Big'uns

Where we're hangin' out

2010-08-22T07:18:00.001-07:00

Most of our online activity these days originates out of our Facebook page. If you, don't participate in Facebook, and want to get email updates about public gigs Big'Uns will be playng, send me an email to ederdn @ gmail.com (spaces added to avert spammers)

Meanwhile, we'll be at the George's Happy Hour for the first time in a few months, on Friday, September 3, the day before the first Fayetteville Razorback game. Come on out.

A few public gigs

2010-01-03T14:23:00.000-08:00

While it seems a lot of the stuff we're doing these days is private--weddings, corporate events, etc.--we do enjoy playing about every six weeks at the George's Friday Happy Hour. For us it's about the perfect club gig: early in the evening, lots of good friends, a good room with good sound.
Here are the ones we have scheduled for the first part of 2010:
January 8
March 12 (Sterling's "Paint Your Hair Green" St. Paddie's Birthday Party
June 11

So come on out. And if you need a group for your private event, we're your guys.

Time to get back to this (George's Happy Hour--Friday Nov. 6)

2009-11-04T02:37:00.001-08:00

I had the pleasure of speaking yesterday in Little Rock at Commerce Arkansas, sponsored by Arkansas Business and was relating that this blog provided a portal into a lot of other stuff I have going in social media. Problem is, I just haven't updated it recently. So here goes.

If you're out and about on Dickson St. in Fayetteville this Friday afternoon (Nov. 6), Big'Uns will be playing one of our once-every-six-weeks Happy Hour engagements at George's Majestic. If you've been there, you know this a a great party. Usually SRO (so bring your dancing shoes). Starts at six, lots of energy and home in your 'jammies (if that's what you want) by TV news time.

With the ballgame in town on Saturday and lots of out-of-town friends in, it'll be a particularly rockin' time.

So come on out.

Happy New Year from Big'Uns

2008-12-30T13:33:00.000-08:00

As we close out 2008. We want to take a few moments to count our blessings. While it’s been a challenging year for a lot of folks, we can look back and find many things for which to be grateful. Among them, that we live in the best place in the world, are still able to play our music, and best of all, we have great friends, like you all.

We’ll be bringing in the New Year by playing Fayetteville’s First Night festival, to be held this year at the NW Arkansas Mall. We’ll play at 10:30, leading up to the fireworks show at midnight. If you’re a family type—or if dancing on the table at midnight is something that just no longer holds its luster—First Night is a really cool event. Plus it’s kinda nice waking up on New Year’s Day without a headache.

We’ll be back at George’s for another January Happy Hour. Stay tuned for a notification there.

Other ways to connect with Big’Uns online—
Facebook: The Official Big’Uns Facebook Group
MySpace: Big’Uns MySpace Page
Or if you Twitter, follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/ederdn

You'll be happy, too

2008-12-04T17:06:00.000-08:00

Lard’s hard to come by these days, what with the high demand on animal fat and all. So just come to George’s for happy hour on Friday. Another Big’uns “no Christmas music guaranteed” happy hour (don’t you get tired of hearing that stuff on every Muzak [do they still call it Muzak?] system in the country, beginning Halloween? I do). We’ll guarantee two hours when you’ll only be having yourself a merry little Friday.

There are music and the usual whiskey

2008-07-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

Instruction for delicious and buoyant Friday hours of euphoria: Do not siting on couch after work. To please place selves in good tingling car. Toodle careful to George’s whiskey enterprise. Many people putting joy into air from Big’uns music racket. Dangle feet in happy air and punch holes in bad thinking. Return lobster always better. Suddenness can occur among many. Fluffiness not a breakable option. Better to shake monkey on Friday than see horse turn into mule. You’ll see and be painted with pink-green flouge Happy hour is for relaxation from gay college puppy to old grand dad You're there, too.

Inspired by one of my favorite web sites, http://www.engrish.com (thanks, Gio) (and I use the above image asking forgiveness rather than permission) and by some of the instruction manuals I've received with Asian-made musical gear.

Translation: Big’uns @ George’s this Friday Happy Hour.
Ed
http://thebiguns.blogspot.com/
www.myspace.com/bigunsnwa
http://twitter.com/ederdn
PS, We’ll be at the Ryan Gibson Foundation One Particular Harbor fundraiser on Saturday night. The ticket’s a bit higher, but it’s a great event for a good cause.

Update--June 28

2008-06-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

Quick note to let you know of some upcoming stuff:

We'll be back at George's for happy hour on Friday, July 11. I'll send out an email that week just to remind the faithful.
The next night, we're playing the annual Ryan Gibson Foundation, "One Particular Harbor" at the Fayetteville Town Center. For more information.

If you're a MySpace user, the band now has a MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/bigunsnwa (for the mnemonically challenged, think "biguns northwest arkansas")

Also, if you're a Twitter user, subscribe to my updates at http://twitter.com/ederdn I'll send out "tweets" about engagements as they're coming up.

And the winner so far

2008-04-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

There are two great things (as it relates to this posting) about Emily Kaitz:
1) She's can turn a phrase
2) She doesn't drink beer

Her submission:

Old guys really rock
On pricey musical gear
They live teen-aged dreams.

