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INTERVIEW
Universal Wheels
 hen and how did BIGELF get started?
Damon: I should start by saying, we have a new addition to the clan…a lefty Viking bassist from Helsinki, Finland. His name is Duffy Snowhill. We are getting on quite well. Bigelf's magic carpet landed on the the L.A. club scene in early 92' somewhere between left-over Sunset strip metal and soon-to-rule-the-world Seattle grunge, but the swirling form in my mind actually began much earlier maybe 88/89'. My goal was to put together a group that would hybrid musical styles from the past. I wanted to bring back Mellotrons, bellbottoms and beards! What could be harder in the day of plaid shirts and shoe gazer rock? It was impossible to find musicians that would take a chance playing our kind of music. I met Andy through a guitarist wanted ad in late 1991, it read: "Charismatic guitarist with a Badfinger requested". We found Steve in Oregon spending ALL his time noodling with analog synthesizers, not drums. He joined in 95'…nothing has changed.
- Whereabouts are you based out of?
Andy: Hollywood, California - Eugene, Oregon - Helsinki, Finland. Rehearsals are kinda tough.
- How old are you guys?
Damon: Elf years?…about 300 years old.
Andy: Enough to know better.
- What sort of music did you grow up on? Biggest influences?
Steve: Had to hear a lot of Moody Blues from age 1, (Moms favorite y'know). That's probably why I like the Mellotron so much. Brothers played the "White album" all the time. Lots of Stones, Beatles, Yes, etc. Classic AOR. Later got into Kiss pretty heavy. Was in a Kiss look-a-like band in
'78-'79. In High school there was Sabbath, ELP, Zappa/Mothers, and of course Van Der Graaf Generator, Osanna, etc.
Damon: I grew up on Satan rock! But the Beatles had the biggest impact.
Andy: British invasion, psychedelic, hard rock. Biggest influences: Beatles
- Can you give me a few of your favorite singers, guitarists, bassists, keyboardists, drummers. [3 or 4 each]??
Damon: Paul McCartney fills the void for all of those categories. Ozzy is definitely one of my biggest influences for lyrics and melodies. Geezer Butler has alot of feel. Kerry Minnear from Gentle Giant is who I relate to most on a overall sonic level as a keyboardist. Organ-based faves include Ken Hensley, Vincent Crane, Jon Lord and how could I leave out the consummate showman…Keith Emerson!
Steve: My "favorite" drummers list tends to evolve over time. Big influences early on were Bill Bruford, Neil Peart, Guy Evans(VDGG), Moon. These days, "Move" era Bev Bevan, "Ibis" era Ric Parnell, & all the great Italian drummers.
Andy: Singers: Phil May, Ian Hunter and David Bowie. Guitarists: Mick Ronson, Tony Iommi and David Gilmour
- What can you tell me about each other? [traits, influences …]
Damon: Steve is always losing his wallet and Andy collects dictionaries…nice.
Andy: Two of the nicest chaps a fellow could hope to meet.
Steve: Two very different characters that work extremely well off of each other. Like peanut butter & jelly.
- 'Money Machine' is your 2nd album [?]
- What can you tell me about the 1st, and how it was received?
Damon: Yes, "MM" is the 2nd. Our first album is called "Closer To Doom". For those in tune to that frequency, it was a revelation…I think people are hungry for something real and untainted.
For me, "MM" is a more mature album, more focused. "Doom" was really exciting for us because it's the first thing we released and there was all kinds of energy building up behind it.
- What sort of tours have you guys been on? Biggest and most memorable gigs?
Andy: Typical soul destroying wouldn't-have-it-any-other-way near disasters. We've been closing doors on the West Coast for years and more recently in Scandinavia. I don't remember most of our gigs although I understand we're quite noted for splitting our trousers.
Damon: We played our biggest show to date at the Swedish Rock Festival w/ Alice Cooper, Dio, and King's X… among others. It was very gratifying to play live for fans who have had the "Doom" album for years.
- What countries have you been most successful in thus far?
