Electro-pop extravaganza: Jesika von Rabbit is headed to Phoenix on brief Arizona tour

Get ready to dance your ass off, Phoenix.

If you love big, danceable electro pop with hooks galore and driving, booty-rockin' bass lines, then Friday night at Chopper John’s in Phoenix is a must-attend show for you. On May 9, 2025, Joshua Tree, California’s Jesika Von Rabbit will take over the small, blink if you miss it, biker(ish) rock and roll bar on East Indian School Road, and zero prisoners will be taken.

Von Rabbit, who was formerly in seminal Joshua Tree act, Gram Rabbit, has been doing the solo bunny hop across the music world for the last decade. Along with her trusty bassist, Lee Joseph, she has continuously pumped out the type of tunes that put a smile on your face, pep in your step, and enough cleverness to make any wordsmith swoon. In short, this is a show you do not want to miss because when you can get a chance to see such a fabulous tribute to all things dayglo, glittery, and glam, you have to go.

As the duo makes their way to Arizona for shows in Phoenix, Bisbee, and Tucson, von Rabbit is preparing to release a new record, Bunnywood Babylon (Dionysus Records), on June 13. To say she is excited is an understatement.

“It comes out on Friday, June 13th. I hope that’s not too unlucky. ‘Bunnywood’ is my own metaphor for my life and my existence, how I’m living in my own ‘Bunnywood Babylon.’ It was fun deciding on the title. Topic-wise, the album spans the gamut from self-deprecating and introspective stuff, but ends up with something fun. There are a couple songs about my cat who passed away, ‘Year of the Tiger’ and ‘I Gotta Keep My Buzz Going,’ because his name was ‘Buzz,’” says von Rabbit over the phone.

One of the first three singles off the record, “Wacko,” was released on April 25, 2025. It has a killer video shot by Aeydra Swan and edited by Swan and von Rabbit. Without the visual aspect, the song is super striking on its own, but the video is a must-see.

From the choppy, distorted guitar at the outset that disintegrates into a pulsating synth-driven groove, von Rabbit’s song is captivating as it builds into a chorus of “Everybody’s So Wacko.” Talk about an earworm. She skillfully puts her finger right on a thought that almost all of us are having in 2025.

“I edited, and my friend, Aeydra (Swan), shot it. I’d worked with her before. It was fun and outdoors in the desert…There are wacky costumes, and it was fun to do the editing. I know how I want to see myself, and sometimes when someone else is editing, I’m like, ‘Oh God, that angle. I hate myself (at that angle), I don’t look good, but I look good here.’ I prefer the colorful, out there, artsy things,” says von Rabbit.

Watching von Rabbit do her thing and listening to her talk about her career, it is clear that putting on a great show for the audience is at the top of her list of things she wants to do as she marches forward with a new record and small slate of shows booked over the next several months.

“I love to entertain. I know some people might pass (what we do) off as a novelty act because I have dancers, and we do costume changes. We have fun with (the show), but the music is still serious. Some songs are more serious, though, and I put a lot of thought and care into my songwriting. I do like to entertain, though, and I like to be entertained,” says von Rabbit.

Fortunately for von Rabbit, as well as those lucky folks who attend her shows on May 9, 10, and 11 in Arizona, the entire show will be entertaining. Opening for von Rabbit are local country bad asses, Brea Burns and the Boleros, and the utterly unexplainable, yet always amazing performance art meets pop deconstruction of Borts Minorts. Chopper John’s will be the site of a truly one-of-a-kind musical experience, and most likely, will never be quite the same.

“I think it’s going to be a good combination. I’m new to Borts Minorts, but he seems like a perfect fit for us, and Brea (Burns) has this really nice country music, so it’s a good variety pack. I’m attracted to the colorful stuff,” says von Rabbit.

Colorful is an understatement for the May 9th show at Chopper John’s. Don’t miss it.

Jesika von Rabbit, Brea Burns and the Boleros, and Borts Minorts play Chopper John's on Friday, May 9, 2025 at 8pm.The show is for 21+ and has no cover. Chopper John's is located at 2547 East Indian School Road in Phoenix.