If you'd like to hear some of Emily's great songwriting, come to Devil's Den between 2 and 4 on Sunday. Outside the Lines will be there in support of a Lewis and Clark event.

More poetry

2008-04-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

And here's one from our friend Frank in Little Rock. Two things are very obvious from this: 1) Frank should stick with marketing and leave the poetry to those who can't sell. 2) He knows us very well.

Haiku" is much too sophisticated for me. How 'bout an Arkie take on it:

There once was a band on the hill,
that played cover tunes for a thrill.
They were old bastards, true,
and they ached through and through --
I think "Big Un" means "massive pain pill."

George's poetry

2008-04-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

My longtime Harrison buddy, John submitted these entries. And although they deviate a syllable or two from the traditional haiku format (I always thought when it came to poetry, the Brits had it over the Japanese in truckloads), I think they capture the spirit of Friday afternoon really well. John gets a beer for being the first to submit, and for being such a great supporter from the very start.

BigUns at George’s
This Friday for sure
Springfest as well

Got my own table
Been here since four
Show’s now starting and, gee, got a buzz

Ralph’s has the pole
Dancing with the babes
Wonders if it’s the talc or the tape?

Her boots, her hat, slit up the thigh
Jigglin’ for the band
Catchin’ Ed’s eye. [note: not certain how I feel about this one]

The blonde babe swayin’
Scootin’ across the floor
Is she pointing at Sterling? [how appropriate!]

Beer’s been swilled
Beatles set got’em rockin’
Nobody here gonna be Dancing with the Stars!

Show is over.
Crowd screaming for more.
Georges in July. Just can’t wait.

THANKS, JOHN

Big'uns Georges Happy Hour Haiku

2008-04-23T18:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, so inspiration just didn’t come this month. So I just threw this together in haiku form to tell you about

Big’uns at George’s
Happy hour at six o’clock.
You’ve been there before.

Two beers, ten fast songs.
Place is beginning to buzz.
Whoo ee. It’s Friday.

Powder on the floor.
Ralph dances with his shoes off.
With that pretty girl.

Jeez! What an outfit!
She’s wearing that at her age?
Hope nothing falls out.

Got here half past six.
Don’t have a table.
Oh well. Who needs one. Let’s dance

This will be the last
Big’uns happy hour date til’
Sometime in July.

I’m sure you can probably do better. If so, email me your George’s haiku. I’ll buy the winner a beer on Friday and put it up here.

BTW (just so I can say I added value) there are some _really_ entertaining redneck haiku here. Perhaps these will inspire you.

As I always say
If you don’t want to get these
Just reply to this.

It's Gets Green Early in Big'uns Land

2008-03-15T07:51:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Big'uns World Headquarters, where we've just celebrated a rite of spring early, with the third annual Sterling's Birthday/St. Pat's Day Big'uns Gala Celebration Extravaganza at Happy Hour at George's.

For the third year in a row, Sterling and Mark painted their hair green for this special occasion. This year, they talked Darren and me in to joining the action. Special thanks to Tina and the women at Salon Professionals . They took a break from their award-winning work to have a little fun with us. Our shenanigans notwithstanding, if you need outstanding work done by stylists at the top of their game, join some of Northwest Arkansas' finest as their clientele.

We had a crowd of about 350. Not our biggest at George's, but maybe one of our best.

We'll see you back there on April 25.

December 3 Update

2007-12-03T19:25:00.000-08:00

Here we are in December again. Just a gentle reminder that Big’uns will be playing one of our once-every-six-weeks happy hours at George’s this Friday at 6 pm.
We got all dressed up and played the annual St. Mary’s Ball this past Saturday under the “respectable” moniker of Big. It was fun, the governor and some of Benton County’s finest were in attendance, and I was happy to see my tux coat still fits.
At the end of October, we played the Mad Hatter’s Ball, a fundraiser for the Eureka Springs School of the Arts. I was late in getting them the contract, and we were inadvertently billed as “The Ed Nicholson Band,” until the error was corrected. Whew! Won’t let that happen again! So just to give everyone else in the band equal time, we’ll be playing with a different name for each of the next five gigs:

Fuzz and the Foster Children
The VanDerhoof and Mouth Gang
Sterling and the Nasty Little Tuckers
Carl’s Bad Boys
Darren and the Ray Guns

We’ve spent a bit of time in my son’s garage working on a few new tunes, and will be playing four of them on Friday. So come on out.

Mad Hatter's Ball--Eureka Springs

2007-10-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

Friday the 26th, Big'uns played the 5th annual Mad Hatter's Ball in Eureka Springs, which benefits the Eureka Springs School for the Arts.

Great time was had by all, and there was some incredibly creative headgear. Thanks to our friend, Philly Rains for shooting these photos.

Bikes, Blues and Big'uns

2007-10-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

We had a big time doing this. Playing with great production (good job JT Huff and Co) is always fun. Although Darren and Big Bad Bubba were a formidable act to follow, I thought we held our own. It was wonderful seeing a lot of our good friends out there on the front row. Thanks to our buddy Frank Cox for sending this these photos along.

