A Chat with Big Spin (30.12.2020)
Big Spin, the Mexican punk rock band, has unleashed their self-titled and latest album Big Spin on the world. The album marks 20 years since the band’s first release and captures the punchy sound the band has to offer. Packed with 10-tracks that pulse infectious energy through you, the album is a great reminder of what the band offers for their fans and a perfect introduction to any new listeners. We sat down with Big Spin to talk about their self-titled album, their creative process, previous releases and much more!
OSR: How did you all meet and form the band?
Big Spin: We were two different bands, but we didn’t know each other. Ros, Vico and Toño had already started Big Spin, but they didn’t like their bass player and were looking for a singer. Eumir and Mike played in a band called Nihilismo, but their drummer was a Metalhead and didn’t like punk rock. One day, Eumir went to a party and met a guy who played the drums for another band called Gula, who told him that some guys were looking for a singer and a bass player. We got in touch and met up. That day we made our first track.
OSR: When you first got together, did you have an idea of the sound you wanted or has this evolved over time?
Big Spin: We knew we wanted to play the kind of punk rock we loved, which basically was the sound coming out from California at the time. NOFX, Pennywise, Bad Religion, but we also liked ska-punk, some reggae, so we tried to mix it all up, and I guess we’re still trying.
OSR: Your self-titled album Big Spin had an interesting creative process, can you tell us a little more about this?
Big Spin: We split up around 2013 and hadn’t played together since then. One day, our old guitar player, Toño, who no longer plays with us, called Eumir and asked him if he wanted to put the band back together and make a reunion show, just for the sake of it. Eumir said yes and contacted the rest of the band. We all agreed, but due to some old unsolved issues between Toño and another band member, the project didn’t work out, but we kept in touch.
A couple of months later, we decided that it would be fun to make a new album, so we rented a studio for a month and decided that we were going to try and make a song a day for 10 days. That’s what we did. Then we took another 10 days for the vocals and 10 more days for mixing and mastering.
OSR: Has your creative process evolved over the years or is it still similar to when the band started?
Big Spin: It’s completely different. Back in the day, we just hung out at the rehearsal room, played some cover songs for fun and, little by little, came up with our own music. You already know how we made our last album. We liked the process a lot. I guess the next one will be a combination of both methods, but who knows? I mean, right now we’re all quarantined, so the future has never been so uncertain.
OSR: Is there a common theme to the tracks on the album?
Big Spin: Not really. I mean, I try not to take things way too seriously nor too lightly, but it’s really just what comes to my mind, I try not to impose anything on my own creative process. I guess freedom is something I care deeply, and I try to explore it from various points of view, but sometimes I may just write a love song. Or maybe all of our songs are love songs in a way.
OSR: It has been 20 years since your first album, how do you feel this one compares to the others you have released?
Big Spin: Bands always say that their last album’s the best, so who knows, I guess time will tell. But we like it a lot, we feel that we sound kind of the same, maybe a bit older and more mature, but at the same time, we still enjoy playing fast and loud, so I think it has the same spirit.
OSR: If people could listen to only one track off the album, which do you think captures the spirit of the band and why?
Big Spin: Maybe ‘Bottomless’, I guess it’s the more complex song, it’s fast, then slow, a little bit melodic, and that’s what we always try to do. We don’t want all of our songs to sound the same. Some people like that and some people hate it.
OSR: What is the best gig you have ever performed and why?
Big Spin: It was more than 20 years ago, at a house party. We played with all our friends’ bands. We didn’t give a shit about pleasing anyone, we were all just drinking, dancing and having fun.
OSR: What advice would you give young musicians who want to follow in your footsteps?
Big Spin: Don’t! Kidding. I’d tell them to hang on. If music’s their dream, just hang on to it and don’t let anything come in the way. Forget about the money, the fame and all that shit. In the end, the reward is the music itself.
OSR: What can we expect from you in the next 12 months?
Big Spin: We want to make another album and, if the pandemic allows us, we’d like to tour Mexico and make a short tour somewhere else, maybe Europe.
Thanks to Big Spin for chatting with us! You can find more about them on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
