"Big Shot" Liner Notes
Taken from the Big Shot CD

Here we go again. Getting it down on CD is always a journey. As usual, so much time has passed between projects that the current one feels like a summation. So many things happened in 2001 that changed our viewpoints. Some things got much easier and many things got more complicated. "Big Shot" is our proof that the well just got deeper.

We are always digging some of our gold from the streets of New Orleans, and this time we got more than usual. "X-RAY VISION" is a variation of the "Big Chief" beat in hyper-drive. Johnny and T. toured and recorded with Fess, so they know that drill comin' and goin'. "SPHERICAL" is a blues with a large dose of street beat grease. Props to Johnny V. for his mighty Mid-City three/two clave. I feel ya breathin', boo.

"CRESCENT CITY STRUT" has a brighter tempo and features some traditional-style spontaneous counterpoint. The conversational approach is running all through this project. I remember Fess defining "contrapoint" thusly: "When I'm goin' DOWN, you goin' UP; when I'm goin' UP, you goin' DOWN." Of course it's never as simple as it sounds, but maybe that's why they call him the Bach of Rock.

"BIG SHOT" is based on a variation of a beat heard a lot around Mardi Gras time. The intro and outro may be the first recorded example of a canon (or round) juxtaposed with a "Saint Aug." parade beat. The title has at least a triple meaning. Firstly, it is a not entirely ironic referance to our former keyboard player (hey, maing!). New Orleans locals will also recall seeing the Big Shot float in the Zulu parade on Carnival Day. But most importantly it refers to the best damned soft drink in the land. Go out and buy a case today. "A good habit."

"MAGIC LANTERN" comes from a device from the first part of Proust's "Remembrance of Things Past." We used to start the tune by rubbing the belly of the bull fiddle to see if a genie would come out. It's set up for the unknown, which logically could be much larger and more interesting than the known.

"PANDEMONIUM" is a gorgeous but troublesome title. Scott says it's the capital of Hell in Milton's "Paradise Lost." Many people think of chaos or disorder. An anonymous improvisor thought of "some place where pandas go to please themselves." To paraphrase a late, great New Orleans tenor player who will remain nameless: "Pandemonium is when the phone's ringin', someone's at the front door, my ol' lady's comin' and the dog's barkin'."

"RETROACTIVE" is another blues, but with a long meter and in a minor key. It's more up tempo and often an opportunity to gather energy in concert. "HYMN" is one of those great Dagradi melodies, always a song of praise, hope and unity. "HEART OF THE MATTER," the record's centerpiece, is just what the name says.

So much of what a musical group does develops on the bandstand. The days of six nights a week on Bourbon Street are long gone for us, so we take to the road to get the tunes in what Johnny calls "muscle memory." September found us making a Midwest swing, learning the new stuff and working the old stuff into our new quartet format.

On 9/11 we drove from Indy to Madison, and the whole trip was like a dark radio vigil. Steve's sister, brother-in-law and their child were in the Trade Center; it was hours before we knew they got out alright. Emotional relief was tempered by sorrow and confusion. When we got to the gig the promoter was literally in tears.We decided to do the show because we all wanted to play for each other and for ourselves, not to mention the crowd. It ended up being a strong gig with lots of mutual love and admiration. Everyone was grateful for a chance to feel something other than pain and confusion. A day or so later Steve came up with "VIGIL." "VENGEANCE" appeared a day after that. "VIGIL" seemed to command its own specific silence at the concerts. The reactions to "VENGEANCE" were more complex. Nobody asked the obvious questions. Vengeance as a goal? Was the tragedy itself a form of vengeance? Or was it acknowledging the inevitability of vengeance when sons of immense wealth and power (big shots) square off on the perverse world stage of mass media?

Regardless, the crowd and the band were transported each night by the immediacy and depth of Steve's response to the events. It was the beginning of a strange momentum that lasted for the rest of the tour. Everybody just playin' our hearts out with these no-nonsense, clear-headed Midwesterners helping shape the vibe. We were sad but never solemn, partying less than usual, and just digging a life that can never be taken for granted.

- James Singleton