Big Brother

In a musical landscape populated by overbearing opinions, scarce enthusiasm, tangled rehearsal schedules and—worst of all—serious hobbyists, keeping a band together can be overwhelming at best. Rather than endure the hardships that have the potential to break up a group, Royce Haas (aka Big Brother) decided to travel a path seldom wandered: the one man band.

Among the millions of bands in pursuit of stardom today, rarely will you come across a group with less than three members. Yes, duos have proved their ability to throw down (Black Keys, The White Stripes, Rodrigo Y Gabriella), but seldom will you find the elusive one man band gem (musicians who play all instruments at once, not just write all parts and record them separately).  Largely a spectacle for novelty, one man bands do not receive the attention they deserve. Perhaps it’s the lack of personnel that usually allure avid fans, or maybe the finances of touring and recording are just too heavy a burden for one man to bear. Regardless, it truly is a shame these treasures are overlooked.

It all fell into place for Big Brother around 2006. Literally. He was playing guitar one day and some spare drum he had been fooling around with fell into perfect position at his feet right next to a pedal. Once he learned he could play them at the same time as the guitar, he was more or less obsessed for months. Despite the fluency of his recordings, he really does play them all at once, though not traditionally. Instead of having all drums strapped to his back and played via foot pedals, Royce places his kick and snare drums on the floor in front of him, and hits his hi hat with the head of his guitar. With three percussive instruments, one guitar and one voice; the man is doing 5 things at once.

What makes this oddity even more intriguing is his answer for coping with performance anxiety. Playing on stage in front of strangers is nerve wracking in a multiperson band, it’s scary as a solo musician and downright terrifying as a solo musician with 5 things to coordinate all at the same time. To combat this side affect, Big Brother played his first few gigs with peers on stage dancing around in bunny suits. With Big Brother’s sometimes shady content, a little comic relief can’t hurt. “You cannot see a bunny jumping on a trampoline and not smile.” And if performing alone isn’t difficult enough, touring is even harder. Big Brother keeps a mannequin by his side for company during car rides, and has even been known to dress him up like a person to prevent break-ins.

The music? Drifting somewhere between the dirty delta and wild west, it’s almost as dark as the bags under his eyes. With topics ranging from fugitives on the run in murder ballads to an ode to a past addiction (appropriately titled “Heroin”), Big Brother’s content will not be overshadowed by his circus act. Accompanying these dark themes is a twisted depiction of patriotism. With relatives and friends serving in Iraq, this mutinous sentiment towards American society comes as no surprise from such a quintessentially blue collar artist. The guitar / percussion duo is raw at best, and I mean this in the best way possible. The sound is locked, as he doesn’t have to worry about timing with any other musicians. However despite these rhythmic marriages, the sound as a whole is suffering from an acute case of schizophrenia, as the guitar barges in with a testosterone- induced distortion at times and lays low, delicately supporting vocals, at others. Referencing rockabilly influences the likes of The King and blues icons John Lee Hooker and Robert Johnson, Haas produces a mix between the Fratellis’ (during his lighter topics) and Nirvana (at Cobain’s gloomier moments) ultimately churning noise the in the same vein as the Black Keys with the flamboyant appeal of Jack White.

Big Bro made the decision a few months ago to exit the unrewarding bar gig / tour lifestyle and shoot for something more original to better suit his style; street performing in America’s biggest city. If you happen to be walking around Times Square, keep your eyes peeled for a one man band with an enormous bunny dancing by his side. When you find him (he’s hard to miss) be sure to show the love! It might not be long until you’re dancing right by his side in a bunny costume of your own.