"I thought rock music was dead. Then I heard Big Wreck."

Ask anybody who doesn't think Rock, rock or rockin' is the pinnacle of civilized development. The whole premise of "rock is dead" is the only thing I was commenting on, because, in case you haven't noticed...it's not. It's not only in my way when I'm looking for literally any other music in my life, but I have to move a whole pile of it out of the way just to get to the clean underwear in my bedroom chest. It's the only thing not marked "country" in the Wal-Mart music department. It's like going into a Chinese restaurant and asking, "have ya got anything without MSG?" It's being in a Blockbuster Video, and trying to walk 3 feet without running into a Nicolas Cage movie. It's going to the grocery to find something without salt, fat or a bar code on it. Perplexedly, the rockin' rockers looking for some rock to rock on while they say, "rock on", is almost easier to find satisfaction than a lawnmower looking for grass. And when I read some disenfranchised whining about rock being dead, or no good rock being made anymore or nobody's making any rock like they did back when they had hair, a Dodge and condoms in their wallets, I just have to weep. Essentially, what they are looking for is the next Aerosmith, Zep or Stevie Ray Vaughn fix...and they're just not going to get it until they stop looking to Aerosmith, Zep or Stevie Ray Vaughn to find it.

This thread is about discovering Big Wreck...and I can just imagine hundreds of deluded folks on this board who just can't hear it...because it's not playing on their Classic Rock stations. I hope people try this Big Wreck, and love it so much, they click on everything linked next to it, or in the "people who bought this bought...", or look to find people who love this stuff, and try and find out what else those people listen to. Because just onc Sunday evening on this forum, I'd love to see more, "Yahoo! I've got more new rock than I ever had!" than, "All my music is old, why isn't it still new?"

Absurdity is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

 

Well, I am not ashamed to admit I have never heard of this band. Thanks for giving me something else to listen too..........

 

Nice stuff---but Rock is still dead.

 

That's what I was thinking, and why I shared this article. Was a little taken back by comments like "whiny power pop", as I couldn't disagree more. It's a shame they're not more popular than they are. Doesn't impact my enjoyment of them though.

 

I love that song "That Song."

 

I agree 100%. They have a unique sound with traces of Zeppelin, Steve Morse guitar virtuoso moves, Sonny Landreth slide, blues feel, tight modern rock production with old school values and a voice which is absolutely great, perhaps reminiscent of Chris Cornell but is its own thing.

Their last few albums are far more to my liking than their first 2 which seem to be the only ones people here have even heard of which probably accounts for the comments a bit as well.

It's particularly obvious when I consider how many musicians like Wreck (that's how I came across them) and I compare the quality of their work with groups touted here regularly which, frankly, are amateurish.

 

I know that rock isn't dead, but I'm not sure this band is proving the point. It's not bad per se, but pretty bland.

Here are some incredible lesser known bands that are killing it (I'm skipping bigger bands like Uncle Acid or Mastodon)
Thee Oh Sees
Ty Segall
The Schizophonics
Dr Boogie
Glam Skanks
Frankie and the Witch Fingers
The Buttertones

 

Seems pretty generic to me.

 

I just pulled them up on *streaming provider of choice* and didn't feel them. I started listening through the Ghosts album and couldn't get through any song entirely. I then played through a hand full of their "top tracks." more of the same. I appreciate their musicianship and their dedication, they just aren't for me.
I heard some Pink Floyd (a bass line), a Who lift, and some other familiar riffs. Nothing original and the vocals are a bit off-putting to me. I hear more Weiland in them than Cornell as some have mentioned in this thread.
Good band, just not for me.

