Big Something

w/ The Sweet Lillies

Charleston Pour House - Main Stage

7:30pm doors /8:30pm show 

sweet lilies + 2 x sets of Big Something 

Ticket Prices: 
$25 advance /$25 day of show - per night  for Friday + Saturday
$20 advance / $25 day of show for Sunday
$65 - 3 night package ticket

Big Something

Hailing from the North Carolina countryside, or “The Middle of Nowhere,” as it’s proudly dubbed on their debut album, the 6 headed musical monster known as 'Big Something' has steadily become one of the most unique and exciting rock bands to emerge from the Southeast. Their musical alchemy is deeply rooted in the strong bond of its members—Nick MacDaniels [lead vocals, guitar], Jesse Hensley [lead guitar, vocals], Casey Cranford [saxophone, E.W.I. “Electronic Wind Instrument”], Ben Vinograd [drums], Josh Kagel [keys, trumpet], and Matt Laird [bass].

After over a decade of touring together with 7 full-length studio albums and even their own Summer music festival The Big What?, Big Something has emerged as a grassroots phenomenon in the live music community.

“I’m proud that we’ve stuck together through all of this,” notes Nick. “We have our own unique thing as a group, and I’m very excited about where it’s always been going.”

The band has progressively evolved their catalog with each subsequent release. From their debut album Stories from the Middle of Nowhere in 2010, through fan favorites a la Big Something [2013], Truth Serum [2014], Tumbleweed [2017], The Otherside [2018], and Escape [2020], they have constantly pushed the boundaries of their sound. Among many highlights, “Song For Us” and “Love Generator” have accumulated millions of Spotify streams, while their performances at Sweetwater 420 Fest, Lock’n, Electric Forest, Peach Music Festival, Summer Camp, High Sierra and 10 years of their own festival, The Big What? have further solidified their place as luminaries of progressive improvisational rock.

Their seventh studio album, Headspace [out 11/17 on Truth Serum Records], is significant for the band in many ways. Featuring a collection of songs written over the past few years as the world emerged from a strange moment in history, Headspace was inspired in large part by the ongoing conversations surrounding mental health. As the band releases each new single, they will also spotlight several non-profit organizations focused on helping people navigate mental health and wellness. Headspace will also mark the band’s last studio release with founding members Doug Marshall (bass) and Josh Kagel (keys/trumpet), both of whom announced their retirement from touring in 2023.

For the new album, Big Something journeyed to Cannon Falls, MN to track at the legendary Pachyderm Recording Studios— birthplace of Nirvana’s In Utero, where they lived together in a guest house overlooking a serene trout stream tucked away into nature. 

“We cooked dinner together every night, recorded all day, and really enjoyed a special moment in time making this album,” Nick goes on. “It was such a cool bonding experience. We really locked in together musically and tried to tap into the special energy at Pachyderm.”

That palpable energy surges through the album’s lead track and first single, “The Mountain.” The six minute-plus epic sinks its teeth in and clenches its jaw, twisting and turning through organ-laden fuzz towards a rapturous refrain. “The Mountain” carries deeper meaning for the tight-knit group, and the lyrics pay homage to Nick’s lifelong best friend and frequent collaborator Paul Interdonato, who wrote a majority of Big Something’s lyrics before his tragic passing in 2017.

“‘The Mountain’ started with one of the last lyrics I have written down in a journal from Paul,” Nick goes on. “Coming up the mountain, I can see it all again - the chorus is a metaphor for getting over trauma.”

Interdonato’s struggle also inspired the theme of the single “Clouds”.  A collaboration with Andy Frasco and Justin Osborne of SUSTO, the gripping work delves into dark subject matter over a blissful cloud of catchy sounds. Musically, this is perhaps the most salient display of the breadth of Big Something’s jaw-dropping musicianship and genre fluency. The slinky earworm isn’t easily forgotten, and showcases head-nodding bass, slick guitars, and keys locked into a funky intergalactic strut, giving way to a distortion-boosted refrain and synth solo.

“I went to write with Andy in Denver and played him a rough recording of the instrumental,” recalls Nick. “It didn’t have any lyrics yet, so he was helping me think of ideas. We landed on the thought of ‘living in the clouds’ as a metaphor for addiction. And the character in the song is a close friend who may never come back down.”

Big Something leaned into collaboration yet again on “Bob and Weave,” a track originally penned by another close friend and frequent collaborator, Josh Phillips from Asheville, NC. The buoyant track sees otherworldly electronics wheeze as the riff slinks beneath swaggering verses and an uplifting chorus.

“Getting to know Josh has been so much fun. He’s an incredible singer-songwriter and reminds me a lot of Paul in certain ways. From what I can tell, ‘Bob and Weave’ is basically about waking up and trying to get through the anxiety of life with the help of friendship — and maybe some cannabis,” MacDaniels added.

Then, there’s “Algorithm,” a track that serves as a spiritual predecessor to fan favorite “Love Generator.”

“It's sort of like a prequel or counterpoint to ‘Love Generator’ which takes place in a distant future where machines learn to love and become human. In ‘Algorithm,’ humans are shutting down and turning into machines,” he elaborates.

