county as Slug's practice space. The stilted "Erin Go Boom! (The Pinty Song)" recalls Caroliner's fearsome folk jams. Obscure self-commentary and tape scraps fill the gaps.
If Bunny Brains have hald the wit of ZCR or Pork Queen, they aren't letting on. Mostly concerned with their own band and indie rock in general, Bunny Magick is an ill-willed whirlwind of edgy noise and rock resentment that shrinks your skull with a purposeful lack of appeal. No sell out!
–Ian Christie, ALTERNATIVE PRESS


Nothing exceeds like excess. The Bunny Brains have built a Taj Mahal of psychedelic sludge, a two-chord Trump Tower, a Mount Rushmore of everybody playing really loud at once and sort of trying to make sure they're playing the same song. The Connecticut band, known for way-over-the-top live performances (half-naked dancers, dozens of stuffed animals flying everywhere, very long songs) and why-did-they-do-that? recordings (CDs with hand-made sleeves; one-of-a-kind cassettes), has topped itseld again. Bunny Magick has a handful of digressions, like the ridiculous acoustic tribute to a favorite DJ ("R U Ready Carolyn Keddy?") and an even more ridiculous, fume-addled jig ("Erin Go Boom!"), and a couple of short "found" pieces (like the hysterical children's choir anti-drug songthat opens the record). Most of it, though, is what the Bunny Brains do best: hugely fun, bnear-improvised two-chord rock for lots of people to jump up and down to, with songs thatgo on as long as they're still fun for everyone to play and end when everybody's gotten bored with the main riff and wandered off into solos. Carrots on sticks: "(What Kind Of) SHAPE (Are You In)?," "(The) Fight (Song)" and "Blackjack Bunnyjet."
–Douglas Wolk, JACKPOT!

You Got It (Comin')

Fuzz-guitar assault is weighted down with angry lyrics that capture some of the reckless abandon of the late-80's post-punk scene. Tucked beneath the track's bravado is a simple but contagious melody that holds promise for future recordings. Way cool for college programmers who aren't trying to be overly commercial and slick.
–Larry Flick, BILLBOARD August 13, 1994


After having released countless cassettes (rumor has it the band's once-a-week rehearsals used to produce one tape each), a bunch of singles, a CD and a double-album set, the Bunny Brains have stumbled upon a vaguely recognizeable rock sound. They actually play their instruments and write songs, sounding like a sloppy punk rock wedding band, fronted by the drunkest guy at the party. "Cold Nut Soup (punch in)" could be neo-psychedelic, if it were more coherent, and "Keyhole Waltz No. 4" is a brief guitar-pwered mess. But it is the title track which is the most memorable, with Dan Bunny blithely wailing, "You've got it comin' to you baby/you've got it comin' to your head."
–K. Sanneh, CMJ


"This band SUCKS! They are the WORST! LAME! Moronic! STUPID! FUCKED-UP! Also these guys are assholes. They CAN'T even PLAY their INSTRUMENTS! They are DILLETANTS! You are better off with a SHELLAC record because it STINKS!"
–Neil Strauss



BunnyBrains at The Cooler, July 3, 2000

Last night I had a most strange experience with the superband the BUNNYBRAINS!!!!!!!!!!!!! i Must say they are quite an interesting bunch and provided me with about an hour of undiluted, pure, raw entertainment; the like which I havent seen since balki bartokomous. They were the last band at the cooler's famous free monday night series and it was worth every penny. My favorite song was definitely the one titled OpSail 2000- i think it might've been a new one. But the absolute highlight of the night was when their smoke machine went bonkers and filled the whole club with smoke. I was not one of the brave ones who stuck around for the toxic bunny fumes and instead ran to the back of the club where there was a big fan and I proceeded to watch the spectacle on one of the many video screens that are dispersed throughout the cooler. I think I was the only one who was able to see what was really going on onstage because somehow the video fought through the blinding smoke and gave me a perfect view of headman bunny swinging from the ceiling. Well it only got better when New york city's bravest came stomping down into the club in full gear. The women started hooting and hollering and the situation turned into full-blown circus rock and roll. It was truly a nyc "fill-in-the-blank' moment. I just thought the group would enjoy this little story, and be sure to keep an eye out for future bunny exploits.

–Barry B


Sebadoh, Versus, Bunny Brains at Avalon, October 22

Bunny Brains were as weird as they were musically inept. I'm sure they are someone's idea of something, but I'm sorry-for me, no redeeming virtues, despite the seemingly endless supply of stuffed bunnies they showered the audience with. Moreover, their lead singer dude, who eventually peeled down his silver lame lounge dress to reveal altogether too much shapeless white belly, was unattractive in every way possible. My favorite part was when the gratuitous bunny thrower came out with an enormous stuffed dog. You could almost feel the spike in crowd aggression as they fell upon the hapless mutt, tearing it to shreds, and tossing the eviscerated skin back onto the stage where the bass player managed to look annoyed. Other bunnies suffered similar fates although I did see one young woman leaving with hers (a very little one, it's true) clutched to her bosom. How sweet.

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