The Big Creak

THE BIG CREAK
January 23, 2004

I invite you to listen to just one song on this CD. If your foot is tapping by the end of it, you've come to the same conclusion as I have; the songs are catchy. And it's not like other CDs that you buy for one song with hope that he rest is just as good. With this CD, there isn't any "hoping" involved, it's just plain good.
It's hard to explain how truly awesome this CD really is. Songwriter Jim Koch captures what most people have felt and puts it all to words with ease.

This is especially true with a song entitled, "Half the Night." The song is about going out to party when you really shouldn't. This is something over half of University students can relate to.

"You can take your night/ you can go to bed on time/.... Life just don't seem right/ 'Less you do a little wrong/You can't afford half the night/ But you still go on and on."

The song talks about something so simple as going to a party, and gives a reason to do so. How could students not like that? The music is a combination of all of the band's influences. In the end, the band is a mix of rock, power pop and roots. Whichever you want to call it, it's impressive.

Indie-Music.com says, "These songs will hijack your brain." They don't leave anything out. If in one song the keyboardist has a mellow interlude, the next song will have a fast-paced melody for him to play. And it's the same for the other band members.

The Big Creak makes this CD fun to listen to. If not for the lyrics, then just for the beats themselves. Buy this CD, it's worth it. -Nichole Rominski - BG News

The Big Creak

There is this new sound steadily popping up on commercial Pop and Rock radio that takes the rhythmic vocal deliveries of Dave Matthews and John Mayer, spices it up with something that nears a weird Rap-like technique, and then slathers it over slick, groove-riddled Rock tracks (I blame that awful "Chinese chicken" rap on that horrid Barenaked Ladies break-though song a few years back). It is (somewhat surprisingly) not quite as irritating as the matchbox 20- or Creed-derived drivel that still lingers like a never-ending flu on your favorite KISS-whatever type "New Rock" stations. But even more massive success from artists like Maroon 5 and Jason Mraz will make this sound omnipresent in the next year or so.

That's good news for Columbus' The Big Creak, whose new album, Just Left Town (released through local indie label, Opulent Records), is sprinkled with the kind of singles that'll have Johnny A&R drooling. It'll be those songs ("First Move," "Half The Night"), where singer Jim Koch vocally bobs-and-weaves in a near sing/speak style, which will catch all of the attention and, should the stars align right, catapult The Big Creak into commercial success on a grander scale. But there's a really good band within the skittish freestyle skips. From a songwriting standpoint, the band creates solidly constructed Pop/Rock -- good hooks, an accessibility that fails to be trite and smart-to-clever lyrics. There's little to find fault within the musicianship, the rhythm section is flexible and flawless, and keyboardist Aaron Bright adds more than just decorative bells-and-whistles, providing the backbone to some of the album's strongest songs, especially the grounded, hyper-catchy "Just Left Town." But there's just enough generic residue on Just Left Town to keep it from being a great album. Of course, that doesn't preclude being a commercially viable entity, which The Big Creak clearly is already. See 'em now before you see 'em on the MTV. (MB)

- Mike Breen - Citybeat

Ready for Radio

For the past four years, the Big Creak has been building up a dedicated fan base by performing at a variety of venues throughout the Columbus area: from campus-area dive bars to larger stages like PromoWest Pavilion. The payoff for this hard work will come this weekend as the band releases its third full-length and celebrates with a show on Saturday, January 24, at the Newport.

Just Left Town is a platter of alternative rock and innocuous radio-friendly pop, with just a hint of white-bread funk, that should easily fit onto the playlists of a range of radio stations on the Columbus—and nationwide—dial. The best songs on the CD are the first three: the modern rock trio of “Love on Hold,” “Just Left Town” and “The First Move,” which highlight the dedicated and skillful playing of guitarist (and lead singer) Jim Koch. Still, it’s not tough to imagine hearing a song like “Half the Night” sandwiched between the Barenaked Ladies and 311, while “Go Ahead and Go” and “Love Your Life Tonight” are likely to excite the frat crowd that’s currently digging O.A.R.