RECALL NOTICE—YOU MIGHT BE AFFECTED

2007-10-09T17:04:00.000-07:00

Local music providers Big’uns have recalled their entire three-hour performance from the September 28, Pink Trash Ball at George’s due to defects in the first three songs of the first set.

Apparent temporary faulty connections between the brains and note-triggering mechanisms contributed to the flawed performances.

Although the group is still exploring the cause of the malfunctions, the real reason might never be known. “If it were an Accord and a substandard carburetor, I’d know it immediately,” stated expert auto technician “Fuzz” Foster, the band’s bass player. “But this is baffling. We know it wasn’t alcohol-related, since this was a real paying gig and we weren’t drinking—besides, we’ve been known to play very well under the influence.”

“Man, I’m bummed,” stated singer Darren Ray. “I play in sixteen different musical configurations, and these are the guys who put my reputation on the line.”

“An obvious gap in our Six Sigma program,” according to Carl Thomas, UofA MBA candidate and Big’uns keyboardist. “I can only hope it doesn’t impede our ISO-9000 accreditation attempt.” The band has traditionally prided itself on its Quality Program.

At this point, it appears no injuries or illnesses have resulted from the performances. And while only the first three songs were affected, the entire performance is being recalled out of an abundance of caution.

Consumers who were unknowingly exposed to the faulty performances do not have reason for concern, according to Malice Intonation, paid third-party expert at the Institute for Betterer and Finerer Music. “Millions of people willingly listen to bad music every day; some seem to thrive on an all-clam diet. Nothing to see here. Move along.”

For those in attendance at the event who do feel as though their musical psyches might have been compromised by the performance, a make-up performance will be held at George’s this Friday from 6-8 pm. A minimal cover will be charged.

Good Photos of Pink Trash Ball

2007-10-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

Eric Molle took some great photos of the Pink Trash Ball last week. If you have an event for which you need a photographer, this guy can do the job. See the entire gallery here.

Get yer motor runnin'

2007-10-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

Big'uns will be on the Main Stage at Bikes Blues and BBQ, Saturday, Oct. 6, at 5:15.

Ride on out and join us.

Pink Trash--That's What We Are (at least for one night)

2007-09-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

Good cause. Good venue. Good fun.

For Tickets.

Are you gonna eat that?

2007-08-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

In an effort to continually add value (why can’t we all just contribute?) to what might be otherwise annoying notifications of the periodic Big’uns George’s appearances, I offer just a few of the things I’ve learned in my many years as an amateur gardener. I seem to relearn them each year, so maybe you can benefit from my experience:

Crabgrass can actually make an interesting and (depending on one’s attitude about it) attractive ground cover. It's beats the heck out of bluegrass for durable. As my dad, Jim Nicholson so wisely said, pretty is as pretty does.
A huge ripe tomato is no obstacle for a half-inch worm. Said worms taste like hell. Homegrown tomatoes are God’s own food. Growing them well can be the devil's work.
Don’t fool yourself into thinking your friends want your extra zucchini.
Mint, as prolific as it is, and as much as it might resemble basil, does not make good pesto.
One can rent a backhoe without any specialized knowledge or license to operate it. There probably should be a license required to drive one into your yard. But they can be really fun to play with. If you can live with the consequences.
Poison ivy will grow in an urban environment. Dead poison ivy is still poison ivy. You can develop an allergy to it, even after a lifetime of immunity. God only knows how, but it can get into places on your body normally protected by elastic.
Bamboo is like 20-foot-tall Bermuda grass. Left unchecked, it would probably spread to and thrive on your roof. Unless you plan on setting up your house as a base for a paramilitary organization, beware the seemingly innocent, smiling older Asian lady who tells you it’s great for landscaping.
Roundup™ won’t kill bamboo. It will, however, do very interesting things to your neighbor’s prize peonies. The best time to futilely spray Roundup on your bamboo is on Sunday morning. The worst time is Friday evening after a few cocktails. Whiskey and Roundup don’t mix.

But Friday evening—notably this Friday evening--is a great time to go to the George’s happy hour. Big’uns will be there this week, along with our best friends. 6-8pm. So put up the garden sprayer and get yourself on out. All that yard stuff will wait ‘til Sunday (or Monday this week).

"Hey you. Git-tar player. You ugly, too"

2007-07-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, it’s getting late in the week, and I can’t think of anything to amuse even myself (and I'm easily amused) to put in my “Big’uns at George’s” announcement.
It’s coming up this Friday (the 20th). 6-8.
Come on out. The good thing about the Big’uns George’s happy hours is that you’re pretty well guaranteed to see someone older and uglier than you are (this coming from someone who is both beauty and age-challenged) probably doing something or wearing something that would have inhibited you when you were sixteen. In other words, you can let your guard down without being noticed.
Oh, and at this one, you can stay for the whole thing and still be home with enough light left to water the tomatoes.

Who are these guys?

2007-06-11T04:40:00.000-07:00

Sterling says it looks like paparazzi caught us at a funeral.

This was at the Lefler/Cross wedding at Pinnacle Country Club this past Saturday, where we showed that we could be bastions of decorum, down to Pinnacle's rule of absolute temperance for the band.

