When it comes to Big Surr, all signs point to California. There's their name, of course, and then the way their songs sound sun-drenched and carefree, perfect for hitting the shore and taking to the waves of the Pacific. It all makes sense, except that the quintet hails from Nashville. That said, the band's own journey involved criss-crossing the US before landing in Tennessee. Originally from Ohio, frontwoman Helen Van took off to San Francisco after her initial stint in Nashville, then headed back to the Buckeye State before coming to settle in Music City for good. The moves only provided clarity for the band, culminating in the release of their new album In Business this March. The record is chock full of power chords and catchy lyrics fit for singing along to on a car ride to the coast.
We caught up with Van, guitarist Asher Horton and drummer Cam Sarrett about the recording process for In Business, how their song's come together, why it took so long for them to release a full-length and a kismet moment of finding a ring in the snow. Hop to the next page to read the full interview.
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
Hometown: Nashville, TN
If you were to creatively describe your sound, how would you?
Cam: Pop escapism to the core.
Helen: Driving down Highway 1 with the windows down, but all of this is happening through a fuzzy, old TV screen.
Asher: Yacht Punk.
What music/artists have most influenced your sound?
Cam: Galaxie 500 for embracing bare bone drums.
Helen: I listen to the same core bands all the time: Camera Obscura, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Beach Fossils, Taylor Swift.
Asher: I try to make every song sound like “Crash” by The Primitives.
What was the recording process like for In Business? What was one of the most special or hilarious moments?
Helen: It was pretty straight forward! Andrija was great to work with, and we’d practiced a ton before going into the studio. Since we had a limited amount of studio time, we didn’t have time to goof off much. We did have one unusual event. January had weird weather (hot and cold), but regardless, we would go for walks around the neighborhood for breaks. We forget who — Danny or Asher — spotted something shiny in the snow. He picked it up, and it was a wedding ring!
There was a name and year engraved on the inside of the band. Andrija’s wife posted about it in the local Facebook group. A woman replied with what should be engraved inside the wedding band.
The woman knew the correct engraving info! Turns out, the woman’s family was attending the church we walked by and had gotten out to help push their Uber up the snowy hill. Her dad’s ring fell off when pushing the car. Asher/Danny spotted it just before the snow melted too much. We’re glad the dad got his ring back!
For the 11 tracks on In Business, over what period of time did they come together? Are they autobiographical? Topically, do they concern one particular person or different people?
Helen: Oh wow. A few of the songs date back to 2010. Alright was the first Big Surr song I ever wrote (along with Cosine Tangent, on our 2012 Baked + Bruised 7”). We re-recorded 3 songs (Alright, Gone and You’ve Got Somethin’) from our 2010 Miss You Most EP. That EP was recorded through a macbook microphone and loaded with a painful amount of fuzz. The new recordings are easier to listen to.
The rest developed throughout the years, but most during 2015 when I had moved back to Nashville and was job hunting.
A few songs are vaguely inspired by people, but most lyrics are just whatever starts to come out of my mouth while humming a melody to the guitar tracks I wrote.
What's your song-writing process like?
Helen: It totally depends! Most of the time, I create a simple drum beat in Logic. Then I record basic guitar chord progressions. Then might write a rough lead guitar (which Josh and Asher clean up a lotttt), might leave it open for them. Then record a melody of me humming. Then start to form words to the melody. No secrets here!
From formation to now, you've ventured throughout the US and lived in various locales like returning to Ohio and out to SF. How did those moves impact this current incarnation of Big Surr other than just the lineup?
Helen: Moving back to Ohio for grad school was a big turning point for me. In Nashville, everyone is very talented. Lots of people want to “make it.” I was just like, “Yeah whatever, everyone is good and everyone thinks they’re going to make it big. I’m not interested in that.” So, logically, I moved to Columbus for business school! Hahaha.
It was there that I realized, “Oh, maybe we did have a different, unusual sound.” I missed my friends & family in Nashville and planned to move back after school, but ended up with a great biotech job offer in San Francisco. I played shows there with some great bandmates, but wasn’t writing much.
Eventually, I was ready to come back home. At this point, I wished I’d tried harder with Big Surr in college...so when I got back to Nashville, I was like, “Let’s do this!” Some people wonder why it took so long for a Big Surr full-length to happen, but I think I had to find my own way first.
What's it like being a band in Nashville? How would you describe the scene?
Cam: The scene is in a state of transition from an older guard of party garage to whatever comes next, with catalysts from a notably electric political climate. Stoked to contribute to that.
Asher: There’s a lot of (friendly) competition, but sometimes that works in a band’s favor. The oversaturation kind of forces bands to work extra hard and try developing unique sounds to get noticed above the rest of the noise, which results in a pretty singular scene.
What's the best place and time for a listener to put on In Business?
Cam: A National Seashore, sunbathing at 12 noon, fresh off the kayak.
Helen: When you are living your life through the lens of the fuzzy, old TV I mentioned before.
Asher: I’ve found that our music goes well with morning showers and most water sports.
If you could soundtrack any movie, which would it be and why?
Cam: Groundhog Day as the alarm clock band. Royalties would be sick and Bill Murray is an ageless beauty.
Helen: Into it. I would like all 11 of our songs to be featured as karaoke scenes in various TV shows. Michael Scott sings “At The Bi-Rite” at a bar, Leslie Knope sings “Gone” at the Parks & Rec office, Helga sings “Riding” to Arnold while riding bikes together, the next High School Musical could adopt “Alright” easily...
Asher: Apocalypse Now. You know… the surfing scene?
Now that the album is out, what are your goals ahead?
Cam: Play Big Surr after sunbathing at 12 noon, fresh off the kayak.
Helen: Oh, it’d be fun to play live on kayaks!
Asher: Starting my new life with a house boat.
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