Monday Interview: Big Dipper

When I put out the call to Merge Records that I’d like to interview someone from Big Dipper, I did what I usually do: put together some questions, e-mailed them off, and waited for someone to respond. I heard back from guitarist and singer Gary Waleik, and figured I was done. Then I heard from the other guitarist and singer, Bill Goffrier… and then drummer Jeff Oliphant, and finally from bassist Steve Michener. All were eager to talk about the band and its new, 3CD 50-song set, Supercluster.

That, in an of itself, is unique. When bands break up, it seems rare to find all of the original members happy about the past, friendly with one another and enthusiastic about responding to interview questions. Then again, it should be no surprise. Big Dipper — or, “the Dippah” or “Big Diaper,” as the members referred to themselves at various points during our exchanges — was a fun band, and its members seemed very much to be having the most fun of all. They continue to do so, expressing affection and appreciation for each other and generally carrying on the way longtime friends do. Heck, they even take time to coin terms like “obleeky.”

Big Dipper was an indie rock supergroup before there was such a thing. Waleik and Michener came from the Volcano Suns (and Michener also from Dumptruck), while Goffrier had been in the Embarrassment. Given that family tree, the resulting fruit was somewhat predictable: A skewed pop sensibility delivered with fuzzy guitars and an insistent beat. They debuted in 1986 with the six-song EP, Boo-Boo (which included the fantastically frenetic single, “Faith Healer,”) followed quickly by the debut LP, Heavens. That one is considered their best by most, and is certainly their most consistent. Standouts like “All Going Out Together” and “She’s Fetching (mp3)” are certainly classics, but the rest of the songs here are more than worthy in their presence.

Craps, which came in 1988, is where I came in. I still remember picking it up on cassette at the local record shop on the recommendation of a friend behind the counter who knew I’d love it. I did, and took the chance to see the oft-touring group the couple of times they came through town in support.

Slam followed. At the time, the major label bow seemed overblown and a bit weak. In hindsight, while there is some filler that sounds rushed, there are a lot of good songs here that probably suffer from the slick production. Though it was the first of an improbable eight-album contract, the poor reception doomed the band. Waleik and Goffrier soldiered on after Michener and Oliphant split, but a single (“Approach of a Human Being” b/w “The Beast”) was the final whimper.

Fast forward nearly 20 years, and the band is back with Supercluster. The fine folks at Merge saw fit to offer all of the band’s non-major label music at a bargain price, and anyone who likes strong hooks, clever wordplay and aural fun would be foolish not to make the investment.

For an much more detailed Big Dipper history, check out Joe Harvard’s excellent write up at his Boston Rock Storybook web site.

What follows is part of the responses to my initial questions to the band. The rest will be spread over the rest of what I have proclaimed Big Dipper Week, as I look at the band’s discography — and it’s possible future — in more detail on Tuesday through Friday.

When was the last time you listened to this music? Were there any surprises in looking back at these songs?

BG: I really don’t know when I had last listened to some of our songs. I was surprised I knew the words, and when I don’t, Jeff covers for me.

GW: I’ve been listening to this music quite a bit since we recorded it. I don’t think there were any surprises for me… they’ve been a part of me for a long time.

SM: I listened to it fairly often when I would take drives. It always brought back a lot of memories and that helped keep me awake. I loved listening to the stuff that became the third disc, Very Large Array. Gary sent it to me as they recorded that stuff and I loved it. I’m glad I’ll finally be able to play on a few of those songs.

JO: I listen do the Dipper songs all the time. They are such great songs, they never get old for me. I hear different things when I listen to the songs, and I still turn people on to the Dipper every chance I get. I was lucky to have been part of a group of song writers that I feel could go toe to toe with anybody. (There are) all kinds of surprises. I had no idea what they were writing about. The liner notes helped out a lot with their weird song writing minds.

Had the reception to Slam been better, would Big Dipper still be around, and if so, what would it sound like today?

BG: If anyone would have wanted to put out our stuff, we would have kept going with it. Today, just by coincidence, we would be sacking our backing orchestra, and singers, and revisiting our raw early sound.

GW: It’s impossible to answer either of those questions. Who knows? And, besides, we are still around, and we sound like… well, like Big Dipper!

