Published on Nov 15, 2001
Bigwig’s first CD,
Unmerry Melodies, is one of my favorite CDs. I listened to
it twice a day (which really isn’t that hard since it’s only 20
some minutes long) for nearly a year. Then they put out
Stay Asleep and I was even more pumped on this band. The
band progressed from touring relentlessly and brought a more mature
perspective to their craft. Gone were the blatant “Fuck you/ You
crashed my car” in “Old Lady” and the direct commentaries about the
societal groups around them such as college frat boys in “Drunken
Knight” and the whole vegetarian/non-vegetarian group in
“Carnivore.” They progressed to topics about selling out in
“Sellout,” touring in “13” and the familiar love/relationships in
songs like “Still.” For the Fearless Records compilation
Punk Does Metal, they covered Slayer’s “War Ensemble”
including a jazzy interlude in the middle of the song. When I heard
“War Ensemble,” I returned to spinning
Melodies and
Asleep on a regular basis.
So when
An Invitation To Tragedy finally arrived in my mailbox, I
unwrapped the shrink wrap cautiously. I admit I was worried. The
cover art looks like the kind of cover a band puts on their CDs
when they are weirding out. I mean, there’s a couple of mermaids
holding some sort of banner on the back cover and there are
elephants and rhinos on the front. Weird. Not punk.
Until you put the CD in and hear the frantic lead guitar work of
Tom. The other members of Bigwig have come and gone, but Tom is
Bigwig. On
Unmerry Melodies, they had Josh, Dan, John and Tom. On
Stay Asleep, they had Josh, Matt, John, and Tom (replacing
drummer Dan with drummer Matt). Now, on
Invitation, they replace Josh and John with Jeremy and Max.
If you head out to
Bigwig’s official site (no,
not now), maybe the band members have changed again.
The point is that if you have followed the band’s path of
rotating line-ups, you may be asking well, which is the best
lineup, like Roth or Hagar, Burton or Newsted (and the correct
answers would be Roth and Burton) of this band. Tom is given credit
for lead guitar on this release and he smokes. His leads ooze of
skill on the six string. His lyrics have taken the band to another
level, especially on the third track “Sore Losers” with these
lyrics: “I never played/ my mom can beat up your mom/ My dad can
beat up your dad/ My God can beat up your God too.” These lyrics
roll off Tom’s lips like nectar of the Gods. Relationships are at
the forefront of Tom’s mind as he sings “Your [sic] such a waste of
time/ but I’ll be just fine/ I saw a picture of you today/ I can’t
believe how much you’ve changed” in “Hope.” This guitar riff, while
good, is a little too close to 38 Special or Journey for my taste.
Sounds like something I’ve heard before.
Besides that one complaint, and it is oh-so-minor, I think
Invitation is a stellar release. It seems that the band took
the touring they did for
Asleep and captured the tightness of a live band within the
studio. It’s an inspiring release, in a way, because the individual
instruments all have their brief spots in which the musicians
shine. If longtime fans are looking for a glimpse to the
Melodies era, they can take comfort in “Appreciation” which
is a short 1:13 track with the group vocals you’d find all over
Melodies.
In all, though,
Invitation is by a band that is progressing to become a
powerhouse punk band. They have refined their skills. Tom as a lead
guitarist works, especially on solos during songs like “Sink or
Swim” and “Who Am I To Day” and “Italic.” Drummer Matt pounds his
way through the 32:56 on this CD with power. His drums sound full
and well-produced. Bassist Max and rhythm guitarist Jeremy fill
their slots with skill. By the time the guitar riff ends on
“Italic” with a single power chord, you’re left salivating for
more. This will do me until they come to my town (ahem, that’d be
Gabe’s
Oasis in Iowa City or
3rd Street
Live in Cedar Rapids.