BIG Something at The State Theatre, St. Petersburg Florida

Friday February 1st BIG Something, a funky space rock group out of North Carolina, shared the stage with Zach Deputy at the State Theater in St. Petersburg FL.

The band opened with a banger, ‘The Curse of Julia Brown’ – a dark and heavy hitting rock groove that tells the story of a famous New Orleans voodoo woman named Julia Brown. Typically this song is a set ender, as it has quickly become a fan favorite, so when the band opened with it – I knew St. Pete was in for a special show. The band seamlessly transitioned from a blistering version of ‘Julia Brown’ to another fan favorite ‘illuminated’ – an up tempo synth driven rocker that will be featured on the bands upcoming studio album.

About halfway through the set, near the end of their song “Truth Serum”, BIG Something invited Mr. Zach Deputy himself to the stage to spit some rhymes and some off the cuff vocal scat. “His ability to improvise and freestyle is amazingly soulful and effortless,” said BIG Something’s lead singer and rhythm guitar player Nick MacDaniels. “It was so much fun to have that presence up on stage with us. From that point on, I think the show went to another level.” And damn if it didn’t! Following “Truth Serum” the guys threw down an always anticipated “Amanda Lynn” – a catchy A-major rocker with a southern twang that features Nick playing a mandolin. The band ended the set with an unforgettable “Saturday Night Zombie” with Jesse Hensley, lead guitar player in BIG Something, teaching a lesson on how to melt your face. His screaming guitar combined with the bombs Doug Marshall was dropping on bass, had the crowd in a frenzy wanting more. The set also featured a cover of the Talking Heads classic ‘Making Flippy Floppy’ and an especially funky rendition of Prince’s Apocalyptic masterpiece “1999” that got all 300+ people in the room dancing like it was the end of the world.

When I asked Nick about his thoughts on the show he said, “”There’s nothing better than playing to packed house in a city you’ve never been to before. The crowd response was overwhelming.” This was a great opportunity for the band while on tour in Florida and needless to say BIG Something brought the heat to St. Pete! The band was firing on all cylinders and this show was just another example of their supernatural ability to get you up out of your set and on your dancing feet. I have seen these guys more times than I can count and every time they play I promise it’s a BIG Something Party!