This was actually a lot of fun. It was great to see my long-time friends from the Lefler family. The hosts and guests were all fun to work for.

If you need a wedding band, we can clean up and act nice.

Best wishes Erin and T.J. Live long and prosper.

What time is it?

2007-06-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

Geez, it’s Thursday afternoon already. Time flies when you’re giving away chicken. I’ve been out in California this week celebrating Hunger Awareness Day by doing just that. I feel like Michael Anthony must have felt. It’s a job that doesn’t suck. Anyway, enough about me.
That’s a long way of saying this is a little bit shorter notice than you usually get, but Big’uns is back at George’s for happy hour tomorrow (June 8).
Then it’s off to the weddings—including Darren’s! So this is the last time we’ll be playing in public with a member who’s never, ever, been married. Gosh, I hope that doesn’t adversely affect our sex appeal.

Party in the Park--let's try again

2007-05-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we had a little precip throw a monkey wrench in Thursday's performance at Gulley Park. At 4:30, it looked like that line of T-storms was going to slam Washington Co. at about 6:00, so the powers-that-be postponed. About an hour later, it all dissipated. Can't stop the rain. Sometimes you can't predict it. WTH.
The good news is that we're back on the schedule for this Thursday, the 31st.
So, we'll be hoping the weather gods smile upon us this week.
If not, at least the adults can join us at the George's HH on June 8.

Down in the Gulley

2007-05-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

This week (Thursday, May 24), the family-friendly edition of Big'uns (we've been trying to call it "Big," but the name just won't seem to stick) kicks off the summer music series in Fayetteville's Gulley Park.
We'll be playing from 7-9pm.
If history is an indicator, there will be local TV news teams there (for about 15 minutes), ready to tape the first kids that even act like they're dancing. Parents, this could be the initial monumental step in sending your child down that grueling path to the American Idol finals.
So round up the young'uns, rinse the winter dust out of the cooler, dig out the Jarts set, pack up the pickup and head on out for an idyllic spring's evening of music wrought Big'uns style.

Heads up for your calendar: Next George's happy hour sighting will be June 8.

It's wedding season

2007-04-24T07:07:00.000-07:00

Before we go into a busy two months of weddings and events, Big'uns will be playing a more casual happy hour at George's this Friday from 6-8.
If you've been there before, you know what a party this can turn into.
The next gig will be this happy couple's reception. If you'd like to send a gift, they're registered at Rod's Mobile Home Supply and the Tobacco Superstore in Farmington.

Actually, we will be playing some REAL weddings, in addition to some respectable engagements where we feel compelled to dress and behave nicely. So we'll need to get our ya-yas out on Friday. Come on out and help us. (We promise to behave better than we did on Sterling's birthday)

Big'uns Comix

2007-04-10T01:40:00.000-07:00

Our pal, Gio got a new Photoshop filter and created this image from one of our old shots.

Pretty cool, huh?!

Thanks, Gio!

Put April 27 on your radar screen. We'll be back at George's for Happy Hour.

It was just that kind of a night

2007-03-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while--even when you pass the half-century mark--you gotta paint your hair green and turn into a giant, happy Leprechan.
We can only hope that those who consider themselves otherwise musically discerning were approaching the same state of consciousness as ours at eight o'clock on Friday. If not, we apologize, and promise never to do that again. 'Til next St. Pat's Day/Sterling's Birthday, of course.

We're told we've been bringing record crowds to George's happy hour.

We just want to thank you all for supporting us.

You can't have this much fun playing golf.

An Important Announcement

2007-03-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

To my valued constituency—

I’d like to use this occasion to announce, with regrets, that I am formally discontinuing my campaign for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2008. I know there are people out there who are quite convinced I could be an effective president (thanks, Mom), but it has become painfully obvious that the field is entirely too crowded. Plus, securing a major party nomination is now more about raising money and good looks (best of luck, Hillary) than it is about candidates with great ideas and ironclad principles. I know Tom Vilsack beat me to the distinction of being the first candidate to drop out of the race, but I figure I'm a much better candidate to likely lose (even though I'm pretty certain that little thing with the LRPD in 1972 has long been expunged).
On a positive note, I did have the good sense not to give up playing in the band, so I’m pleased to announce that Big’uns will be back at George’s this Friday, during our normal happy hour slot. While you can’t write the $3 cover off as a political donation, at least it’s cheap. And the experience, while fun, is not extremely time-consuming.
Friday is also Sterling’s birthday (please excuse his behavior in advance—we don’t act like that at real paying gigs), in addition to kicking off a gala St. Paddy’s Day weekend.
And as the old saying goes, on St. Patrick’s Day, everyone’s a Big’un.

Jeez, has it been two months since New Year's Eve?

2007-03-04T11:52:00.000-08:00

Sterling ran across this photo he took onstage at our Fayetteville, Arkansas First Night performance. Ever tried moving your fingers accurately for an extended period in freezing weather? As uncomfortable as that sounds (and was!), it was lots of fun. Gave some young people a chance to hear the old guys. Some of them really seemed to enjoy it.

