The Guitar Player's Resource
All the way from Western Canada (Edmonton, to be exact) comes the hard rock band Big Bang, with their brand new CD entitled Rockin' The Galaxy. Big Bang is the brainchild of guitarist/bassist Mel Gargus, who wrote and arranged the material on Rockin' The Galaxy over a thirteen year period, from 1985 to 1997. The album contains plenty of wailing rock licks, with the highlights being the three instrumental cuts, "Fantasay", "Rock On" and "Pins & Needles." The space-rock melodies of "Fantasay" in particular, display Gargus' penchant for memorable riffs, and is splattered with wild, intense solo passages. Gargus was assisted on the project by vocalist Arne Christensen and drummer Brent Lane; the two musicians lending additional professionalism to the musical work.
In 1985, Gargus first began working with vocalist Arne Christensen, who he met when Christensen's band "Canada" had come to him to do a demo. Gargus found that Christensen's work ethic and ability to cover a wide range of musical styles were the elements he required in order to begin writing and recording original material. It wasn't until 1995, when the two hooked up with drummer Brent Labbe that the finishing touches could be put on Rockin' The Galaxy, as Labbe rerecorded nine of the ten drum tracks. Gargus then remixed the project and released it in 1998. Rockin' The Galaxy stands as a testament to perseverance, as they never lost site of their ultimate goal of releasing a CD.
Vocal cuts such as "Stressed Out System" and "Animal" have received some air play in Canada, and the band hopes to sell enough CDs to warrant producing a video of one of the songs. Only time will tell if rock'n'roll still lives in the hearts of North Americans.
Premier Recordings, Ltd.
1123 Falconer Rd.
Edmonton, Alberta T6R 2G6
Canada