Rounding out the album, the band brought everything full circle with a final nod to Paul by re-recording the first Big Something song ever written, “Amanda Lynn.” Originally released on their 2010 debut album Stories From The Middle of Nowhere, “Amanda Lynn” features the first lyrics that Interdonato contributed to the band. 

“We thought it was a cool way to connect everything to the roots of our story,” MacDaniels explained.

In the end, Big Something's tale is a testament to the power of friendship and that bond burns brighter now than ever as the band prepares to journey across the US for their recently announced HEADSPACE Tour - their biggest headlining tour to date.  

“This started out as a group of friends, and it’s turned into a family over the years. I love this music and this band and what we do and I hope people can hear and feel that in what we create.”

The Sweet Lillies

The Sweet Lillies' music is, first and foremost, heartfelt and collaborative.
Those defining traits are given life by the trio of musicians making up The Sweet Lillies - Julie Gussaroff, Becca Bisque, and Dustin Rohleder - who have combined their individual strengths together to deliver powerful narratives of life in song.

With their acoustic string-band lineup of guitar, viola, and upright bass given flight by ethereal, vocal harmonies that float like a dream, the Sweet Lillies' music has an old-time soul with a forward-looking eye.

The Sweet Lillies have incorporated all of their cumulative life-experiences into their music, their songwriting, and their artistry, crafting an uncommonly-beautiful style they have christened “String-Americana” - a nod to the band’s all-encompassing musical tastes and willingness to experiment with genres.

As Gussaroff explains, “Some musicians learn from teachers, some learn from family members, and some are self-taught. Some musicians are classically trained, some come up through folk, some draw from multiple springs, from hip hop through pop to bebop. In the Lillies' all of these skill sets are valuable, relevant, and appreciated.”

The Sweet Lillies are built upon their collaborative ideals and are always ready to share a stage or develop a project with any musicians who share the same no-holds-barred creative approach. This has made each one of their inventive, energetic live-shows a wholly unique event, as setlists are changed on the fly, songs are given new life and shape, and guests are always welcome to join in the creative explosion.

Those on-stage partnerships create a space for incorporating instruments, arrangements, and styles that aren't necessarily typical of the genre, but that help create a rich, compelling sound that defies easy categorization. Over the years they have been joined onstage by a number of legendary performers including, Sam Bush, George Porter Jr., Peter Rowan, Sally Van Meter, Andy Hall from the Infamous Stringdusters, Kyle Hollingsworth and Jason Hahn from the String Cheese Incident, Jennifer Hartswick, and Natalie Cressman from the Trey Anastasio Band, among many others.

Andy Thorn from Leftover Salmon who has sat in on many of those live adventures says, “It’s always a joy to play with the Sweet Lillies. Over the years, I’ve seen them evolve from a folk-and-bluegrass group into a genre-bending powerhouse. Today, at a Lillies show, you’ll hear everything from their beautiful, soulful originals, to creative reinventions of your favorite 90s hip-hop tracks. They’re always ready to have fun - on stage and off - without losing an ounce of their professionalism.”

The Sweet Lillies were born from Gussaroff’s desire to form a band in which each member would be an equal participant in terms of songwriting, singing, and creative input.  After years of accompanying other artists, serving as a side player, and writing songs for others, multi-instrumentalist and classical trained vocalist Gussaroff wanted to establish a true musical-collective that would highlight the best qualities of all involved.  In 2014 Gussaroff met Bisque, who was a classically trained violist.  The two found an immediate and deep musical connection and The Sweet Lillies were born.  In 2017, at a campground jam at the Hangtown Ball, they heard guitarist Rohleder.  That night the three played for what they remembered as, “Ten magical hours.”  The following year in 2018, Rohleder joined The Sweet Lillies full-time. Most recently, Jones Maynard has come on board on drums, completing Gussaroff’s vision.  

Since forming in 2013 The Sweet Lillies have released three albums, 2016’s self-titled release, and 2018’s A Lighter Hue produced by Leftover Salmon’s Vince Herman.  Their third and latest album, Common Ground, produced by Railroad Earth’s Tim Carbone, was released in 2021. The band’s newest release, Equality, was produced by Grammy-award winner Chris Pandolfi of The Infamous Stringdusters and will be out on Americana Vibes On June 2, 2023. 

Equality is an intrepid collection of songs that fully represents the current and evolved sound of the band. The instrumentation is primarily what you will hear at a live show with the exception of Pandolfi on banjo for a few select tracks and Kyle Hollingsworth of The String Cheese Incident on keys. The record truly sounds like a live Sweet Lillies experience, with Jason Hann of The String Cheese Incident filling in on drums for the entirety of the album. Powerful rapping next to layered vocals and instrumental solos are only one of the aspects that give this album an original sound.

Through the recording process, Pandolfi challenged the band to find their more ‘savage lillies’ side which is present throughout the music. Each song is a unique composition that blends into the concept of the album which is Equality. Social Justice, self exploration, and evolution of the spirit are the guiding feelings of this new record. 

*Show is 21+.  Attendees under the age of 21 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Attendees under 21 will be subject to a $5 surcharge. The surcharge must be paid in cash at the door on the day of the event.