New Stuff

2007-02-17T06:39:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Feb. 24, we'll be playing the annual Arts Center of the Ozarks Ball at the Mall.
This is a gala affair, featuring great food, and perhaps the largest charity silent auction in Northwest Arkansas.
Usually 600-700 people there at the NW Arkansas Mall.

Following that, we'll be back at George's for our annual St. Patrick's Day/ Sterling's Birthday party, at happy hour on March 16.

Some dates to save. And some still open.

2006-10-13T06:51:00.000-07:00

I know it’s probably a little early to be planning for New Year’s Eve. But hey, now might be a good time to think about it, before that frenzied Halloween candy shopping spree begins. After all, beyond that it’s just turkey and dressing, turkey and cake, turkey and presents, turkey and bourbon, turkey sandwiches... And maybe some ham. And before you know it, it’s December 26, and you couldn’t care less about how you’re going to bring in the New Year; just gimme another bourbon. And a steak.

This year, why not try something different. Each year, Fayetteville has a celebration on the square called First Night. It’s really lots of fun. Good music of all varieties in the businesses around the square. It’s a family deal, so you can bring the kids. It’s non-alcoholic, so you don’t have to worry about amateur night drunks stumbling all over you. And you wake up feeling great to start the New Year.

Oh and did I mention Big’Uns will be the headlining act, playing up to the spectacular fireworks show at midnight? That’s right, all your favorite tunes, plus the Allman Brothers-meets-Queen version of “Auld Lang Syne.”

So put it down on your calendar now, before you get invaded by turkey.

Beyond that, we’ve just been informed we’ll be playing the Arts Center of the Ozarks Ball and Auction on February 24, 2007. This is another fabulous event, featuring, without a doubt, the biggest and coolest silent auction you’ll find anywhere. And this year featuring Big’uns. Or simply Big, as we’re known in the black tie circle.

Meanwhile, we'll be at George's for another happy hour on October 27. I'll send out a reminder on that one.

In case your organization needs a band for a holiday party, we do have some prime dates open in December. We can dress up nice and play a “grandma set” if you want us to. Just ask anyone who’s hired us for a wedding recently. If you or someone you know might be interested, email Ed or call me (479) 871-8006, or Sterling (479) 770-8901.

If you would like to be added to the Big'Uns email notification list, drop a line to Ed at the link on the right.

Back at George's this Friday

2006-07-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

We've had some great gigs so far this summer:
Allison Leonard's wedding at the Springdale Country Club (a BIG improvement over the old room out there), followed by the Summer Salsa to benefit Children's House at the same venue.

The Cancer Road Challenge (we've really honed our "biker" repertoire--should come in handy at this year's Bikes, Blues & BBQ).
The annual fundraiser for the Ryan Gibson Foundation at the Fayetteville Town Center (where they're edging toward bearable acoustics).

This Friday (July 28) we'll be back at George's for another Happy Hour. It's big fun for those who've never made it out.

Coming up, to kick off the summer

2006-06-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

Next up is the annual Summer Salsa event to support Children's House in Fayetteville. We'll be a the Springdale Country Club from 7-10 on Friday, June 23rd. Tickets are 50 bucks a pop, but that will get you free food and libations and it all goes to a great cause. This is probably one of those gigs where we'll put on our best behavior and really be more "Big" than "Big'uns."

Saturday, June 24, we’ll be playing from 11:00-1:00 (mid-day) at the Poker Run for the Northwest Arkansas Cancer Challenge. Also a great cause, and a rare opportunity to see Big’uns for people whose normal bedtime is before 5:00 PM.

Feather Fest---HHS Class of '76 Reunion

2006-06-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

Feather Fest 06 2
Originally uploaded by Ederdn.

We'd like to thank the Springdale Chamber of Commerce for putting on a fine little festival in Feather Fest. We were out on a warm Saturday night, with a crowd of friendly, receptive folks, on both sides of the beer tent line.
We want to thank Stan Jackson, and especially our buddy Phil Mayo for making us part of this event.
Hope to see you there next year.

Also a big shout out to our friends from the Harrison High School Class of 1976, who had Big'uns over to Boone County for a rockin' party on Saturday the 17th. I can't believe these people are over...well you do the math to figure out how old.
They were still dancing and shouting for more at 1:15 AM. Wore us out. I graduated (also from HHS) with a special bunch of folks, but I'll guarantee there weren't too many of us awake much past 10:30 at our last reunion. We want to thank all of these people, but especially the "regulars" from this class who live in the Washington/Benton County area, who are out to George's almost every time we're there. Great party.

Big'uns Blogged

2006-05-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

A welcome mention of the weekend from the guys over at the five forty.com. Thanks, guys.
Greg and Andy run an informative, entertaining piece of bloggery that delves into life inside and outside of this corner of the world.
I stumbled upon it quite by accident, and it's become a daily staple of my info diet.
Check it out.

