British rockers BIG RIVER have been around for a short while, but have already played shows with some well known acts. Including having their works playing across the airwaves in the U.K. Europe and U.S.A. The band has taken the time to talk about their material, music creativity and future plans ahead.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
So we have Joe Martin on drums, Ant Wellman on bass, Damo Fawsett on guitar and Adam Bartholomew on vocals. Joe is an all rounder as well as playing drums in Big River he also plays bass and guitar in various other projects Ant is a bass maestro and for a long time until recently leaving he was also bass player in The Lambrettas. Ant is now part of another project playing Americana music as well. Damo breaths life into Big River. Not only is Damo lead guitar he is also the member of the band who behind the scenes works his socks off sorting gigs, social media, merchandise etc. Damo is responsible for creating Big River from the beginning. Adam is vocalist/lyricist for the band. He is our big man up front who doesn’t pull any punches and sings from the heart.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
The name Big River came about after all the band members chose different names around the Blues genre theme. Big River seemed rather apt as our first rehearsal was arranged at the Riverside studios Gravesend so Big river stuck.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
The band is based in Gravesend and Leos Red Lion is sort of our home venue as its where we often rehearse. It has such a rich musical history that it almost feels like it holds a musical spirit within the venue walls. It also is host to other great local bands like Stone wire and The Unknown.
4. How would you describe your style?
We started out playing blues/rock and we were likened to Free, Bad Company, Deep Purple and as time went on we were also likened to bands such as Clutch. All four of these bands are massive influences individually to band members and we think you can take different parts of these bands music and hear it coming through in Big Rivers sound.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
We have just released our debut album Redemption which is available on all major platforms such as iTunes and Spotify etc. Physical CD's are available from the band themselves and you can contact them through Facebook by typing in Big river blues. The Redemption album has done very well since its release and has some very good reviews including a 9/10 in Powerplay magazine. For someone who didn’t know what sound to expect from Big River all I can say is its blues/rock with balls, gritty vocals and amazing guitar solos.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
We are currently working on our second album. We wrote a lot of different songs whilst making Redemption so its not like we are hard up for new recordings although we do want our sound to evolve as the album unfolds.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
We are in negotiations with a lot of event organizers for some great festival slots next year which includes A New Day Festival which Glen Hughes headlined last time. A mini tour is also in the offing which could take in cities such as Newcastle after a very well received support slot for Cats In Space this year. We have one gig left of 2019 and that is an intimate gig in Rochester on November 29th at The Billabong Club with our special guest Kris Dollimore of Del Amitri. Tickets are available from the bands Facebook page.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
The plans we have here at Big River is to get our second album recorded and try and get our music out there for as many people to hear. Our passion is playing and writing and that’s what we want to do, just keep creating our style of blues/rock music for our fans to hear and hopefully pick up more fans on the way.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Our music is available to download on iTunes, Spotify, Bandcamp etc. If you like to have that CD in your hand then you can order a copy from the band via Facebook (big river blues) or better still come along to a live show and buy a copy from our merch stall and say hi to the band.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
As a listener of Big River for the first time we would like people to come away thinking these boys can play, these boys can groove and these boys have balls. Listen to the lyrics because behind every song is a meaning and rock out to those amazing guitar solos and funky bass lines if you like blues/rock you will be a fan of Big Rivers individual style of today that harks back to the glory days of the likes of Free and Deep Purple.
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