By Carolyn Keogh

Although NYU student Alex Craig and high school pal Ian Drennan (who attends the School of the Museum of Fine Arts) began their musical project Big Troubles in July of 2009, they have been gaining a bunch of buzz in their few short months of existence. With a debut 7’’ LP released on Blackburn Recordings this past January and a trip out west to South by Southwest (SXSW) and Mexico this March, Big Troubles’ presence in the blogosphere has blossomed fast. “We did start our band this past summer,” Craig wrote in an e-mail, “but we’ve been friends since early High School and have played on and off since then.” According to Craig, a majority of their recent renown stems from the influx of exposure facilitated by the Internet. “15 years ago probably no one would have known about us this early on – but the World Wide Web works in mysterious ways.”

Mysterious ways indeed. There is no question that the Internet has provided a forum for bloggers to write about this duo hailing from Ridgewood, New Jersey. With a propensity for ear-numbing reverb and a sound suggesting classic alternative rock, Big Troubles is often categorized by bloggers as a “fuzzy alt. rock band” with a “woozy” sound – whatever that may mean. Though the band has been gaining coverage within the world of music blogs and online music journalism, including some coverage in Pitchfork, the words used to describe Big Troubles just do not seem to do the band, or its influences, much justice. According to Craig, Drennan and himself are not too bothered by the frequent comparisons to bands like Guided by Voices and My Bloody Valentine found on many music blogs. “I’m glad people pickup on bands like GBV or MBV as our reference points,” Craig wrote, “rather than thinking we are influenced by a newer crop of ‘lo-fi’ bands.” According to Craig, despite their similarities with other emerging bands who record low-fidelity alternative rock music, the band actually draws a good amount of inspiration from early ‘90’s bands, such as The Lilys and Swirlies, to name a few.

And these inspirations make perfect sense as Big Troubles’ sound is reminiscent of the “shoegaze” sub-genre that emerged during the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s. Characterized by indistinguishable vocals and noisy guitar riffs, some of Big Troubles’ tracks (Freudian Slip being one of the most well-known) are evocative of “shoegaze” alternative rock. Like many of the bands that ushered in the sub-genre, Big Troubles amplifies their guitars during live shows like you would not believe. Cranking up the volume seems to be a Big Troubles trademark. “We have always loved super loud live bands,” Craig explained. But recently, in an effort to balance their sound, the two have been turning down the amps slightly. “Just a little though,” Craig reassured.

On March 18th and 19th, the band will be bringing their very slightly softer sound to Austin, Texas, home of the South by Southwest music and film festival. “Some of our friends throwing unofficial showcases down there asked us to join them and we gladly obliged,” Craig wrote. From there they are headed to MtyMx, an art and music festival that is the brainchild of New York music maven Todd P (www.toddpnyc.com). The festival is being held in Monterrey, Mexico on March 20th, 21st and 22nd and includes performances by Andrew WK, Liars, and No Age, as well as a number of Mexican bands. Although this is the first time Big Troubles will be playing on the West Coast and outside the U.S., they are more concerned with playing their music well and having a good time than gaining exposure. “More than anything I think we’re looking forward to the experience of traveling down and hanging out there,” Craig wrote. Yet, in the last line of his e-mail, he expressed some concerns about sounding “okay” since their distance, with Drennan attending school in Boston and Craig stationed here in New York, makes practicing difficult. Ah, the perils of balancing college and an up and coming “fuzzy alt. rock band.”

While Big Troubles will be playing outside New York until April, you can certainly hear some of their music on their Myspace, www.myspace.com/inbigtroubles, and order their LP on www.blackburnrecs.blogspot.com.