Louisiana-based band Stone Rabbits’ goal is to bring fans what they want.
The blues rock band will perform at the Varsity Theatre with special guest Levee Daze Wednesday at 8 p.m. Drummer Sambo Bachrack said Wednesday’s performance will be a gift to fans who love the music the band is known for.
“We won’t be promoting any new songs,” he said. “We’ll just be doing what we love to do at a place we love to perform. We’re not using this performance for promo, but it doesn’t mean there won’t be any new music.”
Stone Rabbits will perform a selection of songs from its discography, which may feature new songs that are being mixed and mastered for their next EP, due around Christmas time.
Bachrack said the band’s forthcoming EP will feature a continuous session — a break from the usual pause in between tracks. Paired with influences such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, Bachrack said creating this EP gave the band practice for its recent shows.
“On this EP, we tried something new,” Bachrack said. “We’re just rocking out on one long track instead of the record jumping from one track to another. The guitar solos and ’70s inspiration gave us a lot of practice because it’s a bit newer to us.”
Bachrack said the members of Stone Rabbits met in high school in Covington, Louisiana. The band features Bachrack, percussionist Blake Sellers, bass guitarist Greg Rider, guitarist Logan Sellers, keyboardist Kenny Rider and vocalist/guitarist Ben Burbrink.
The band met through an intermingled chain of interaction. Logan and Bachrack met in elementary school, Greg and Kenny were neighbors with Burbrink as children and Bachrack and Kenny played soccer on the same middle school team. Kenny and Greg create one set of brothers while Logan and Blake make up the other, Bachrack explained.
Stone Rabbits formed in 2007, and after completing their high school courses, all five members enrolled in LSU. Greg, Logan, Burbrink, Bachrack and Blake still attend LSU, while Kenny received his bachelor’s degree in finance in 2014.
“LSU gave us a lot of experience,” he said. “There’s many creative people that attend LSU, and we like playing with them.”
In 2011, Stone Rabbits won LSU’s Battle of the Bands and opened for OneRepublic and Jay Sean as a part of the university’s Groovin’ on the Grounds concert.
Stone Rabbits last performed at the Varsity Theatre in February. Finance sophomore Kathy White looks forward to seeing the band perform for the second time.
“I stumbled upon their performance last time,” she said. “Now, I make sure I see them when they’re in Baton Rouge because they’re so good live.”
Bachrack said the key to the band’s success is simply just doing what they know and love to do.
“We try to just jam the whole performance,” he said. “Trying new sounds and adding improvisation to each set, never really sounding like the last.”