BIGBANG

FROM ACID TO ZEN

BigBang

From Acid to Zen
(September 9th – Grand Sport)

“Big Bang lit the power-pop chine and songwriting of Big Star and late-Eighties R.E.M. with the power-blues dynamics of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Double Trouble” --David Fricke, Rolling Stone

“They seem to have perfected melding Allman Brothers-like harmonies, the hum-along quality of a really good Tom Petty, and the guitar outbursts of a J. Mascis moment.” — Evan George, LA Alternative

September 9th marks the release of BigBang’s From Acid to Zen (Grand Sport).  This album is saturated with a genuine, raw, but melodic rock ‘n’ roll vibe that isn’t weighed down by ‘70s cliché and nostalgia.  One listen to From Acid to Zen could transport the listener back to a ‘70s barroom or to a modern dive where Cream, The Allman Brothers, Petty and the Who would be welcomed on the jukebox.

Already something of a phenomenon in their native Norway, From Acid to Zen is the first full-length BigBang album to arrive on US shores.  Lead singer/songwriter Øystein Greni explains “If there is theme behind this record it would be the search for good rock songs that are melancholic without being nerdy and powerful without being macho.”  These former Warner Music Norway signees are gold-selling artists.  They have earned two Scandinavian #1 albums (2005’s Poetic Terrorism and 2007’s Too Much Yang) and currently hold the highest selling live album in Norway’s history (2003’s Radio Radio TV Sleep).

Much of From Acid to Zen was written on the road as BigBang criss-crossed Northern Europe.  Greni credits a stint as openers for the Raconteurs with “helping to shape the sound of this record.”  The album was also molded from behind the boards by the expertise of Phil Nicolo (Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, Pearl Jam) who co-produced several of From Acid to Zen’s eleven tracks with Greni and by mixers Sylvia Massey (Tom Petty, Johnny Cash) and Michael Ilbert (the Hives, Soundtrack to Our Lives). 

From the placement of the title track at the end of the CD, it is clear that this band has no weak links when it comes to creating rousing, anthemic, arena-ready tracks that encourage loud sing-alongs and that command repeat listening.  Standout tracks include “Hurricane Boy,” a decadent rock song with a punk vocal delivery and the ethereal “Wild Bird,” which Greni says combines “the mysticism of traditional Norwegian folklore with a classic West Coast sound.”

BigBang brings its wild live performance to a stage near you with a planned U.S. Fall 2008 tour.

 Long lead press: streaming audio of From Acid to Zen available here: http://www.oglio.com/webs/pages/artists/BigBang-FromAcidToZen.shtml

From Acid to Zen will be available in both vinyl and CD format, as well as digitally on iTunes. 

To request a hard copy, please contact Sam Orlando // sam@pressherepublicity.com

For more from BigBang visit www.bigbangweb.com.

BigBang is: Øystein Greni (vocals/guitar), Olaf Olsen (drums/backing vocals) and Øyvind Storli Hoel (bass/backing vocals)

Track listing as follows:

• Early December
• Wild Bird
• The One
• Saturn Freeway
• Hurricane Boy
• My First Time
• Savior Soul
• From a Distance
• Wherever You Are
• From Acid to Zen
• Where the World Comes to An End
  

For more information, please contact Sam Orlando at Press Here Publicity sam@pressherepublicitiy.com // 212-246-2640

BIGBANG BIO

On the new record From Acid to Zen BigBang founder and frontman Øystein Greni sings of movement and escapism.  From being a “Hurricane Boy,” to catching a mythical “Wild Bird” to watching “a train speeding by another non-stop town” this band is clearly about transitions.   And yet the title From Acid to Zen came from a surprisingly specific place, “I went to pick up a Rickenbacker bass for Øyvind from this old psychedelic rock dude,” explains Greni.  “He was in his 50s and the place was full of old Pink Floyd posters, Buddhas and the smell of incense.  Turns out, the man was selling the bass for his son who was looking to pick up a little cash for some graduation partying.  On my way home [the song] "From Acid to Zen and Back Again" just came to me.  I guess it´s about the baby boomers or some of them…”

Greni was born into a musical family in Oslo, Norway.  His father Thor S. Greni was a member of The Undertaker's Circus, a soul band that toured with the New Yardbirds (the embryonic Led Zeppelin) in the late '60s.  Young Øystein was deeply influenced not only by his father's work and the music of other Norwegian bands, but also the deep grooves of Cream, the guitar wizardry of Jimi Hendrix and the honest harmonies of The Band and Buffalo Springfield.

As a teenager, Greni developed a passion for skateboarding and along with that lifestyle, fell into the punk scene, driven on by the urgings of Dead Kennedys, Hüsker Dü, Dinosaur Jr and Fugazi. On the verge of turning pro, Greni was grounded by an accident that shattered his knee. After several operations, months of recuperation, and facing the fact that he would never be able to skate professionally, Greni turned to music for solace. He formed the power trio BigBang, appointing himself lead vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter.

"It started out as something to do since I couldn't skate anymore," Greni relates. "But, people really liked our music and told us that we really needed to play shows and make an album.  So we did."   

One of BigBang’s strongest assets is their exhilarating live show.  After it felt like the major labels had passed them by, a speaker-shattering live show at By:Larm, Scandinavia’s largest music conference,  earned them a contract with Warner International.

The band's three Warner Norway albums spawned a number of commercial hits inlcuding “Girl In Oslo,” and all debuted at #1 on the Norwegian charts.  The live album, Radio Radio TV Sleep became the biggest selling live album in Norway's history. 

With the backing of a major label and an exponentially growing fan base responding enthusiastically to their modern twist on classic-style rock infused with skate-punk energy, BigBang became one of Scandinavia's most successful live bands. From that point on, they regularly played up to 25 festivals per year with audiences of 20,000 or more. At the 2007 Roskilde Festival, BigBang shared the main stage with The Flaming Lips, The Who and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. 2007 saw the band on tour the UK with The Raconteurs.

BigBang is: Øystein Greni (vocals/guitar), Olaf Olsen (drums/backing vocals) and Øyvind Storli Hoel (bass/backing vocals)

The band’s discography of full-length records include: Waxed (1996, Grand Sport/Warner Norway),   Electric Psalmbook (1999, Sport/Warner Norway), Clouds Rolling By (2000, Warner Norway),Frontside Rock ‘n’ Roll (2002, Warner Norway) Radio Radio TV Sleep (live, 2003, Warner Norway), Poetic Terrorism (2005, Grand Sport), Too Much Yang (2007, Grand Sport)