Push to Fire Interview: Big D and the Kids Table Big D and the Kids Table are a ska punk band who have been together for over ten years. They're a band who work hard and have a strong DIY ethic. Suzy spoke to lead singer David McWane following their UK tour in May:
What has been going on in the world of Big D and the Kids Table lately? Well we just got back from a tour in England. Our best friend Ben from Gipsy Hill was getting married and he asked to play his wedding there. So we said sure and booked a tour around it. We were with Sonic Boom 6 and Random Hand. Now we are trying to move into our new rehearsal space to work on the new record. How was the UK tour? You played Slam Dunk last weekend, what was that like? The UK tour was a blast; a lot of fun. Slam Dunk was cool too, but sometimes it’s hard for bands like us and Sonic Boom Six to be around a lot of the really crappy pop-emo bands that were on the bill this year. It just musically depresses and sonically tortures us. What was it like touring with UK ska punk bands Sonic Boom Six and Random Hand? It was a great time. Those two bands can drink. I think Laila (singer of Sonic Boom Six) only being about 5'5" drank twice as much as I did. And their bass player Barney 6 times - dah ha ha.
I loved 'Strictly Rude' and it was probably one of my favourite albums of 2007, any plans for any new material later in 2008? Well hell thanks. I think the new record is going to be so great. We are basically going to do everything we always wanted to do. But other then that I have to keep things hush hush. Oh but I will say it will be a great festival, fun, party, good time record. Awesome. Who would you say your inspirations are in terms of your music? Who did you listen to growing up? I listened to Iron Maiden a lot and then Operation Ivy. But these days I’m on a diet of Melt-Banana, Cat Empire, and a lot of mash up DJs like dj BC. As well as being a singer/song writer, you're also write poetry, short stories, screenplays....tell me a bit more about the Gypsy Mile book I have been on the road since I was 18 years old and have been fortunate enough to be able to watch humanity from the outside for many years. The Gypsy Mile reflects on this. It’s my travel stories, view of the world and also all my poor choices and near death experiences. But simply it’s a great travel book. It’s good for those who question the answers and who are just looking for alternative explanations. Sounds cool! The Art of Boredom is also listed on your web site as 'coming soon', when can we expect to be able to purchase this? Well I was working on it just before doing this interview and will go back to after I’m done. I’m about half done. So I would say she should be about around this coming winter.
What came first, your passion for music or your passion for writing? Music. I was first a drummer. I played in a panic-rock band called DREXEL. The BIG D guys said "sing" so I sang. I don’t practise singing, but I do read a lot now, so I can expand on what I have to say; my lyrical content. From that reading, I became a writer. Push to Fire admires Big D and the Kids Table's DIY ethic, as that's what we're also all about, how hard (or easy?!) do you think it is to stand by this in the current climate of globalisation? Well like many people say, you just have to ask yourself what you are going for. What is your goal? If your goal is to be a huge band like Fall Out Boy, avoiding big business isn’t a smart idea. If you want to play in small clubs and basements and develop a underground fallowing, you don’t need to worry about globalization. It’s a really big question to answer briefly. You could also say for some it’s hard and for others it’s easy. But you know, everyone says BIG D has a great DIY ethic, we just look at it as doing the bare minimum and not being lazy. Why ask or pay someone to help you, when you are strong and smart enough to do it yourself. What instruments do you play? I’m badass at the drums. Fair at the guitar. Good enough at melodica. Can scratch pretty well. Suck, but trying on the violin. And am still faking being a singer. What is the hardest thing about being on the road for weeks or months on end? The hardest thing is that every night on the road, is the audiences big night out. So every night they want to get you drunker then God. So you have to tell excited people two or three days a week, "I can’t tonight". Which makes them sad. What do you miss most when you're on the road? What I miss most is my girlfriend (she rocks), my cats, community, practising with BIG D and lazy Sunday nights. In terms of the places you have been to on tour, where would you like to go back to, to spend a longer visit and see the sights? Italy and Spain, because I didn’t get to see anything except a dark club and a fight. And finally.. I know you probably won't tell me, but what does 'Big D and the Kids Table' mean? Who is Big D? No it’s fine! BIG D is the 1st person to get killed in the movie TRUE ROMANCE. Ah yes, True Romance, you mentioned this when I spoke to you at Slam Dunk - I think I'll have to check that film out sometime soon! Well, thank you very much for speaking to me today! Not a prob, thank you.
Interview and photos by Suzy Witts (pics taken at Slam Dunk 2008). Thanks very much to David McWane for taking the time to do the interview! Push to Fire recommends you check out the official site and their MySpace page for more info and tour dates. More info about Dave and his books can be found on his web site: davidmcwane.com