SM: I don’t think we would still be around but we may have lasted a little longer. We were all growing up and moving on. I needed a life that was a little more stable. I admire bands like Yo La Tengo who stuck around, evolved and still sound like the core sensibility is there.

JO: If Big Dipper had made it big, and continued to make music we would all be in rehab! If we put out a record today the songs would just as great as they were back in the 80’s! Great song writers still write great songs. Although my songs would be the hits on the CD.

What have the members been doing ""> since the band split, and what was it like getting back together to rehearse and play a few shows?

BG: It has been a hoot to play with the guys again. We tend to get pretty silly, so it is like drinking from the fountain of youth.

GW: It’s been a lot of fun getting together to play music at first. We’re starting to sound pretty sharp, and we’re having a lot of fun playing some old songs, some slight variations on same, and we’re even trying some brand new ones. It’s a very happy time.

SM: When I left the band I moved to San Francisco. Played with Barbara Manning and the SF Seals for a few months and recorded with them. Played with Richard Buckner and the Doubters for a few months and recorded a little with them. Left those bands and went back to school to get my RN degree. Got married, had two boys while living in Bay area. Got sick of Bay area and moved to Walla Walla, Wash., where my wife and I went back to school to learn how to make wine. We opened Trio Vintners in April of 2006 and now we make wine as a part time job. I’m still a nurse. My boys are 10 and 8 and they love to play music. One sings and plays guitar and the other plays drums in a band called Fireboltz.

JO: I have been a dad, husband and working in the finance business. I would not change a thing; life is great, and I just love to go with the flow, and spend time with my wife and kids. It was great getting back together with the guys. Some things never change we have a great time together, and the songs sound better than ever! We are going to rock when we play the shows in April. Those who miss the show will wish they never did!

Do you hear a Big Dipper influence or your particular sound in anything out there today?

BG: I don’t notice it. But then, I listen to folk, show tunes and vocal jazz.

GW: I’m not sure. Some people say that we influenced bands like Weezer, Fountains of Wayne, Guster and the like, but probably they have been influenced by some of the bands we liked also. So it’s kinda hard to trace that. If you can quantify that other bands are deliberately trying to a) have the lead singer sing slightly sharp, b) have the backup vocalist sing slightly flat harmonies in a lower range, c) have their bass player strum a very midrangy thunderbroom, d) have their drummer play impeccable power pop patterns even as his sunny smile captivates all the females within a two mile radius and e) write lyrics that are geeky and oblique (obleeky?), then yes, I’d say that those bands are trying to mimic Big Dipper.

SM: Sure, I think the nerdy stuff that is hip now owes something if not to big dipper than to our peers. When I first heard and saw Weezer, I was pretty sure they had heard of us.

JO: I hear bits and pieces of bands that might have or still listen to Big Dipper, although we had a very unique sound. I don’t think there is a band that sounds just like the Dipper.

I love the fact that we had our own sound, and didn’t sound like ever other band at the time. I remember that everybody wanted to sound like R.E.M., we must have played with 500 bands that tried to sound like another band that was popular at the time. I don’t think that works very well, and it’s not interesting to listen to.

A lot of college rock from your era is being reissued now. Why do you think people now are primed to hear this music again?

BG: I can only hope that people will want to hear it again. Better still is if a new audience finds it entertaining.

GW: Nostalgia, maybe. Possibly the natural 20 year cycle that seems to dominate in pop culture. Or probably because the music was really good, people deserve to hear it again, and the bands deserve to be heard again.

SM: A lot of people who hear Supercluster are telling me it sounds fresh and new now. I think a lot of stuff is very heavy and emo and intense now and this is fun, bouncy, intelligent pop with loud and noisy guitars. It stands out. Perhaps we were a little ahead of our time as were dozens of bands that were around at the time. Radio, press, consumers didn’t have the chance to hear most of our stuff. If we were around today with the Internet i think we would at least had the chance to reach the large audience we thought we deserved. They may have hated us but at least we would have know.

JO: It was a time were some of the great song writing bands were not being noticed. Such as Camper Van, the Connells, Glove Fist etc. Twenty years later the media is finally realizing how great the bands were back at that time. I hope they get their just due and sell millions of CD, and have even more downloads.