DECEMBER 11, 2008 issue
Roots Sounds on the Rock Side of Life
Big Daddy Love Brings Energetic Americana Blend to Canyons December 20
Story by David Brewer
The five members of Elkin-based Americana band Big Daddy Love all come in together with the galloping drumbeat that kicks off the title track to the band’s debut CD, Circle Around The Sun. With boogie-ready beats, memorable melodies and solid stringband interplay between members, the 15 original tracks emphatically announce a new roots rock band ready to make their mark on the regional music scene.
On Saturday, December 20, Big Daddy Love will return to the High Country for a show at Canyons. The music will begin at 10:00 p.m. and there is no cover charge.
Although they have less than three years officially under their belt as a band, the roots of Big Daddy Love extend back nearly a decade to 1999, when members Daniel J. Smith, Dustin Transou and Derek Reece met on the job at High Meadows Country Club in Alleghany County. Informal jam sessions ensued and the trio of pickers became fast friends.
“I felt a big connection with the other guys and wanted to do something,” said Smith.
However, with Smith and the others involved in other musical projects, years came and went before the group decided to adopt a name and give the band a chance. In early 2006, Smith, Transou and Reece performed their first show as a three-piece rock band at the Wisteria Festival in Castle Hayne, N.C. Before year’s end, the band had played nearly 50 shows and was quickly gaining a reputation as a solid live act.
Although the band’s repertoire consisted mostly of rock songs, the members’ mountain roots began to creep into the band’s sound and more roots-flavored original material emerged. Big Daddy Love soon began injecting an acoustic set into their live shows and eventually, the band’s entire sound shifted away from electric rock. The addition of rock solid drummer Steve Nalley and nontraditional banjo player Benjamin Kallam in 2007 solidified the band’s new sonic direction for good.
Smith describes the band’s sound as leaning toward the “bluegrass and roots music side of life” while “keeping the rock drive behind it.” The sound is at times reminiscent of an array of roots rock acts including polyethnic Cajun slamgrass outfit Leftover Salmon, Nashville-based Americana band Bucktown Kickback, indefinable Austin, Texas band The Gourds and longtime hitmakers the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
In addition to playing dozens of shows throughout their home region, Big Daddy Love has already hit several other notable venues including Charlotte’s Visulite Theatre and the House of Blues in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. Smith said that he and his bandmates would like nothing more than to get started on the festival circuit, particularly with a slot at MerleFest.
“The festival season is something we’re very interested in,” said Smith.
For more than a year, Big Daddy Love has been performing in the High Country and is beginning to pick up steam in the area. In addition to their upcoming performance at Canyons, the band will also perform on New Year’s Eve at the Inn at Crestwood, as well as opening for the Lost Ridge Band at Boone Saloon in January.
“It’s actually starting to turn around for us up there,” said Smith.
To hear music by Big Daddy Love, click to www.myspace.com/bigdaddyloveband.
Want To Go?
Date: Saturday, December 20
Time: 10:00 p.m.
Location: Canyons
Cost: FREE!
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