February 2012
11 posts
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Los Angeles Times Feature: Big Sir talks about...
During 12 years of sonic partnership, vocalist Lisa Papineau and bassist Juan Alderete’s mesh of meditative lyrics, electro-inflected boom-bap and prog-jazz has combined fury and philosophy in a way that doesn’t have to shout to be heard.
Formed in 1999, their band, Big Sir, brought together the operatic tone of Alderete’s fretless bass with Papineau’s penchant for...
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LA WEEKLY Feature: Big Sir
Big Sir Had Serious Health Scares. So They Made an Album About Life and Death
Six years after the members of Big Sir were forced to confront their mortality head-on, singer-composer Lisa Papineau and bassist Juan Alderete are back with their third album of jazz-prog-electronic jams, Before Gardens, After Gardens.
Right around the time they were finishing their last album Und Die Scheiße...
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Sound Colour Vibration Review: Before Gardens...
Rodriguez Lopez Productions and Sargent House have been expanding on dozens of releases over the last few years with the plethora of artists that exists between the two. Connected at the heart by Cathy Pellow, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and many others, this is a movement of sound and vision that is gaining considerable reputation as progressive minds are evolving even further from their origins....
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Dirty Impounds Albums of the Week: Big Sir Before...
Big Sir: Before Gardens After Gardens (Rodriguez Lopez Productions/Sargent House)
Just lovely, haunting, too, and thought provoking like an itch that wakes one in the night, suddenly aware of some sore spot stirred up that now must be attended. The latest work from this 12-year-and-counting collaboration between bassist-composer Juan Alderete (The Mars Volta) and sublime singer-composer...
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Juan Alderete creates the "Vato Vibrato" Tone...
In this video Big Sir’s own Juan Alderete creates a TC Electronic TonePrint for the Shaker Vibrato pedal. He names the TonePrint “Vato Vibrato”.
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I Paint My Mind: Big Sir – Before Gardens After...
Big Sir is a collaboration between kindred spirits – two people who’s interests, skill, and acumen converge in an incredible melding of aesthetics. They include trip hop & down tempo with rhythms that sometimes break out, bass lines that bring you with them, and dust it all with some of the most heart-tingling vocals you’ll ever hear. Big Sir is of course Juan Alderete (Racer X, The Mars...
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Big Sir Announce EU/UK Tour and Two dates in...
Big Sir — the longtime collaboration between singer/composer Lisa Papineau and bassist/composer Juan Alderete (The Mars Volta) - announce Spring 2012 EU and UK headlining tour dates in support of their forthcoming new album, Before Gardens After Gardens coming out on February 7th. Please see complete dates below. In anticipation of this new release, Prefix Mag just premiered another new...
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The Daily Texan Reviews: Before Gardens After...
Big Sir experiments with new sounds
The longtime collaboration between The Mars Volta’s Juan Alderete and singer-songwriter Lisa Papineau (well known for contributing vocals to M83), Big Sir’s minimal setup harbors a complex atmosphere that is eerie, yet absolutely intriguing. The duo retains that quality in their latest release Before Gardens After Gardens, the group’s third studio...
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Nanobot Rock Two Reviews / Two Takes on Before...
-Greg’s Take- Big Sir: Before Gardens After Gardens
For the last twelve years there has been a collaborative effort which has flown under the mainstream radar that can only leave us wondering Why hasn’t the world taken notice?
The musical talents of Lisa Papineau, who brings experience from M83 and the Watchmen soundtrack, and Juan Alderete, who has donated ripping bass lines to Racer...
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Behind the Hype Review: Before Gardens After...
With over two dozen play throughs over the past couple weeks, my first album submission of the year puts me on a good note. Big Sir’s latest album, Before Gardens After Gardens, is their first LP in many a year. Comprised of the beautiful songstress Lisa Papineau (known for her work with Air and M83) and legendary The Mars Volta bassist Juan Alderete, Big Sir is a staple of the Sargent...
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PREFIX Track Premiere: "The Kindest Hour" by Big...
“The Kindest Hour” will appear right at the halfway mark on Big Sir’s upcoming 11-track album, Before Gardens After Gardens, which makes me think it could be an important transitional song. Singer/composer Lisa Papineau (Air, M83) and bassist/composer Juan Alderete (The Mars Volta, Racer X) create this pretty, eerie (also pretty eerie) tune with help from Heather Lockie and her...