Lots of Stuff Coming Up

2006-05-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

A couple of Big'uns outings this weekend:
Friday afternoon finds us at George's for happy hour, but because of a later show, we'll be _inside_ this time. Kind of cozy, but usually still quite a bit of fun. Come on out; get to know someone new.
Later in the evening, Slim Big'uns (Sterling, Darren and I) open the show for Leon Russell in the garden at George's.
Then Sunday night, the band will be at Powerhouse for a "Tomorrow's Really Not Monday...is it?" Party on the Patio, from 7-11. You can come early, leave early, and be home in your jammies by TV news time. Or not.
Coming up on June 10, we play Springdale's Featherfest at 7:00 PM.
Stay tuned. We'll keep you posted about more.
For those thinking ahead to planning holiday parties (yes, it's time to start thinking about booking the band), we still have some prime December real estate open.
Oh yes, and in the interest of political correctness, we have decided that henceforth, we will book "respectable" jobs (your daughter's wedding, events for corporations with sensitive core values, any event that requires formal wear, etc.) under the moniker of Big. We want to be Big in Northwest Arkansas. And we can play a grandma set. Since we're that old, anyway.

Darren's New Web Site

2006-02-20T11:42:00.000-08:00

If you get a chance drop by and see Darren's new Web site.
Darren Ray, singer extraordinaire, has a recently-released album "Guitar Man," which you can buy, along with his other albums, on the site.
He's just now got it up and running, and will be adding features in the next few days.
Nice looking site, Darren.

Next public Big'uns performance is March 17 for happy hour at George's. Be there.

Update

2006-01-24T09:31:00.000-08:00

After some holiday private events and New Year's Eve at Rogers' Shadow Valley Country Club, Big'uns kicked off '06 with a great Friday happy hour at George's on January 13. A packed house with lots of old friends and several new ones.
Thanks to our good friend Suzie Stephens (Happy Birthday, Suzie), we've had a place to rehearse, and have spent some time working on our party repertoire, getting ready for some upcoming gigs.
The folks from our next gig, which is a fundraiser for St. Vincent DePaul in Benton County, have requested some 80's music, so we've been dusting off some dance floor favorites that we believe will be popular with a number of audiences going forward.
The spring is filling up with several private parties. We are looking forward to our next George's HH, which will be a St.Pat's day party on March 17. Should be fun. Sterling has promised to dye his hair green.
If you come out to see us at George's, just remember, we're basically there for our own entertainment. We'll be a little more "edgy" than we would be at your daughter's wedding.

It's beginning to sound a lot like Big'uns

2005-11-29T20:07:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year. Seems like everywhere you go you hear the sounds of the season. Since Halloween. Falalalala (isn't that a city in Iraq?)
Jeez, you can't even walk into an auto parts store without hearing some spangled up version of "Silver Bells" on the musak. I don't know about you, but it's less than a week after Thanksgiving, and I'm afraid of going to the mall, not because of the immanent threat of being trampled by holly-crazed bargain hunters, but because I just might bust a vein from hearing the Chipmunks' singing "There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays."

So here's how you can take a break from it: Come out to George's on Friday (Dec. 2)at Happy Hour and hear Big'uns. We're declaring it a Christmas-free zone for two hours, from six to eight. We promise we won't be wearing any silly Santa hats or reindeer antlers. No jingle bells and no "Jingle Bells." You don't have to come early and stand in line to get a deal to get in. It's three bucks, whether you come at five or seven.

So even if you have a high tolerance for yuletide cheer, come on out. We'll all have a merry old time.

BTW, how did "Sleigh Ride" and "Winter Wonderland" become Christmas songs?

Bikes, Blues and Boomers

2005-09-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

Back in the summer of ’72 I lived with a bunch of bikers in North Little Rock who rode with a motorcycle club called the Road Barons. It was a lot of fun. Even though I didn’t ride, they didn’t mind me hanging around, because I was always pretty quick to pick up a guitar. They were a raggedy-ass bunch (but I was kind of raggedy-ass myself). We usually had about four bikes apart in the front yard (or living room), as they were continually looking for parts for their panheads, flatheads or shovelheads. I’ll bet they didn’t have more than $500 in each bike.
Take a walk down Dickson Street this week and you’ll see a different picture.
You’ll still see quite a few raggedy-ass bikers, but you also see a lot of do-rags hiding twenty dollar haircuts. Today a Harley Fat Boy will set you back, what, eighteen grand? You gotta have means to put a ride like that under you. And from what I hear, there’s a pretty good demand for what Harley is putting out.
I think it’s the same phenomenon that’s driving the market in vintage guitars. You have a big group of folks who have come into a little money in their maturity, and are saying, “I want a guitar just like I had when I was in high school playing with the Mohicans, that I sold to go to med school.” And, of course, there’s a finite number of ’68 Teles, so the price just keeps going up. That’s why I’ll never get one of those ’59 Les Pauls like Mike Bloomfield played that are now going for over $100K. I guess there are a lot of products like that: muscle cars, toys, baseball cards, comic books. So whether your interest is sixties Strats or Softails, you’re just gonna have to pay more. Damned doctors.

