We had the good fortune of connecting with Big Oaf and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Big, what is the most important factor behind your success?
For us it is following the DIY approach. From writing the music to creating all our own artwork, we have complete control over our output and how it is received. This makes for an optimal end result as it is all born from us as the creators without mar from outside influence.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Big Oaf started as a 2 piece music project between brothers Crew & Graham who have been playing music since their early teenage years. During a time, they lived apart in different states but still managed to make music digitally (primarily hip hop with Graham on drum machine & Crew on the mic) –trading parts through email.
Nothing is easy, especially creating a band. Once Graham moved to Atlanta & bought a drum kit, the two began to work on instrumental arrangements honing their chops through a couple years of bass players that came & went. It wasn’t until Matt joined, driving 2 hours from Tennessee area for practice each week to begin forming the Big Oaf sound. Serendipitously the three hit it off immediately & began putting in the work.
Dedication & accountability is the name of the game. We are able to practice every weekend, brothers driving to Matt’s or Matt making the trek to Atlanta. We’ve learned a process that is successful with Crew writing riffs, Graham following with drums & Matt snapping in with raucous bass to glue it all together. Lyrics &vocals written by Crew make for compositions that are a unique blend that marry the loud & heavy with melodic & interesting songs.
We always want our music to give everyone a different impression–being less concerned with genre & more compelled to shake things up for anyone who listens. Our story has been a ride to say the least but Big Oaf is still green compared to our heroes & the legends who have inspired us & continue to make this shit happen. In other words, we’re getting started.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The Earl has been our second home for many years but more recently Sabbath Brewing has really opened their arms to us and we are psyched for everything they have to offer.
For a visiting friend, it’s no question we’d make the rounds in the bar scene (EAV, Lil 5 and the like) but more importantly making sure they get a belly full of ATL’s finest wing establishments (lemon pepper wet, flats only). Honorable mention to Buford Hwy. You can’t not hit up El Rey Del Taco or several of the Asian food joints.
Aside from booze and grub, we enjoy the nature of shooting the hooch or a good hike in Stone Mountain.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
CJ Ridings (Recording Engineer + Mixer) – He recorded, mixed, & mastered our debut record, invited us into his home (and studio), worked within our budget, & helped to nail the vision for the record which was to capture the rawness and live sound of Big Oaf with no frills.
Website: bigoafband.com
Instagram: instagram.com/bigoafatl
Twitter: twitter.com/bigoafatl
Facebook: facebook.com/bigoafatl
Youtube: youtube.com/c/bigoafatl
Image Credits
Markus Shaffer, Timur Dzhambinov