Ether Bunny was the name of an

experimental big band An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

and

sound collage In music, montage (literally "putting together") or sound collage ("gluing together") is a technique where newly branded sound objects or compositions, including songs, are created from collage, also known as montage. This is often done throug ...

project founded by composer

Daniel Vahnke Daniel Vahnke (born April 2, 1965), sometimes credited as Anton Rathausen, is a Canadian composer and lyricist. He is best known as a co-founding member of Vampire Rodents, a band that integrated elements of classical, ambient, and industrial m ...

and based in

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. Ether Bunny's music was strongly influenced by the

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

and cartoon music of the 30s and 40s but also drew elements from

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

musique concrète Musique concrète (; ): " problem for any translator of an academic work in French is that the language is relatively abstract and theoretical compared to English; one might even say that the mode of thinking itself tends to be more schematic, ...

modern classical In music, modernism is an aesthetic stance underlying the period of change and development in musical language that occurred around the turn of the 20th century, a period of diverse reactions in challenging and reinterpreting older categories o ...

, hip hop, electro and

industrial music Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initiall ...

. To date, Ether Bunny has released two albums: A debut album titled '' Papa Woody'' released in 1996 and a follow-up ''

Attention Please is a manga by Chieko Hosokawa about the training of flight attendants for Japan Airlines originally serialized in ''Shōjo Friend'' from Kodansha beginning in 1970. Tokyo Broadcasting System adapted a TV drama from the manga in 1970. Thirty ...

'' in 2017. The name is a play on

Easter Bunny The Easter Bunny (also called the Easter Rabbit or Easter Hare) is a folkloric figure and symbol of Easter, depicted as a rabbit—sometimes dressed with clothes—bringing Easter eggs. Originating among German Lutherans, the "Easter Hare" orig ...

History

Foundation and ''Papa Woody'' (1993–96)

Ether Bunny was conceived in 1993 by composer

as an outlet for his experimental

and cartoon music compositions that closely aligned to the style of his musical heroes

Carl Stalling Carl William Stalling (November 10, 1891 – November 29, 1972) was an American composer, voice actor and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' shorts produced by War ...

and Milt Franklyn. Vahnke realized he had sufficient material to begin a project separate from his primary sound collage outlet Vampire Rodents during the recording sessions for their third album '' Lullaby Land''. He set aside the material recorded for the Ether Bunny project as he continued to release music under his Vampire Rodents moniker. '' Papa Woody'', Ether Bunny's first studio album, made its debut on

Fifth Colvmn Records Fifth Colvmn Records was a record label based in Washington, DC. The label was founded in 1990 by Zalman Fishman, owner of the nightclub FIFTH COLVMN, located in Washington D.C. The label's first release was Chemlab's debut EP Ten Ton Pressure. ...

in 1996. Like Vampire Rodents, the music was entirely composed using Vahnke's Sample-Based Composition technique which involves creating complex music from sampled notes or measured taken from sections of previously recorded improvised or composed music. Aside from having a stronger jazz influence than Vampire Rodents, the music also featured a lighter more upbeat tone with danceable Caribbean rhythms and percussion. The work of

, a composer of the scores for ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation.

'' and

Disney's The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

Silly Symphony ''Silly Symphony'' is an American animated series of 75 musical short films produced by Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939. As the series name implies, the ''Silly Symphonies'' were originally intended as whimsical accompaniments to pieces ...

'' series, served as a major influence on the album's sound.Vampire Rodents' MySpace page
Ether Bunny description. Retrieved on December 21, 2017. Vahnke has claimed that he wrote the album with the intention of exposing his composition technique as well as big band music to a younger audience. Vahnke had intended to release a follow-up album titled Toybox but his plans fell through when Fifth Colvmn experienced legal issues that lead to its closure in 1997. Ether Bunny's music fared well critically and was favorably compared to the work of

Foetus A fetus or foetus (; plural fetuses, feti, foetuses, or foeti) is the unborn offspring that develops from an animal embryo. Following embryonic development the fetal stage of development takes place. In human prenatal development, fetal develo ...

Jack Dangers Jack Dangers (born John Stephen Corrigan, 11 January 1965) is an English electronic musician, DJ, producer, and remixer best known for his work as the primary member of Meat Beat Manifesto. He lives in San Francisco. Career Prior to founding ...

and

The Lounge Lizards The Lounge Lizards were an eclectic musical group founded by saxophonist John Lurie and his brother, pianist Evan Lurie, in 1978. Initially known for their ironic, tongue-in-cheek take on jazz, The Lounge Lizards eventually became a showcase fo ...

. Critic Vincent N. Cecolini praised Vahnke for his innovative approach to composition, saying "by mixing original the music with programmed drums and sound effects, he not only creates a vivid aural collage of acid jazz,

and

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...

, but also proves just how timeless the original music is." Vahnke's skills on a sampler were also commended, with ''Aiding & Abetting'' describing his editing as "astonishing" and "seamless." A critic for ''Sonic Boom'' applauded the diversity and humor of the music saying "I feel that this release in bettered intended for the real music connoisseur who will take the time to understand all the hidden elements placed throughout the album and yet still enjoy the play on words used in naming all the tracks on the album."

Project Revival and ''Attention Please'' (2016–present)

In 2016, Vahnke established official YouTube and Facebook pages that serve as outlets for unreleased compositions, including Ether Bunny compositions. Material that was recorded and intended to be released as Ether Bunny's second album was made available to the public for the first time. In 2017, the band started its official bandcamp page and began digitally issuing their back catalog along with unreleased material. Ether Bunny's second full-length album ''

'' saw its official release on December 28, 2017.

Discography

Studio albums *'' Papa Woody'' ( Fifth Colvmn, 1996) *''

'' (Rodentia Productions, 2017)

References

External links

* * * * * {{Authority control Experimental big bands American electronic music groups American experimental musical groups American industrial music groups American instrumental musical groups Musical groups established in 1993 Musical groups from Phoenix, Arizona Fifth Colvmn Records artists Sound collage artists