Bikes Blues BBQ and Big'uns

2005-09-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

The week of the 26th finds us with a couple of appearances associated with Fayetteville's Bikes Blues and BBQ festival, quickly becoming the Sturgis of the South. There's some great music added to this mix of loud pipes. Come down and hear Big'uns on the main stage at 6:00 on Friday and stay around to hear one of our favorite acts, the Groove Hogs, later in the evening. I can guarantee you will never, ever pay less to hear a tighter group.
We'll be sharing the venue at George's with the Groove Hogs on Saturday night; they'll be outside, we'll be in. The action should start around 9:30.

UPDATE***UPDATE
Late change: Big'uns will now be in the garden at 9:00. The Groove Hogs are playing a show from 6-9 inside.

Sometimes it's not about the song.

2005-09-12T06:49:00.000-07:00

Musicians and people who consider themselves musically sophisticated can be particular about the songs we listen to and perform. We tend to be suspect of anything that has pervaded the popular milieu too deeply.
But the best musicians can take any song, no matter how banal and overplayed, and add soul and energy to it to create a great performance. The first time I realized this was in the 70’s listening to the late, great Little Rock jazz pianist Art Porter, Sr. Art had a regular gig at Cajun’s Wharf in Little Rock for many years. He didn’t keep the gig by playing Bill Evans material all night—although he was quite capable of doing just that. He played songs the restaurant’s patrons knew, and he did it in a very accessible, but artful way. I once heard him play an inventive, inspired version of the theme from the Andy Griffith show (not a bad song, but not typically found in the jazz canon). The masses loved it. The musicians in the house appreciated it.
Now, Art could have narrowed his repertoire to material that might have been considered more “artistic.” But the venues for that kind of performance are very limited, especially around Little Rock. He would have had to hit the road to make a living. Instead, he decided to stay around home, teaching, entertaining and bestowing other legacies, including the more widely known Art Porter, Jr. And in doing so, he artfully adapted his repertoire to popular acceptance.
Musicians around the world face the same choices as Art Porter: You can stay “artistically true” and either hit the road or play less frequently around home (in which case, you’ll need to supplement your income—but you’d better not supplement it too effectively, or you won’t be a “real” artist). Or you can play to the local market. The best musicians can keep it real and do it their own way, even when they’re playing “Brick House” for the two thousandth time.

Big'uns Live at George's Saturday Night

2005-09-08T22:02:00.000-07:00

It's been a sobering couple of weeks if you've watched the news at all. I've been kind of busy myself with day job attention to the effects of Katrina (hence the lack of activity here).
Maybe it's time for a lighter weekend.

Big'uns will be staying up late with the kids on Saturday night.
Playing inside at George's after the Razorback game.
Send a buck or two to the Red Cross or Salvation Army or better yet, your local evacuee shelter, then hug the young'uns and come out and spend a few hours celebrating how lucky you are.

What about that name?

2005-08-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

A lot of folks ask us, “How’d ya come up with that name, Big’uns?”
It’s a long story that goes way back to the days when Sterling and I played with the GroanUps in Little Rock. I’ll not get into the whole story, but there was this fictional character, whose spirit was frequently invoked named Emerson Bigguns.
Every band has one guy who kind of pushes the group through the birth canal. Any three or four good musicians can get together and create a respectable musical ensemble. But in order to survive, you have to have that person who coordinates the rehearsal space, schedules the rehearsals and most importantly, books that first paying gig. Sterling was that guy in our band. He convinced our friend Suzie Stephens (more on her later) to let us camp our gear in the back room of her store and push the noise ordinance envelope after business hours. He booked the first gig.
When it came time to decide on a name, Sterling wanted to call the band Emerson Bigguns. I argued that would be a hard sell to the mother of prospective brides for wedding gigs. But he did persist, and here we are with this curious moniker, compromised to the shortened version.
Is it fraught with suggestiveness and double entendre? Well, no…Yes…Maybe. I suppose it’s all in your mind. We did have one very respectable organization in Springdale who came to us last spring and said, “We really like your band, but do you think you could change your name to play our big social event?”
Of course, being staunch adherents to artistic principle, we said, “You betcha.” In fact, that’s what we called the band: You Betcha. We softened up the repertoire a bit, agreed to play “Proud Mary,” put on nice clothes and gave them exactly what they were looking for. Are we musical mercenaries? Well, no…Yes…Maybe. But it was a really good version of “Proud Mary.”
We recently played an event our keyboard player, Carl couldn’t make. Not wanting to compromise the integrity of the Big’uns name with a group that couldn’t do the whole repertoire, Sterling suggested the alias we used, Late for Dinner (as in “Call us what you want, but don’t call us late for dinner”).
So, if you come out and hear us, want to book us, but your mother-in-law to-be recoils at the suggestion of Big’uns, just bear in mind, you can call us what you want. Will we play your gig with another name? You Betcha.
By the way, we do have a few choice holiday dates open still. But they're going fast, so call soon.

This week in Big'unsville

2005-08-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

Little belated post here. I took my son Will, who’s developing into a good guitar player (he and a bunch of guys have a band they’re calling Young’uns), for his first visit to New York. If you’re ever there on Monday night, catch Les Paul at his regular gig at Iridium. At 90 years old, he has a great band, still plays some really interesting stuff and he’s just as funny as hell.