—Chip Midnight
- CHip Midnight - Columbus Alive

Big Creak is about to make a splash in rock
By AMY WILLIAMS
Staff Writer
January 27, 2004

The Big Creak just started a new genre. They have their own soul and style that is hard to describe in a few words. But in a sentence, they have the almost cocky lyrical attitude of Maroon 5 and Matchbox 20. The lead singer, Jim Koch, has a voice that sounds like a mixture between Scott Blasey from The Clarks and Jason Mraz. Whatever they want to be called is up to the audience, but I would like to call them good.
Listening to their third independent, full-length release, their musical and lyrical talent catches the ears of fans and critics alike. They have jazz influences with a flare of acoustic rock. Songs like "Wendy" break down into musical jam sessions in the styles of Dave Matthews or G Love and Special Sauce.

Singer-songwriter Jim Koch formed the band with keyboardist Aaron Bright while attending Bowling Green State University in 1996. After graduating, they moved to Columbus Ohio, where they soon found drummer Maxwell Button and bassist Paul Graves. From that moment on, they have developed into the band they are today.

Their accomplishments over the years include their single "Love On Hold" from Just Left Town, chosen to be included on the "Experience Columbus" compilation CD. Also, drummer Maxwell Button was endorsed by Taye Drums in December of 2003.

After independently producing Just Left Town, they gained distribution through Galgano Records. They have shared the stage with acts such as Wilco and Atomic Fireballs, but luckily for us they will be playing at Busker's on Penn Avenue. The show starts at 9 p.m. for only $5.

Everyone should give this band a chance. With an intimate setting and their unique style, you will be getting more than your $5 worth when you check out The Big Creak.

The Big Creak will be performing at Busker's at 2117 Penn Ave. on Thursday. Tickets are $5. For more information, call (412) 355-0911.
- By Amy Williams of The Pitt News

"Hey, major-label scouts: Here's a really catchy and polished, super radio-friendly, THE O.C.-soundtrack ready, Gap advert-friendly rock band. Everybody cash in.(BOSLER)"
- Village Voice - NYC

I promise that I am sober when I tell you that you have got to listen to this CD on headphones. The Big Creak was having a trippy time in the recording studio. From the guitar notes that shift back and forth from one speaker to the other and the tapping percussion that just dances around the music, this Ohio band is literally playing with my head.

These songs, mostly written by guitarist/vocalist Jim Koch, will hijack your brain. This is energetic, creative pop/rock, lyric-heavy (lots of ranting) and packed with zingers and strong visuals. My favorite image is from "The Stars Are Falling Out of the Sky":

"A little bit of light shines
through the pinholes pokes into miles of black paper.
Just when you thought you owned the world,
the world looked down, and she laughed at what you made her."

Most of these lyrics sting. From "Somehow (Note to Self)":

"If I could have one wish, you'd be someone else.
There's no one else in mind,
I'm just sick of you being yourself."

Koch goes on to call her "as useful as a roadless map." Ouch.

I'm dubbing all of the "Makeshift Sessions" onto a cassette for my car stereo. Although at times The Big Creak starts off sounding like Green Day, they move on to something inventive that I just can't compare to anyone else. The vocals on "Do This" are recorded straight but sound robotic, like the singer is in a trance, until he builds to a raging scream at the end. The guitar strumming on "Somehow" is deliberate and bitter yet beautiful. "Sick" feels perfectly unstructured, crazy and fun. (This song, by the way, was recorded with producer David Ivory, who has worked with Erykah Badu and Patti Labelle.) The vocal harmonies are gorgeous, especially on "Smart" and the reminiscing "23."

And I must add that this band has a wicked sense of humor that caught me so off guard that my officemate is now requesting a transfer to a new department. The intro to "Lucy" is a peaceful, soothing, acoustic guitar riff that could be delivered by James Taylor. Then Koch begins to croon in a laid-back, easy-on-the-ears style. Then you realize what he's singing:

"Just suck my tooooooooooooe, Lucy, you don't know just how it makes me feel."

