Big Rand

July 19, 2009

The Legend of
Big Rand
Human jukebox
aims to keep the customers satisfied

By Kristi Kates  7/20/09
 
 He calls himself “an entertainer first, and a musician second”—not an
admission you’d generally hear from any serious musician. But “Big
Rand”—his real name to remain unknown at his request—isn’t just any
musician.
The local 40-year music scene veteran —whose first performance was in 1970
at a school talent show— is something of a legend in the Traverse City
area, perhaps more for his self-proclaimed ability to entertain than
anything else; and he’s fine with that.
 
HUMAN JUKEBOX
“I will say this,” Big Rand explains, “I have great respect for performers
who can write their own music. Just recently I have started writing my own
songs, but it is very hard for me to do. My main focus is performing the
songs that my audience prefers. I have a pretty good knack of reading the
audience and playing music that they respond to.”
He’s developed his own methods to keep the audience interested, even as
his show is in-progress.
“I watch very carefully to see if toes are tapping, or if I can see people
singing along with me,” he says. “I have found that most people want to
hear music that brings them good memories.”
Hence his focus on cover songs; a quick look at a Big Rand setlist
includes tunes by Train, Don Henley, Al Stewart, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and
Stone Temple Pilots, just to name a few.
And while he does occasionally take a song you might not expect to hear
performed acoustically and rearrange it for a solo performance, for the
most part he sticks to being a human jukebox.
“Most cover songs I do, I try to stay pretty close to the original, as
that’s how people remember them,” he says, “I can’t tell you how many
times someone has come up to me after the show to share a story with me
about a song I have performed. I really enjoy that connection with the
audience, which is why I prefer playing solo acoustic.”
Big Rand has focused primarily on his solo acoustic act for the past year
or so; he plays guitar, sings and “that’s about it,” as he says.
“I never had the desire to learn any other instuments,” he explains, “for
a long time though, my music was kind of on the back burner, until 1995
when I bought a new electric guitar and started going to local open mics.
I started meeting other local musicians and eventually in 2005 I put
together Big Rand and Co.”
 
THE RAND BAND
Big Rand and Co. is Big Rand’s other musical project, a three-piece “power
trio” that consists of himself a drummer and a bass player.
“We play classic rock from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s,” Big Rand says. 
“Playing with the band is completely a different experience. Playing in
bars and nightclubs can get crazy sometimes, depending on the venue. It’s
a completely different atmosphere; people want to dance and hear loud
music. Playing acoustic solo is a completely different thing; there is
much more of a connection with the audience. But playing with the band is
so much fun too.”
Those interested in seeing this karaoke-ready, anonymous dynamo in person
can easily catch him in Traverse City and around the region at a variety
of venues, including his ongoing gig every Thursday night this summer at
Boone’s Long Lake Inn; he also has shows booked at Peegeo’s, North Peak
Brewery and Wilderness Crossings. He’ll play private events, as well, and
usually has a pretty busy schedule booked.
“Mostly I play in the summer on local restaurant decks,” Big Rand says.
“Most of the time I play solo acoustic, but sometimes I have a
percussionist join me. I also sit in with area musicians from time to
time; sometimes I just sing, play acoustic lead guitar for another solo
performer, or maybe fill in for a band’s missing guitar player. One time
my band played a charity event and (another local legend) Kenny Olson
joined us on stage. That was a lot of fun.”
Big Rand’s original music seems to be the next step for this ambitious
entertainer. He has teamed up with a local songwriter to try and get past
that aforementioned writer’s block, and is currently working on his own
CD, of which two songs can already be heard on his MySpace page online
(www.myspace.com/bigrandtc).
“I will be releasing my first CD as soon as I can,” Big Rand says. “As far
as live performances go though, cover songs seem to be what most people
like to hear. Music that they have an emotional attachment to.”

More about Big Rand can be found online at www.bigrand.com or at his
aforementioned MySpace page.