Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Show Review
Published May 29, 2006
This Jambando Show was definitely the most successful if not best attended Hard Rock show I've been to. Jambando is a loose collection of Jam Bands in the Orlando, FL area. Before you get an image of sage and prarie skirts set aside your expectations and read on.
With a name like Big Meat - my expectations were all over the place. Butchers? Porn Stars? Vegans? They opened with a rockabilly-ish tune that went quickly into funk then straight rock. They seemed just as likely to include a wail'n guitar solo as they were to beat box or play spoons. As I was still trying to sort out my preconceived notions of Big Meat (sounds so dirty) 1 fan tossed a giant plush hot dog hat on stage which was promptly put on and worn for the rest of the show.
At times it was hard to distinguish between songs but their set flowed so naturally I learned to just go along for the ride. That ride included a stop for a whistle solo. Those boys seemed to really have fun on stage and the rest of the crowd had fun right along with 'em. Hot Dog Hats off to the lady belly dancing in the back.
Also a big hats off to Big Meat for their constant presence at their merch table. (The only band to do so.) Their signage was the only indication that Jambando was going on since the Hard Rock Live chose to use their marquee to announce a private event. I know it was private because they asked me to leave.
Big Meat consists of 4 high school friends from Connecticut in Florida since August 2005. They'll return to New England and their waiting fans in July leaving a solid fan base in Florida waiting their return. It's unfortunate to have found them now but no doubt they'll be back on tour. Their closing song "Home" let the crowd know that Orlando wasn't just a stop over. They'll B back.
And whatever expectations you still have of them - forget it. Just relax and enjoy Big Meat. (yeah, that sounded dirtier.)
- www.slackertown.com - Q's House Radio, written by Q
Show/tour Announcement and band info
Published Oct 13th
THURSDAY, OCT. 19
The rock/funk/jam band, Big Meat, is kicking off their East coast tour at the Riverside Club in Danielson, Thursday, Oct. 19, with special guest and good friends “The Brew.”
Big Meat will be heading
up and down the east coast over the course of two and a half weeks, playing at such clubs as “Da Funky Phish” in Long Island New York and the Copper Rocket in Orlando, FL., and will be featured at two Halloween festivals in Florida.
The band originated in Northeast Connecticut six years ago and is made up of locals Dan Griffith, Geoff Leonard and Kevin Rees with bassist Ryan Marks from NY. However, even Ryan could be considered a local due to his four year residency at The Pomfret School. Big Meat is known for their cohesive improvisation and detailed composition. Their stage presence is a sight to see and includes many on stage shenanigans such as playing the spoons, wearing hot dog hats, performing choreographed dances and the historic Burger King appearance when they headlined Hard Rock Live in Orlando, Fla.,. You can check out their sound at Big Meat’s website, www.bigmeatmusic.com
Their special guest, The Brew, have played more than 600 hundred shows and have been tearing up the Northeast jam scene over the past three years. The two bands met up recently when they shared the stage in Starks, Maine, in front of a 1,200-person crowd at Harvest Fest. You can check
out The Brew at their website, www.thebrew.biz.
- Mark Renburke, The Villager Newspapers, NE CT
This Press is more of a bio than anything else that was featured in a Northeast CT Weekly publication in OCT 2006
“The roots of many great bands (U2 for example) go way back to the members’ high school days, and often it is this long term familiarity that makes their musical connection so special and long-lasting.
In 1995, several school buddies in Pomfret started playing music together.
Says guitarist Kevin, ‘The Wolfman’ Rees, ‘On summer weekends we set up a shoddy PA system and threw a rug on the grass to play at local parties.’
By 2000, taking the moniker, ‘Big Meat,’ they developed into polished musicians performing original compositions with high-intensity improvisation. By (high school) graduation, they had established such a strong connection that they knew it was something special.
Separated during their college years, Big Meat still came together during the breaks and summer months to play clubs, festivals, bars and parties throughout New England and Pennsylvania. When school was in session, there were also occasional college gigs.
Finally, in 2005, bassist Ryan, 'Pun' Marks, guitarist Dan, 'Gree' Griffith and drummer Geoff, 'The Matador' Leonard finished college and all moved to Florida, where Kevin had recently begun to study sound engineering. From August of last year to July, The band played more than 100 shows, including headlining at Hard Rock Live in Orlando and other renowned venues like the New Year’s Festival 'Camp Jam.'
In July they began a 200- show schedule, which will be concentrating on New England, New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Big Meat has to date completed three albums of original material, 'It’s what’s for Dinner.' 'Bigger than the Bun' and 'To Be Perfectly Frank.'
Don’t miss Big Meat being served up tonight at 8pm at the East End of London in Putnam, CT."
