Big Lonesome goes live – and safe – with release party
You may not want to tell anyone, but a really good live rock show is happening in Framingham tonight. Local band the Big Lonesome are celebrating the release of their new album, “Payphones & Ashtrays” — a rough-cut gem that crosses the emotional pull of alt-country with the sonic edge of indie guitar rock. And they’re having an old-fashioned (but socially distanced) release gig at one of their favorite spots, the Exhibit A Brewing Company in Framingham.
“I’m actually a little afraid that too many people may show up, so we’re not promoting the show too hard — which is probably the opposite of what you should do,” singer/guitarist Chad Gosselin said this week. “But there will be masks and we’ll be a little bit separate from the audience. I’m sure it’s the last show we’ll play this year, so we’re going to enjoy the moment for what it is.” (Gosselin and his guitarist brother Luke are making it a stripped-down show, playing as a duo; the show starts at 7 p.m.).
If the virus hadn’t hit, the Big Lonesome would have likely logged a couple of months in their tour van by now. Formed by the Gosselins with Seth Kellogg on bass and Linecker de Silva on drums, they’ve been releasing their own music and booking their own tours, teaming with a couple of like-minded bands in Texas and Chicago to form a loose-knit collective.
“The writing’s been on the wall and we’re losing independent clubs all the time. So we formed Dream Coast, which is like a little think tank for bands that are organizing their own thing, helping each other book tours.”
The new album finds the band going in a couple of directions at once: They like a haunting tune and a thoughtful lyric, but also don’t mind making a bit of noise.
“It’s funny that we started as an alt-country band, and I think we’ve still got a tinge of it. But somewhere I remembered that I like Sonic Youth too, so we enjoy playing with different sounds. Especially after playing punk clubs around the country, where the tendency is to rock out all night. The regional perception around the country can be funny: In the Northeast they hear the country in our music, but in the South and the Midwest we sound like a rock band.”
A certain sense of loss runs through the album; the title “Payphones & Ashtrays” was chosen because both objects have largely vanished from sight.
“I’m 37 so I wouldn’t say I’m a super-old guy, but it’s interesting how things disappear and are never to be seen again. I wrote a lot of the songs when I was going through a divorce about five years ago, so a lot of it is about the social pressure to get married at a certain age and have your 2.5 kids, all the expectations around that.
And some of the songs are about social constructions in general — like, how you’re supposed to be a creative person in a society that doesn’t value your skills.”
Has he found an answer for that one yet?
“I’m still trying to figure it out as I go. Putting one foot in front of the other, for the most part.”