Friday before we left, Big’uns played our happy hour gig at George’s. As I’ve mentioned here before, Brian Crowne, George’s proprietor has done a great job of building the consummate live music venue. They have an excellent sound system and good sound guys. They’re bringing in some class touring acts from around the country. Many of us recently got to see one of our favorites there, Tower of Power, without a doubt the tightest R&B ensemble in the world today.

We’re looking forward to playing again at George’s on Saturday, September 10, after the Arkansas-Vanderbilt football game, when we’ll be in the front room.

Slim Big'uns at Herman's

2005-08-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at Herman's last night.
Kudos to Shelby and her crew for making this venerable Fayetteville establishment better than ever. The staff are without a doubt the friendliest folks of any we get to work with and the food is marvelous. (Here's a tip: Herman's long-known for steaks and ribs, has a really unique and wonderful garlic chicken.)
If you're looking for a place to go hear acoustic music up close and personal, check out their deck on Mondays and Thursdays.
We'd like to thank our buddy Phil Mayo for being a great supporter always, and especially helping us out here at Herman's.
Slim Big'uns will be back there on August 25.

Big'uns This Week

2005-08-10T06:35:00.000-07:00

There will be a couple of Big’uns appearances this week in NW AR, beginning on Thursday night, when a pared-down version of the band, Slim Big’uns, plays on the deck at Herman’s from 7:00-10:00. This group is an “unplugged” combo, consisting of the hardest working man in northwest Arkansas show business, Darren Ray, along with Sterling and Ed, all on acoustic guitars and vocals. It’s a lot of the music people give the big tips to hear, and then some…other stuff. Wow. Can’t you feel the electricity in the air already? I can. Come on out. It’ll be fun. It’s a great venue, quite possibly the most perfect place in the whole world to spend a Thursday night. And you can get a big ole slag of red meat, cooked as you like it. Or crackers and salsa if you're a vegetarian.

Then on Friday, the band returns to one of our favorite spots, the garden at George’s, for happy hour (or as we like to think of it, adult hour), from 6-8. George’s has a great sound system, good sound guys, and it’s an opportunity to hear the band play some of the stuff we don’t play at other gigs. Plus Friday afternoon at George's almost always presents a dazzling display of dancing diversity. Oh the humanity! All that for only a two buck (I think) cover.

Come on out, and you might just find your picture here.

When things go wrong.

2005-08-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

We had a little bit of an “opportunity” Tuesday night: The thermal overload circuitry in our main mixer just decided to go on strike against the AC delivery system at Jose’s. What that means is that certain key parts—primarily vocals—would just completely disappear right in the middle of a song, usually when we were cookin’ the hardest. Musicus interruptus. After several attempted re-patching schemes, it became obvious we were just not going to get it back up and running dependably. Fortunately, Darren had along his little 150 watt PA head. Not enough to really carry the band, but better than no vocals at all.
So here we are. We know we are just not going to sound as good as we should. We know our audience has already faced several distracting interruptions. Our monitors are out. Kluging things together has been frenetic and traumatic. It’s turning into a bad night. Early in one’s career, this is where you cue the s**t fit. Stomp around, throw things, just make it perfectly clear that something's definitely not right. But after a few of these experiences, you learn that’s not the most productive line of action.
Best adapt to the situation. Keep the energy up. Have yourself a good time, doing the best you can. More often than not, the audience will move right in there with you. That’s what happened on Tuesday. It wasn’t the usual Big’uns, but it didn’t suck.
When we play an event gig, we usually hire a sound company. They carry backups of their backup. Even then things can go awry (like the time the computer-controlled electrical system in the building in which we were playing shut down at its normal time of ten o’clock, right in the middle of our first set). But when they do, we try to keep smiling.

Why do we play clubs?

2005-08-03T21:02:00.000-07:00

Though our target market is events, we do the occasional club gig. Like last night at Jose's. A six-piece band playing a club in Fayetteville just isn't going to make enough to pay that health insurance premium for the month. So why would we do it?
Number one, it can be a lot fun. You can invite your family and friends. You can try out new material or play material that you couldn't play at a country club gig (that extended version of "Whipping Post," for example). You can dress as you like. You can basically let your hair down (if you have hair). You don't have to worry about whether or not people are dancing and you don't have to play that request for "Brick House" (unless you just feel like it).
When we play events, we're buttoned up and professional about it. People are paying a premium, and we want to give them exactly what they want. It's their gig. But when we play clubs, we claim a little of that for ourselves.
We hope you'll come out to George's and see us next Friday.
Next post: What do you do when things swarm on you?

Big'uns

2005-07-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

Big'uns
Originally uploaded by Ederdn.

Big'uns is
(from top l to r)
Carl Thomas, Mark VanDerhoof, Fuzz Foster
Sterling Tucker, Ed Nicholson
Darren Ray

What's this?

2005-07-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

Big'uns is a six-piece band in the corner of northwest Arkansas. This blog is being created to chronicle their musical experiences, with hopes of giving the viewer a bit of insight into what's played, who was there, and how they might have enjoyed it.

The next Big'un gigs are Tuesday, August 2 at Jose's in Fayetteville, and Friday, August 12, Happy Hour at George's in Fayetteville.