 

I’ll have to check out some of these bands...I’m a fan of Dr. Boogie and love the Glam Skanks! A few months back I went to see a local band in Buffalo called Governess and they opened for the GLAM Skanks. Man, my wife & I seen these tiny girls walking around the club looking very young. When we realized they were the Glam Skanks we were debating if we were going to stay for them...well we did & what a friggin’ great wild show these girls put on!!! My wife & I couldn’t leave or take our eyes off the stage they were so entertaining. I was pretty blown away by their guitarist and found out later she is the daughter of Bruce Witkin who toured as bassist for the Hollywood Vampires...the guy has a ton of credentials in music

 

You guys heard that Mother 13 album?
youtube.com/watch?v=IY2NElKFl4M

 

"Man I love that song"



Seriously, I really like this one

 

My brother and I got tickets for their 20th anniversary tour of In Loving Memory Of for both the Santa Ana and The Roxy, with VIP meet & greet at The Roxy in March. So excited! Never seen them live in the 20 years we've been fans, since they usually tour in Canada or northern US states, not AZ.

 

Ian Thornley Talks Covering Rush Classic, Anniversaries and The Future of Albums - Music Life Magazine

 

Their tour starts right around now so check them out live

 

A fantastic band that should've been huge. I think The Pleasure And The Greed is an absolute masterpiece. Ian Thornley is an amazing talent.

I keep hoping they'll actually do some shows in the US.

 

I also really like his guitar playing outside of his songwriting. My favorite moment seeing him in concert was when a fan was using his phone to film the performance. He was more perturbed that it was taking him out of the moment and the fact that the guy was shooting from below with the primary focus probably his crotch. He took a moment and then asked him to stop saying "we're not dating and you don't know me well enough to see my dick" or something to that effect.

 

Big Wreck - Locomotive

 

I don't get how this band isn't more popular on this forum. There's endless pages dedicated to Greta Van Fleet, but Big Wreck barely registers here. Rival Sons are a lot of fun, but they generally deliver only 1-2 songs per album that I feel like hearing more than once. On the other hand, Ian Thornley is a massive, massive talent who brings a Cornell-esque wail, jaw-dropping guitar heroics, plus a bottomless well of catchy songs to the table. Every one of their albums has at least 6-8 songs that I genuinely love and could listen to any day of the week.

Locomotive appears to be another one.

 

Even though every so often a thread about Canadian bands pops up, it doesn't appear too many folks bother to listen to them. Ian Thornley is incredible and Big Wreck is the "big rock" band people seem to yearn for but like The Trews, another great Canadian rock band, it's crickets around here when it comes to conversation.

 

A thousand times THIS! Ian Thornley is fantastic. The complete package: an incredibly inventive guitarist that mixes it up with lots of alternate tunings and really tasteful playing, and a great vocalist and songwriter. I liked ...In Loving Memory Of and just about wore out my copy of The Pleasure And The Greed - no filler, all killer. I'm still boggled that Big Wreck isn't massively huge down here in the States.

 

Gotta keep this convo going for anyone who likes smart, well-played hard rock: Big Wreck is your new favorite band. As for why they never made it bigger, I do think there are a couple of strikes against them that aren't simply bad luck or timing. The most obvious is probably Ian's vocal similarities to Chris Cornell. I think that makes them easy to dismiss for some (shades of Greta Van Fleet there). However, I'd wager the biggest strike against Big Wreck is the 10+ years they were gone, during which Thornley went with a solo career that was very run-of-the-mill and didn't showcase his wide range. I was never a massive fan in the late 90s when they initially came out, but I really liked that first album (hard to deny their trio of big chorus hits on that one). When I stumbled upon Albatross in 2011, I'd sorta forgotten they were ever a thing. I couldn't believe how strong it was. Bands rarely come back as good, if not better than before. But I would argue that is certainly the case with Big Wreck.

Now that Thornley has made his peace with not being a household name, he's doubled-down on making music that he likes, seemingly without much concern for the marketplace. Consequently, the material just gets stronger and stronger. I assume Locomotive is from a forthcoming album. I surely hope so. Their output in the last 7-8 years has been terrific. A wonderful second act for a band that barely got a first act.

 

Album seems to be called '2019'.

 

BIG Big Wreck fan here and agree with all of the above, although I’m finding the new material becoming more generic after a very strong Albatross and Ghosts; also remember Thornley’s solo material being very popular to the point of extremely overplayed at least on Ottawa rock stations and to a lesser degree Toronto rock stations.

I’ve always found that the original lineup of the band, especially the drummer, had a groove that they’ve never quite captured again.

Regardless they are tremendous band and a Canadian treasure.