The Big Wu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- The Big Wu is also the nickname for the volcano in Joe Versus the Volcano.
| The Big Wu | |
|---|---|
 From left to right: Terry VanDeWalker, Al Oikari, Chris Castino, Andy Miller |
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| Origin | Northfield, Minnesota, USA |
| Years active | 1992 - present |
| Genres | Rock, Jazz fusion, Progressive Rock, Jam band |
| Labels | Phoenix Rising BIVCO Records Oarfin Records |
| Members | Chris Castino (Guitar/Vocals) Andy Miller (Bassist) Terry VanDeWalker (Drummer) Al Oikari (Keyboard) |
| Past members | Jason Fladager (1992-2002) |
The Big Wu is a rock 'n' roll jam band from Minnesota. The group is composed of Al Oikari, Andy Miller, Chris Castino, and Terry Vandewalker. Relentless touring over the last decade has built a loyal fan base that call themselves "family," many of whom get together for The Big Wu's annual gathering of music and camping called the Family Reunion. The group's website says that they are "really four ordinary guys, trying to make their way in the world making music." In the late-1990s, they were frequently found playing at the Five Corners Saloon in Minneapolis. Debut release Tracking Buffalo Through the Bathtub was first made available on September 12, 1997. They annually hold the Big Wu Family Reunion on Memorial Weekend and Wu Years Eve on December 31st.
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[edit] History
The Big Wu was founded in 1992 at St. Olaf College by students Chris Castino (guitar), Terry VanDeWalker (vocals), and Jason Fladager (guitar). Andrew Eklund (bass; now owns Ciceron, Inc.), Nathan Eklund (Keyboards; now with Kubla Khan), Chip House (drums, now a VP with ExactTarget) made up the rest of the regular line up. Julie Crumrine (vocals) and Julie Niksitch (vocals) made frequent appearances.
The band played their first gig on February 14, 1992 in the Lion's Pause in the basement of the old Ytterboe hall at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Every song played was a cover by the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, or the Allman Brothers. The Big Wu continued to play every three weeks or so in town above the Reub-n-Stein, the most popular local bar at the time. Big Wu shows quickly became one of the biggest events on campus, and posters littered the cafeteria walls at both Carleton and St. Olaf.
On September 11, 1995, the Big Wu played for the first time at the Terminal Bar on Hennepin avenue in Northeast Minneapolis. This gig started a run of shows that lasted from the end of 1995 into most of 1996. A little over a month later on October 28, 1995, they debuted their first original song "Silcanturnitova." Over the next four years an onslaught of new songs were written including "Bloodhound", "Red Sky", "Precious Hands", "Kangaroo", and "Puerto Rico." It was also at the Terminal Bar where the lineup was solidified, with Chip House, Andrew Eklund, and Nathan Eklund all leaving the band to pursue professional careers. At the time the Big Wu was looking for a keyboardist and bass guitar player. Andy Miller, also a St. Olaf College graduate, got the job playing Bass, and several months later, Al Oikari sat in on keys, and eventually became a member of the band.
At the end of 1996, the Big Wu got the job as the house band at the legendary Cabooze Bar in Minneapolis. Wednesday night became a regular night out for what has become known as the "Wu Family", which were the test market for each new song as the band reshaped their shows around original music and playful lyrics.
On September 12, 1997, Tracking Buffalo Through the Bathtub, The Big Wu's debut CD was released. A CD release party was held at the Cabooze, but the CD did not come due to shipping problems and the album wasn't available until the next Wednesday.
On July 17, 1998, the Big Wu created yet another tradition by throwing the first ever Big Wu Family Reunion at Latch Lake Studios in Eagan, Minnesota - the very place where their frist CD - Tracking Buffalo Through the Bathtub had been recorded the year before. The next year the Family Reunion was held at Harmony Park Music Garden in Geneva, Minnesota. Over the past years, it has been held at either Harmony Park or the Jamboree Campground in Black River Falls, Wisconsin.
The band had already started doing small one-week Midwest tours, and short trips to Colorado during this time, but they took it to the next level at the end of the summer in 1999 by going out on the road full time. The first tour took them through the mountains and along the coast in California, but eventually they had covered the entire country. That year they played 208 shows, and proved to Minneapolis and to the world that they were capable of being much more than Minneapolis' favorite jamband.
On October 17, 2000, the band released their second album Folktales on a small jam band oriented record label out of New York called Phoenix Rising Records. The album enjoyed a good ride, but was quickly forced into the abyss when Phoenix filed for bankruptcy a little over a year later. For the following two years, the Big Wu were unable to sell CDs to the public because the assets of the record label (including Tracking Buffalo Through the Bathtub, and Folktales) were tied up in bankruptcy court in New York.
During the 2002 Harvest Festival at Harmony Park Music Garden, the Big Wu played two long nights of music. The first, ended up being founding member Jason Fladager's last show. There was no announcement from the stage, but what the band, and a few others knew was that Jason had no intent on returning for the second night. On Sunday, the Big Wu played a very long energetic set without Jason. A few days later the band announced that Jason had left the band to be closer to his family. Jason was an integral part of the band, and his absence caused the band to reinvent themselves as a four piece band.
While the band was in record label limbo, the band took to recording a third CD Spring Reverb. This time, they recruited the help of Bill Cutler, a veteran producer who had worked with the likes of the Grateful Dead. With Bill at the wheel, the band created their best recording ever at Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, and at Oar Fin Records in Minneapolis. At the end of the summer in 2002, the Big Wu's contract with Phoenix was nullified, and they were able to buy their assets back making the release of the newly finished album possible. The Big Wu played a CD release party for Spring Reverb at the Historic State Theatre on November 2, 2002.
[edit] Albums
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[edit] Videos
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[edit] External links
- Official band website
- Website for Big Wu fans
- Big Wu Family Reunion
- The Big Wu collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
