Call it dim-Americana, grunge wave, schlock ‘n’ roll, whatever you want, Big Cheese takes you on a wild road trip with sarcasm-soaked lyrics and mock-nostalgic wails over the top of guitar heavy walls of sound.
Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Adam Patten: Guitar, Vocals
Justin Iwinski: Drums
Gwynn Galitzer: Vocals
Marco Sanchez: Bass, Vocals
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Big Cheese? How long has the band been around?
Big Cheese is the first band we (Adam and Justin) started in New York, but before forming Big Cheese we had all played in local bands in our respective scenes in Oklahoma, Connecticut, Texas, and Brooklyn.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
When we originally met in 2012, our musical common ground was Nirvana, and being such fanboys, we decided to name the band after one of their songs. Since our band started off in Bleach territory with loud, grunge/rock music and the song had a mocking, sarcastic tone to the lyrics which resonated with our songwriting style, it felt like the right fit.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
We write songs several different ways, it can either happen naturally while practicing and building off of a riff or drum beat, while other times Adam may come in with a song mostly written. Inspiration comes and goes quickly, and there have been times where we have written a few songs in one practice. Lyrics are typically the last thing that is finalized for a song.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
While Nirvana and Sonic Youth were influences early on, we've since grown to include influences from Broken Social Scene, Thee Oh Sees, Animal Collective, Big Thief, X and tons of great local bands like THICK, A Deer A Horse, PRIMA, Irrevery, Weeping Icon, Janitor, WYD (Columbus, OH.)
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
For me (Adam), I saw a group of 9th graders perform Smells Like Teen Spirit in a talent show at Monroney Jr. High in Midwest City, Oklahoma in 1996. That moment inspired me to want to learn to play guitar.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …
We usually sit in a chair, and then visit the restroom.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
We just finished our 3rd record after adding two new members to the band and we feel proud to be able to work with new people and grow our sound. The feeling of collaborating with new people and working on new music is always the most rewarding thing by far.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
It would’ve been really cool to tour with some of the early rock ‘n roll acts like Elvis, Chuck Berry etc. While our sound would probably just be confusing to the audience, it would’ve been really cool to tour the county playing gymnasiums as people were first discovering and reacting to rock n roll.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Check out our latest singles being released this summer before our album Wild to be Born drops in September. And if you really want your socks rocked check our bandcamp website/songkick for our latest shows in the NYC area.