New band alert: Big Ser debuts chunky, hook-laden alt-rock
Plus, a Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds listening party.
Few things are as exciting for an old bandgeeeek like me as seeing new musical projects come together.
It’s true of the brand-new, those bands whose members are just out of the box and full of youthful discovery. It’s also true (maybe more so) for the conglomerate bands, whose members come to the project with their own musical histories.
See: Sun Umbra, or Blackcoats or the entirety of off-shoot projects from the members of Fierce Creatures (someone could do a really cool family tree. Note to self).
And also, Big Ser.
The band has been in the studio working up a full-length’s album worth of songs and released a promo single, “Withering Heights,” last week.
As described by singer/guitarist Ian Johnson, Big Ser is, “kind of a return to form, alt rock, as if the 90s never left kind of thing. Crunchy, hooky stuff.”
Johnson is joined by Shawn Covert (guitars), Eric Peters (bass), Donny Marvin (drums) and Chris Pepper (doing keyboard work remotely from his studio in England). The live version of the band will feature Johnson’s brother Cameron on keys.
For the history, Johnson and Covert played together in the emo band Bel and the Dragon in the 2000s, though most recently Covert was in the trad-reggae ska band Belmont Sound System.
Peters played bass in Sleepover Disaster and is also a known sound engineer with his own recording studio and audio business.
Marvin played for any number of well-known projects including the Neanderthals and Sippy and Old Guzzler.
Pepper is in a band called Simon and the Astronauts, but may also be known for his work with Rachel Haden (from the band That Dog) and with the Rentals.
“It’s not Bel [and the Dragon], but it’s being written from the same place, with engine of Bel,” Johnson says. “Should be a fun one to roll out when this bad boy is finished.”
You can follow Big Ser @big_ser_music on Instagram.
A ‘Wild God,’ listening party, Aug. 29, at Ragin Records
From the start, Ragin’ Records has been about doing all the record-store things. Which means, along with the records themselves (a full selection of new releases, along with a large and well-curated stock of used stuff), the store has also done a number of in-store performances (even if some aren’t technically inside the store) and listening parties.
It’s hosted events for locals (Artificial Language, John Clifton) and for national acts like Green Day, Kacey Musgraves and now … Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
Ragin’ Records is hosting a listening party (with exclusive giveaways) for “Wild God,” Cave’s latest with longtime collaborators the Bad Seeds. It is already being called a masterpiece. The party happens 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29 at the Tower District store. The album gets its official release on Friday.
That’s it for this week. Remember you can now hear me on the Homegrown Show Sundays at 8 p.m. on New Rock 104.1 FM. This week I have Steffen Clark (Steffen Nicolas Management) in studio. Follow my other writing at The Fresno Bee. If you have anything you think I need to be looking at or listening to, feel free to let me know: jtehee@gmail.com