If you’ve been keeping up with the VA scene over the past couple years, you’re probably aware of Charlottesville indie-psych quartet The Fire Tapes, who sadly split up last year. However, Fire Tapes bassist Rob Dobson hasn’t let the demise of his previous band slow him down any–his new duo, Big Air, have just released their debut album, Buds, on WarHen Records, and they’ll be rocking RVA this Saturday at Emilio’s!
If you’ve been keeping up with the VA scene over the past couple years, you’re probably aware of Charlottesville indie-psych quartet The Fire Tapes, who sadly split up last year. However, Fire Tapes bassist Rob Dobson hasn’t let the demise of his previous band slow him down any–his new duo, Big Air, have just released their debut album, Buds, on WarHen Records, and they’ll be rocking RVA this Saturday at Emilio’s!
Buds, a cassette-only release, features 7 songs that blow by in less than 18 minutes, but are so much fun, you’ll want to hear them again. In contrast to his role in The Fire Tapes, Dobson has exchanged bass for guitar and moved up front. With only drummer Greg Sloan backing up Dobson, Big Air’s sound is basic and stripped-down, which lends itself quite well to the energetic three-chord rock n’ roll that the band cranks out. Side one of the cassette blows by quickly, with tunes like “Cemetery With A View” and “Barking Dog” simultaneously evoking the distorted guitar crunch of garage auteur Ty Segall and the convertible-musclecar jams of classic Cheap Trick. Side two slows it down a bit with the stretched-out ballad “Out Of This World,” but this tune lets the band show off their still-present indie influences. Dobson’s vocal twang in particular evokes Doug Martsch and Built To Spill, perhaps with a bit of early Dinosaur Jr mixed in.
Regardless of their tempo, though, Big Air keep it rockin’ throughout, and once the snow finally melts and spring comes rolling around, anyone with a sweet ride (or even a crappy ride like mine) is gonna want a copy of Buds for the tape deck (or the iPod, as the case may be). Stream Buds in its entirety below, or head over to the WarHen Records Bandcamp and grab a cassette/digital download combo for only $5.
Big Air will be in town this Saturday for a live performance at Emilio’s Downtown, located at 1847 W. Broad St. They’ll be joined by local psychedelians Crushed Purple and Lynchburg’s The Maplewaves. Music kicks off at 10 PM, and admission is free, but we’re betting Big Air will have tapes for sale, so you should probably bring a few bucks anyway. For more info, click here.