- Mark Renburke - The Villager News Papers (Northeast CT)
"This band will turn any room into a party"
-Summer 2002 - - Jan Goldstein, The Rain Desert, Danielson, CT
"Big Meat is a band that will put you in the groove"
-summer 2001 - Randy Hein, The Living Room, Providence, RI
Show Review
Published 10/13/2003
Highlighted Passage:
"Their onstage interaction is genuine, and it comes through in the ebb and flow of the music. They obviously enjoy both the music and the audience, and their enjoyment transfers to the crowd. Big Meat's music can be summed up in one word: Juicy."
Entire review:
"Big Meat…what does that mean anyway? The improv/rock/funk band with a jazz fusion only hopes that people can use their imaginations and take a joke--but their hopes weren’t being realized at the beginning of their set Friday night in the Red Door. Ryan Marks ’05 (bass, vocals), Kevin Rees (guitar, vocals), Dan Griffith (guitar, vocals) and Geoff Leonard (drums, vocals) started jamming out to about five girls and a group of people playing pool. It was a daunting scene for any performer, but the members of Big Meat merely tuned their instruements and began.
Despite the small, initially listless crowd, Big Meat enthusiastically pulsed out Bust My Head, displaying funky drum beats, groovy bass lines, jazzy, conversational guitar solos and nonchalant vocals that appeared minutes into the jam epic. The band’s high energy level completely sky rocketed when the crowd started growing and getting more and more excited. Most noticeably, a student sporting a mullet wig and others with less distinct hair-styles started screaming, “METALLICA!” at the grooving band.
For the next three hours, Big Meat ditched any cruise control reliance and splattered renditions of songs like Geoff is Drunk and The Grease with cresting riffs and improvisation directly caused by their evident chemistry. Big Meat, though they have a distinct style, can best be compared to Phish as their show was reminiscent of the legendary groups’ much heralded concerts, complete with a three hour odyssey of climactic, yet mellow, musical bliss. The band paced themselves to rip it up appropriately, and stuck with the fluid rhythm the whole time.
By the end of the night, both the Red Door and the responsive crowd were shaken up by the stellar performance. As easy as it is to fall in line with all the other college jam bands out there, Big Meat manages to stick out, and not just because of their unusual name.
Their onstage interaction is genuine, and it comes through in the ebb and flow of the music. They obviously enjoy both the music and the audience, and their enjoyment transfers to the crowd. Big Meat’s music can be summed up in one word: Juicy."
- Falynn Bleiberg, Mulenberg Weekly Writer, Muhlenberg College, PA
-Quoted from Dale McGinnis, President of Funk n Jam Productions, a Promotions Company that organizes alot of shows in the area. This quote is in reference to a private party that three members happened to be at.
We were asked to play late night and this was Dale's reaction, which was posted and veiwed on the internet. Published Nov 6th, 2005
"Big Meat melted my entire face and head last night. And it was only three of them playing. When Marc Paradis (of Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes) joined in I thought my head was going to explode.
If you guys haven't honestly taken the time to go absorb Big Meat, now is the time to do so. Absolutely incredible. Dan, Geoff, Ryan...... there really are no words. One of the best musical jams I've ever heard from anyone - anywhere - ever.
I know you reading this think I'm exaggerating... but if you heard them you'd know. Right now I'm sober, clear of mind, and rested... and I can honestly say.... One of the best jams ever.
THANK YOU.
There's a new band in Orlando ya'll, and it's nothing like we've ever had before.
Ryan - DUDE! You slap the FUNK RIGHT OUTTA THAT BASS!!!!!!
You guys truly made me a fan last night. I can't even begin to imagine what would have happened had Kevin been there and you had been using all your own gear...."
- Dale Mcginnis, www.funknjam.com
Big Meat, a band full of energy and spunk, were an all-around goodtime that kept heads bobbing throughout the night…
Big Meat has been compared to bands like the Grateful Dead and Phish. They, however, continually break these comparisons by playing songs with other influences such as Latin in their tune "Amigos, Amigos, Amigos." The catchy tune had some bar-goers getting up and dancing like the threesome from Steve Martin's movie "The Three Amigos."
The band's unique lyrics like, "I can't sleep even with a glass of wine in Rome" followed by Big Meat's funky chords and riffs made this jam band worth viewing.
"The weirder the better," said Griffith as he described Big Meat and their antics.
- The Daily Campus (UConn), Written by Kimberly Primicerio, Jan. 29, 2007
Discography
Full length CD's
1. "It's Whats for dinner" Copyright 2001
2. "Bigger Than The Bun" Copyright 2002
3. "To Be Perfectly Frank" Copyright 2005
Singles
1. Econlockhatchee
Online Tracks
-We update our website weekly with new live sets!
