Interviews: Exposure: Big D And The Kids Table

Big D And The Kids Table cover all the appropriate cliches about 'keeping it real' and 'making music for yourself'. Thing is, they seem to really mean it.

Posted Friday, 4 May 2007 in

Boston ska-punkers Big D And The Kids Table took four months off to write and record their new album 'Strictly Rude'. Now this, ladies and gentlemen, is a big deal. This is massive. This is a band who have toured virtually non-stop for the past eight years and life as they know it lies predominantly on the open road.

"We got to have routines again, hang out with friends, go to local bars," enthuses vocalist Dave McWane. "Some of us even got apartments - it was new for us to actually put things on shelves and own a bed."

Big D are a band who, without sounding clichÃ©d, do what they do for the sheer love and enjoyment of it. Known throughout the scene for being as DIY as they come, to the seven-strong Big D contingent, it wasn't a case of feeling the need to get back to basics and doing it themselves, it was quite simply all they knew.

"We didn't even realise we were slumming it until other bands would say something about it," reflects the frontman. "We were just living it and didn't realise how anyone else was doing it."

The new album saw the Bostonians tighten the bonds of friendship and work on a project for each other.

"I think this record was definitely different for us," explains McWane. "Not many people cared for us â€“ the 'cool' crowd of the ska / punk rock scene included. Being on the road for so long really made us close and I think this record shows a real 'buddy' band attitude. We're just writing songs to make each other happy, make each other smile and challenge each other. We don't write songs to become famous or to please our fans, that might sound weird, but we make songs to make each other psyched because we have to love it."

Catch a piece of the action when the band tour the UK in May and keep your eyes peeled for DVD 'Built Up From Nothing' â€“ following the band on the road, with tips on how to tour DIY style.

KNOW IT ALL
LINE-UP: Dave McWane (vocals), Sean P Rogan (guitar), Steve Foote (bass), Dan Stoppelman (trumpet), Paul E Cuttler (trombone), Ryan O'Connor (saxophone), Jon Reilly (drums)
FROM: Boston, MA
SOUNDS LIKE: Beefy ska punk which takes you through the motions.
CURRENT RELEASE: 'Strictly Rude' (album, Side One Dummy. Out now)
DOWNLOAD THIS: 'Noise Complaint'