Damon: Tattoine and Sweden.
- You guys definitely border on the 70s heavy-prog stylings. I notice some King Crimson vocal effects, arrangements, heavy Hammond ala Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Atomic Rooster, etc… What sort of bands have you been compared to??
Damon: Mostly it's always been Beatles meets Black Sabbath but more often we are getting the Pink Floyd/King Crimson thing. I think the best one so far is POST NUCLEAR BEATLES! I'm fine with that one. It sums us up pretty well.
- Cool cover of the Atomic Rooster classic "Death Walks Behind You"!
- Who's idea [and why] was that??
Damon: That was my idea, I think? It has to be one of the darkest songs ever written…It's simply classic. I thought it would be appropriate to do at the time. We were a trio with no bassist, I would play bass on a minimoog with my left hand. Atomic Rooster is the only band (trio) I know of, that had that kind of line-up. We were also thinking about Vincent Crane, he died that year.
- What inspires your lyrics?
Andy: The valley below the hill I'm falling down. And Henry James.
Damon: Madness and little voices in my head.
- What tracks stand out for you on the new album? Any stories?
Andy: "Money Machine" and "The Bitter End" pretty much say it all. Any stories? Yes, and they're all true.
Steve: All the tracks have something for me. Andy's valve melting guitar on "Bitter End" (I pity anyone who wasn't there when THAT went down) as an example. "Money Machine" still scares me. When we did that, Damon used the Moog Modular. There was a point when he was laying down the solo, I was turning knobs, and the Moog keyboard was volunteering its own ideas to the performance due to it's ill-health at the time. Magic. The keyboard has since been treated. We expect a full recovery.
Damon: "Sellout" has always been one of my faves of Andy's. The recording has two endings. The first, is the one we planned. The second, was the end of another take that was partially erased. During the mix it just jumped out and we decided to keep it as a reprise.
- Can you give me a top 10 list of favorite all-time albums?
Damon:
1. Abbey Road/White Album (TIE) - The Beatles
2. In the Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson
3. Master of Reality - Black Sabbath
4. Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
5. SF Sorrow/Parachute (TIE)- The Pretty Things
6. Looking On - The Move
7. Straight Up - Badfinger
8. Night at the Opera - Queen
9. Acquiring the Taste - Gentle Giant
10. Gracious! - Gracious!
Andy:
1. Parachute - Pretty Things
2. Something Else - Kinks
3. Revolver - Beatles
4. Wish You Were Here - Badfinger
5. Wildlife - Wings
6. Highway to Hell - AC/DC
7. Brain Capers - Mott the Hoople
8. Master of Reality - Black Sabbath
9. The Man Who Sold the World - Bowie
10. Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
(Shuffling order)
Steve:
1. Pawn Hearts - Van Der Graaf Generator
2. Sun Supreme - Ibis
3. Ys - Il Balleto di Bronzo
4. Ogdens Nut Gone Flake - Small Faces
5. McDonald and Giles - McDonald and Giles
6. Shazam! - The Move
7. 666 - Aphrodite's Child
8. Low - David Bowie
9. Milano Calibro 9 - Osanna
The tenth being any of about 50 other genius records I can't choose between…
-Damon, are you a keyboard player, bassist, or singer first and foremost??
Damon: Before Duffy joined the group, I used to do all of those things at the same time on stage! I started on keys and guitar but I always thought it was more important to be a great songwriter. Anybody can wank off on some guitar.
- What sort of plans are in the immediate future for Bigelf?
Damon: Mellotron repairs.
Andy: Touring in Europe for Money Machine in November-December. Recording a new album in Feb/2001. Having all my friends over for a Nice Cup Of Tea.
- Where did the name come from?
Damon: Well, I always wanted to have one of those "classic" oxymoronic band names that people remember, like Led Zeppelin, Gentle Giant, Iron Butterfly, etc. I think the name fits the music. As far as the genesis of the name… One day a big flaming pie swooped down out of the sky and shouted… BIGELF! Ooops…that story is already taken…isn't it.
Andy: We made it up.
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