-We also have a number of studio recorded songs available for download free!
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Whoa! Before you go any further we'd like to let you know that live Big Meat Sets can always be found on Big Meat's official website, www.bigmeatmusic.com.
Now, on with the Bio! Included below is a brief description of Big Meat's performance style, history, their accomplishments together, and their goals.
Introduction:
To be perfectly frank, Big Meat is bigger than the bun.
Voted Gratefulweb.net “June ’06 Band of the Month,” Big Meat plays music that is surging energy, circulating through soulful, subconscious lines of creativity. Their effort is relentless, on stage and off, and reaches out with an experienced, exploratory philosophy in the form of rock ‘n roll, raw funk, trance, disco, jazz, and bluegrass with occasional Latin and classical tinges.
Big Meat is an electric live act. The foursome jives with their audience and smiles with every note. Perhaps they’ll play the spoons, do a small, choreographed dance or booty shake, or wear humorous apparel such as a large hot dog hat, afro wig, or pilgrim and turkey outfits. The first time Big Meat headlined Orlando’s Hard Rock Live, the drummer wore an entire “Burger King” costume. At another headlining show, the New Years Fest, “Camp Jam ‘06,” Big Meat’s guitarists did a choreographed kung fu battle, which segued out of the song, “Kung Fu Fighting”. At a Halloween festival in ’06, Big Meat dressed as Mario Brother’s characters, and played nine theme songs from the game series throughout their set. The band keeps you guessing. Their antics are sporadic, but Big Meat can always be counted on to play music that saturates your ears with unforgettable flavor.
Bio:
Big Meat originated in a rural town in northeast, CT.
Dan Griffith and Kevin Rees grew up playing guitar together. In 1997, Ryan Marks met the duo in their first year of boarding school and began playing bass with them. For three years, the threesome went through drummers like hamburgers until Dan’s good friend, Geoff Leonard, stepped in and solidified “Big Meat” in the March of 2001.
From 2001 to 2005, while Big Meat’s members were all in college, the band constantly wrote new material, created and maintained their website and booked shows for weekends and during vacations. During this time, they played at such venues as The Webster Theater and Underground, The Living Room, The Woodbury Ski and Groove Fest, The Becket Fest, The Satori Awakening Fest, Connecticut College, Muhlenberg College, and Trinity College.
In mid 2005, the band temporarily moved to Orlando, FL where Kevin was completing his degree in musical engineering and entertainment business. Big Meat immediately submerged itself in the Florida jam scene, stirring the local scene with a buzz that could not be ignored. Weeks prior to their first gig in Orlando, the band distributed thousands of fliers around the city. From August 2005 to July 2006, they played over 100 shows in FL including two well attended headlining shows at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando and other shows at renowned venues such as the Bank, The Social, and The Free Bird Live. A specific highlight of Big Meat’s time in Florida was headlining and co-organizing the New Year’s festival, Camp Jam ’06. Over 500 people attended.
In July 2006, Big Meat moved back to the North East where they plan to permanently reside. All members are completely focused on gaining ground in the industry. The band has played hundreds of shows since the move, including performances at Harpers Ferry in Boston, The Lion’s Den in NYC, Nectars in Burlington, VT, and the Reggae/Jam Fest and Harvest Fest in Starks, ME. They regularly play The Riverside venue in North East, CT, where they headline at times and open at others for bands such as Granola Funk Express. On Nov 4th, Big Meat finished their most recent tour in Stamford, CT. The tour went from Connecticut to Florida and back, making stops in NY, PA, VA, NC, SC, GA. In Florida, they headlined several shows including the festival, Spook Jam, where their first Halloween show and the renowned “Mario Set” was played.
Big Meat is young, energetic, and has years of professional and musical experience. Their stage presence, show production, and studio work show maturity well beyond their years. The band has a nine-hour repertoire of over 45 original compositions and 30 covers. Each member’s desire to succeed is remarkable.
Big Meat is looking for long lasting and mutually profitable relationships with venues, booking agencies, promoters, and management firms.
National Acts that Big Meat has played or will play with:
New Monsoon
Particle
The Code Talkers
Granola Funk Express
The Breakfast
Green Lemon
RAQ
Gavin Degraw
The Samples
The Burnin Smynans
The Press
Barefoot Manner
The Recipe
Festivals Big Meat has played/pending:
The Becket Fest ’02 (MA)
The Satori Awakening Fest '03 (PA)
The Woodbury Ski/Groove Fest '03 (CT)
Camp Jam, New Years ’06 (FL)
Reggae/Jam
Links
