Artist Q&A: Pepper Rabbit

Originally published in The Deli, Issue #7 (Fall 2010).
Download the PDF version of the magazine here.

Between releasing a debut album on Kanine Records, showcasing at CMJ and touring with the Rural Alberta Advantage and Cotton Jones across Canada and the U.S., respectively, 2010 has treated Pepper Rabbit well. With the album “Beauregard,” the duo, consisting of Xander Singh and Luc Laurent, has created a heartfelt and expansive journey of wistful indie rock.

What were some things you saw or people you met that might have inspired songs while recording the album in New Orleans?

Xander Singh: We had a lot of fun recording in New Orleans. The city is so vibrant and full of life that it’s hard not to be inspired by your surroundings. The only story that really made it into a song is “In the Spirit of Beauregard”. I brought my piano to New Orleans all the way from my living room in Silver Lake, and after the journey, we of course had to get it tuned. So the piano tuner showed up and saw my friends dog, Willie. He was so convinced that Willie was the reincarnation of his own dog, Beauregard, that he started talking to Willie as if he was Beauregard. So I started thinking about Beauregard’s story and how he might have died, and the song came to life.

Eight out of the 10 songs on the new album come from previously released EPs. Did you make any changes to the songs? Why should people who have your EPs buy the new album?

Xander: Well the reason we first separated the songs into EPs is that they were mixed and mastered by a few different people. So they sounded sonically very different from each other. With this release, they have been remastered so that they flow more cohesively. And with the track listing, they work a lot better as an ‘album’. There are also 2 extra tracks on the release and there are 2 additional tracks with the iTunes release.

Compared to when this was your solo project, how has the music evolved since Luc has become a band member?

Xander: Having Luc in the process has allowed me to step outside my head a bit. I always come up with a ton, sometimes too many, ideas and Luc really helps me shape them into something that in the end really works well. It’s great to have someone by your side that’s not afraid to tell you when something works and when something doesn’t. And when something doesn’t work it’s nice have the other set of ears to help you make it work.

How did the relationship spark between Pepper Rabbit and Kanine Records and what things about the label made you want to work with them?

Xander: They saw us perform at SXSW in 2010 and we started talking to them fairly immediately after we met. They are great because they really let us do whatever we want. They provide a great support system to the music we want to make. Also their history of finding great artists before most other people do was a huge incentive. A lot of our favorite bands have put
out their first recording with them.

The album’s instrumentation includes, piano, drums, bass, guitar, trumpet, accordion, clarinet, banjo, and ukulele. How are you able to translate that to the live setting?

Xander: It wasn’t easy. After we finished the recordings, we had about a year before we could start touring and playing shows. This gave me the time to map out and gather the equipment for the live show. And it took about a year to do so. We like to keep the personnel small, and only take one other person on the road. We also are not fond of playing to backing tracks. So we use a lot of live looping and employ a trigger pad where Luc triggers samples from. A few songs we have had to rework for the live setting, as the recorded versions wouldn’t translate well in a live setting without a 10 piece band. With three people and all the equipment we have on stage, we have been able to produce and incredibly full and lush sound live, which is something that took a ton of work but I’m really proud of.

How was your tour with Cotton Jones? What shows from that tour stick out in your mind and why?

Xander: It was amazing. Those guys are like family to us now, some of the most amazing people I’ve met in my life. We learned a lot from them. Every night they were so great and so consistent, and they pushed us into being a better live band. It’s great to see a band every day for three weeks and not tire of singing along. One show that sticks out was in Birmingham, AL. It was the fourth show of the tour, and the venue let us stay in the green room, and the Airstream Trailers in the parking lot. We all stayed up until five in the morning skateboarding through the venue, running around and just getting to know each other. It was like touring camp. One of the best nights of my life for sure.