The Final Ride of The Big Wheel
Ever heard that saying that all good things must come to an end? Humans have bought in to that statement for centuries now and it seems to be even more true when it comes to music. But why is it that only the good things must come to an end? Just once couldn’t it be something like Justin Bieber decides to throw in towel? How about an announcement that auto-tuning or lip-syncing at the Super Bowl has been banished? Well we can dream can’t we?
So most of us that are friends with musicians have experienced the break-up of a band. Hell, if you live in the northwest there’s a pretty good chance you’ve been on the receiving end of one of those situations. Bands break up for a multitude of reasons. Ego clashes(our favorite), creative differences, unacceptable band behavior by one or more of the members and any number of other reasons. Sometimes the music has just ran it’s course and in that case even though the fans are often heartbroken and disagree, maybe it’s better that way.
But what about when you have a band that is at the top of their game and probably had the best material ahead of them? We know that life happens to all of us and sometimes it gets in the way of a band and what might have been. Enter Big Wheel Stunt Show. These Tacoma rockers have been electrifying crowds for half a decade with an energetic brand of stripped down, meat and potatoes rock & roll that always left the participants stuffed. The sonic feast that is a Big Wheel show was experienced by eager rockers up and down the west coast and even as far away as Texas for two trips to SXSW. They started this thrill ride on May 21, 2009 and delivered the live goods 350 times, on three tours, in seven states and if any of them could get across the border, that most surely would have spilled over into Canada or Mexico or both. In between all the shows and all the touring they still found the time to lay down three great albums. From Rolling Stone Spain, to KEXP, scribes and DJs across the world shouted their praise for the 2012′s Wonderful Life and for good reason.
But due to life circumstances beyond anyone’s control, the band will be no more.
Big Wheel Stunt Show will always hold a special place in the hearts of the Northwest Music Scene. Four years ago, while our little operation was still in it’s infancy we used to have weekly band “popularity” contests and the guys were consistently in the top five. That would earn them a spot on Fridays on KGRG and in our hearts forever. The band announced today that it’ll be playing one final show before bassist Jake Melius moves back to the desert.
We spoke with drummer and good friend Justn Gimse about the current state of the band:
“Jake has been missing his family in AZ and we’ve all had some life changes recently, so while it”s heartbreaking, it’s also probably pretty good timing. We still love each other very much.”
In fine and perfectly fitting Big Wheel Stunt Show fashion they announced that the farewell show will go down on March 1st at The New Frontier, the scene for many of their epic Tacoma shows. They are even bringing bands back from the grave for this one as they just told us that another one of our late, great favorites The Hardcount will reform for one night to help shut the door on this chapter of the book of northwest music. A few years ago these two bands teamed up at The New Frontier for what was one of the best live rock & roll shows in the northwest in a long time.
Get there early and expect an absolutely packed house. Event page: