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Middle Ages Beer Hall Presents
Big Something w/s/g Dizgo
Thu, 23 Oct, 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM EDT
Doors open
7:00 PM EDT
Middle Ages Beer Hall
120 Wilkinson Street, Syracuse, NY 13204
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We canât wait to rock with you on October 23rd at Middle Ages Beer Hall Get your tickets NOW!
PRESENTED BY VISIONS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
18+ to attend
Event Information
Age Limit
18+

Alternative Rock
Big Something
Big Something
Alternative Rock
Hailing from the North Carolina countryside, or âThe Middle of Nowhere,â as itâs proudly dubbed on their debut album, the 6 headed musical monster known as 'Big Something' has steadily become one of the most unique and exciting rock bands to emerge from the Southeast. Their musical alchemy is deeply rooted in the strong bond of its membersâNick MacDaniels [lead vocals, guitar], Jesse Hensley [lead guitar, vocals], Casey Cranford [saxophone, E.W.I. âElectronic Wind Instrumentâ], Ben Vinograd [drums], Josh Kagel [keys, trumpet], and Matt Laird [bass].
After over a decade of touring together with 7 full-length studio albums produced by GRAMMY-nominee John Custer and even their own Summer music festival The Big What?, Big Something has emerged as a grassroots phenomenon in the live music community.
âIâm proud that weâve stuck together through all of this,â notes Nick. âWe have our own unique thing as a group, and Iâm very excited about where itâs always been going.â
The band has progressively evolved their catalog with each subsequent release. From their debut album Stories from the Middle of Nowherein 2010, through fan favorites a la Big Something[2013], Truth Serum[2014], Tumbleweed [2017], The Otherside[2018], and Escape[2020], they have constantly pushed the boundaries of their sound. Among many highlights, âSong For Usâ and âLove Generatorâ have accumulated millions of Spotify streams, while their performances at Sweetwater 420 Fest, Lockân, Electric Forest, Peach Music Festival,Summer Camp, High Sierra and 10 years of their own festival, The Big What?have further solidified their place as luminaries of progressive improvisational rock.
Their seventh studio album,Headspace[out 11/17 on Truth Serum Records], is significant for the band in many ways. Featuring a collection of songs written over the past few years as the world emerged from a strange moment in history, Headspacewas inspired in large part by the ongoing conversations surrounding mental health. As the band releases each new single, they will also spotlight several non-profit organizations focused on helping people navigate mental health and wellness. Headspacewill also mark the bandâs last studio release with founding members Doug Marshall (bass) and Josh Kagel (keys/trumpet), both of whom announced their retirement from touring in 2023.
For the new album, Big Something journeyed to Cannon Falls, MN to track at the legendary Pachyderm Recording Studiosâbirthplace of Nirvanaâs In Utero. Accompanied by longtime producer John Custer, they lived together in a guest house overlooking a serene trout stream tucked away into nature.
âWe cooked dinner together every night, recorded all day, and really enjoyed a special moment in time making this album,â Nick goes on. âIt was such a cool bonding experience. We really locked in together musically and tried to tap into the special energy at Pachyderm.â
That palpable energysurges through the albumâs lead track andfirst single, âThe Mountain.âThe six minute-plus epic sinks its teeth in and clenches its jaw, twisting and turning through organ-laden fuzz towards a rapturous refrain. âThe Mountainâ carries deeper meaning for the tight-knit group, and the lyrics pay homage to Nickâs lifelong best friend and frequent collaborator Paul Interdonato, who wrote a majority of Big Somethingâs lyrics before his tragic passing in 2017.
ââThe Mountainâstarted with one of the last lyrics I have written down in a journal from Paul,â Nick goes on. âComing up the mountain, I can see it all again -the chorus is a metaphor for getting over trauma.â
Interdonatoâs struggle also inspired the theme of the single âCloudsâ.A collaboration with Andy Frasco and Justin Osborne of SUSTO, the gripping work delves into dark subject matter over a blissful cloud of catchy sounds. Musically, this is perhaps the most salient display of the breadth of Big Somethingâs jaw-dropping musicianship and genre fluency. The slinky earworm isnât easily forgotten, and showcases head-nodding bass, slick guitars, and keys locked into a funky intergalactic strut, giving way to a distortion-boosted refrain and synth solo.
âI went to write with Andy in Denver and played him a rough recording of the instrumental,â recalls Nick. âIt didnât have any lyrics yet, so he was helping me think of ideas. We landed on the thought of âliving in the cloudsâ as a metaphor for addiction. And the character in the song is a close friend who may never come back down.â
Big Something leaned into collaboration yet again on âBob and Weave,â a track originally penned by another close friend and frequent collaborator, Josh Phillips from Asheville, NC. The buoyant track sees otherworldly electronics wheeze as the riff slinks beneath swaggering verses and an uplifting chorus.
âGetting to know Josh has been so much fun. Heâs an incredible singer-songwriter and reminds me a lot of Paul in certain ways. From what I can tell, âBob and Weaveâ is basically about waking up and trying to get through the anxiety of life with the help of friendship âand maybe some cannabis,â MacDaniels added.
Then, thereâs âAlgorithm,â a track that serves as a spiritual predecessor to fan favorite âLove Generator.â
âIt's sort of like a prequel or counterpoint to âLove Generatorâ which takes place in a distant future where machines learn to love and become human. In âAlgorithm,âhumans are shutting down and turning into machines,â he elaborates.
Rounding out the album, the band brought everything full circle with a final nod to Paul by re-recording the first Big Something song ever written, âAmanda Lynn.â Originally released on their 2010 debut album Stories From The Middle of Nowhere, âAmanda Lynnâ features the first lyrics that Interdonato contributed to the band.
âWe thought it was a cool way to connect everything to the roots of our story,â MacDaniels explained.
In the end, Big Something's tale is a testament to the power of friendship and that bond burns brighter now than ever as the band prepares to journey across the US for their recently announced HEADSPACE Tour -their biggest headlining tour to date.
âThis started out as a group of friends, and itâs turned into a family over the years. I love this music and this band and what we do and I hope people can hear and feel that in what we create.â

Psychedelic
Dizgo
Dizgo
Psychedelic
âDIZGO has one of the most operative names in the jamband scene, evoking atranscendence of genre: a dizzier disco, filled with a hodge-podge of genres, styles, andtechnical influences while still, at itâs core, a dance party.â-> Space TapesDizgo redefines the live experience by blending jamtronica with funk, deep-groove soul, andpsychedelic rock, taking the audience on a musical journey that includes intricatecompositions and extended improvisation. The result is something both danceable andintrospective: soulful vocals, interweaving analog synths, and shredding guitar all which joinforces under the banner of Dizgo.The band has played stand out performances at festivals such as Peach Music Festival,Summer Camp Music Festival, ResonanceMusic Festival, Werk Out Music Festival, SonicBloom Music Festival, and much more and has supported acts such as Goose, PigeonsPlaying Ping Pong, Papadosio, The Main Squeeze, Aqueous, Lespecial, and more.