Apr 27, 20172 min read

Carrots Out For The Dead Rabbitts (Beware United Airlines)

The Dead Rabbitts CD Release show on April 14, 2017 in their home state of Arizona was a big party at Club Red in Mesa. Many familiar faces showed up, such as friends and family of the band and the AZ local music scene who all came together to celebrate the band’s comeback. Their new album, This Emptiness (released via Tragic Hero Records), was ranking #3 on iTunes Metal charts as of this show date.

This show opened with a huge lineup of local supporting bands from Nu Metal to Metal to Metalcore to Post-hardcore to Emo to Rap. It was a diverse lineup that usually one might not imagine to be a great mix, but here it definitely was! Check out our recent reviews of a couple of the opening bands such as Note to Self and Phoenix Down.

Co-headliner Whitney Peyton, a female rapper from Philadelphia, PA, lit up the house and got everyone hyped for The Dead Rabbitts. Although this pink-haired rapper is from Philly, she’s built a niche-home in the AZ music scene. Her backup band members, Erik Jensen on rhythm guitar, Carlos Ruiz on bass, and Blake Bailey on drums, helped to bring on the heavy riffs to her popular Rap tunes. Even if Hip-Hop is not your cup of tea, everyone should experience Whitney Peyton live at least once – you got to experience her positivity, high energy, full-crowd engagement shows where she literally stands on the crowd and gets the party started. Peyton uses tons of interactive props; this show featured a striped, pony piñata stuffed with glow sticks that the crowd batted until it busted, and lots of blowup beach balls that were strewn across the crowd, whirling on air.

YouTube | I Hate My Roommate – Whitney Peyton (Official Music Video)

Follow Whitney Peyton online:

Facebook: @WhitneyPeytonMusic

Twitter: @WhitneyPeyton

Instagram: @whitneypeyton

The crowd could not wait for frontman Craig Mabbitt, to take the stage and kick off The Dead Rabbitts’ Metalcore sound with their CD Release Party headlining set. The crowd sang along with every song, including their new single “Burn It Down”, like they were all old favorites. Backup members of Whitney Peyton’s band joined Mabbitt, TJ Bell (bass), and Bobby Whitaker (lead guitar) on stage. They started crazy, and stayed crazy throughout the whole set. Because they are local boys, you could see Mabbitt and Whitaker mixing and talking with family and friends in the audience before and after. If you are looking for that hard-edged Metalcore sound, largely reminiscent of Mabbitt’s previous groups Bless The Fall and The Word Alive, The Dead Rabbitts will serve it up on your plate. Bon appétit!