That's all he sings. Over and over, peacefully strumming and harmonizing with bandmate Aaron Bright like he's playing a set on the Country Music Awards.

Jarring intimate imagery aside, "Makeshift Sessions" is a lot of fun. The songs will make you want to move. I wanted to jump and dance around my office. If you do go with headphones while you're dancing, however, make sure you keep an eye on the door because you won't be able to hear your boss walking up the hall. - Jennifer Layton

On the debut full-length, This One, The Big Creak, from Bowling Green, Ohio, sound like a band with a split personality. While most bands have a firm idea of what they want to be, The Big Creak, from track to track, go back and forth between groovy jams and more straight-ahead Pop songs. Luckily, this musical split doesn't make This One sound unfocussed in any way. Conversely, the band's energetic sound benefits from the subtle musical schizophrenia. While the band certainly has a built-in audience for the more danceable, noodly songs like "Just a Phase" and the slinky "(Intermission)," they also give themselves a broader appeal with more melody-based numbers like the title track and the catchy "Anymore." Essentially, The Big Creak are a solid, talented Rock band with varied influences, which is much easier to swallow than certain bands who wear their influences too blatantly on their sleeves. And unlike other bands who lean towards lengthy jams, it wouldn't be a shock to hear much of Big Creak's music on Rock radio. - Mike Breen

"Here’s a band with the kind of great vocalist that separates those that are just faking it from those that can really deliver the goods. 80’s pop singers like Nick Gilder, Phil Seymour (ex-Dwight Twilley Band) and (to cite a more contemporary reference) Butch Walker from the Marvelous Three all come joyously to mind when I hear James Koch’s lead vocals on "You’ve Been Seeing Him" - a really sassy take from the male perspective on not going back to a cheating lover. Unfortunately, none of the songs available for download on Starpolish -- “Do This,” “Sick” and “Somehow (Note to Self)” -- were included on the three song demo sent to me by the band, so I can’t comment specifically on those songs. Judging from the material I did hear, those songs are worth investigating. File The Big Creak under “Progressive, song-based, power pop.” - Gail Worley

Formed by BG alumnus Jim Koch, The Big Creak has been redefining itself and their music for the past six years.
Now based in Columbus, the band formerly known as Big Creek is described as a roots/alternative/pop band. The incorporation of these genres into their sound, makes them unique and intriguing to listen to. Definitely a band to appease even the most fickle of music fanatics.

The Big Creak's present line-up consists of Aaron Bright, keyboards and background vocals, Keith Maxwell Button, drums, Paul Graves, bass guitar, and Jim Koch, lead vocals and guitar.

Collectively, they have released Three Song Demo in 2002, Makeshift Sessions, Volume 1 in 2001, This One in 1999 and several cassette and CD singles. But not until their newest album, Just Left Town, did the band truly find themselves, said Koch.

The Big Creak's present album has seen major success over the Internet, shooting to the top spot on Mp3.com's Power Pop charts.

The live shows of this band is what fans praise The Big Creak for most, gaining their primary at fan base at Easy Street open-mic nights.

With mood moving and rhythmic beats, the band makes you feel as if you are outside at Blossom Music Center dancing barefoot in the grass.

The combination of an optimistic and laid-back stage presence also gives the band an extra audience appeal. The songs on the albums consist mainly of those pertaining to relationships, both romantic and not.

"I write about things that I can't figure out," said primary songwriter Koch.

"Having a song turn into something important to them [the fans]," both Koch and Bright said, is what is they like most about being in the band.

The band strives to be as genuine as possible, even producing their song, "You've Been Seeing Him" in their home studio.

In addition to their contributions to the college music scene, The Big Creak has also been active in several benefit concerts.

Notably, performing at the University's Dance Marathon for the past three years. - Angela L. Gorter