THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 31, 1996 TAG: 9605310068
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SUE VANHECKE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 55 lines
BIG ASS TRUCK? Now what kind of name is that for a combo crowned ``Band to Watch in '96'' by the prestigious Village Voice?
``Well, around here the `big ass' thing is sort of a slang term,'' Colin Butler said recently from Memphis. ``It's used as an exaggeration, like `that's a big-ass hamburger.' It's used a lot. People don't even know they're saying it.''
So when the band was in need of a name for its debut gig, Big Ass Truck was the first thing that came to mind.
``Obviously, it's gotten us a lot of attention,'' Butler said with a laugh.
And so has their sound, an elastic mix of jam-heavy soul, jazz and rock punched up with Butler's hip-hop-inspired turntable scratching and sampling.
The six-man band returns to Hampton Roads this weekend in support of their second record, ``Kent,'' which throws everything from soca to ska into the mix.
``It's a lot more cohesive than the first album,'' Butler said. ``We tried to concentrate more on vocals and songwriting. The first album, a lot of it is just jams - it wasn't really meant to be put out.''
Living in Memphis - birthplace of legendary labels Sun and Stax and home to some of the world's most influential rock, blues and R&B sounds - has had tremendous impact on the band.
``We're all really into old Al Green, Booker T. and the MG's, Isaac Hayes - the whole Isaac Hayes thing pretty much blows our minds,'' Butler said. ``And those people are still around, too. I work in a whole foods store here and Isaac Hayes is in there constantly. So you're actually able to interact with them, talk to them.''
Some of the material on the group's first album was produced by Roland Janes, originally a guitarist for Sun talents Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison and now general manager of Sam Phillips Recording Service. Phillips, Sun's founder, also discovered Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and a host of other legendary talents.
The group's ties to the Sun circle helped them land a contract with Boston-based Upstart Sounds. Memphis music journalist Robert Gordon introduced the band to author Peter Guralnick, who penned last year's ``Last Train To Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley.''
Guralnick tipped off his son Jake, an Upstart A&R man.
So given that Village Voice vouch, have the major labels come a-courting?
``Not really,'' Butler said. ``And even if they did, I don't think we're ready for that.
``I see so many bands get signed by a major label and they have this whole image makeover, they have someone telling them what they can and can't do and which songs they can and can't put on the album. Upstart gives us total freedom.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by UPSTART RECORDS
The six-man band returns to Hampton Roads Saturday in support of
their second record, ``Kent.'' by CNB