After several years of gigging in Boston and Cambridge, the band signed to a major label and released its debut album In Loving Memory of... in 1997. The single The Oaf was a major Top Ten hit for the band that year.
Due to Thornley's Canadian nationality, the band's biggest commercial success was actually in Canada rather than the United States. The album's subsequent singles, Blown Wide Open and That Song, were not as successful on the American charts as The Oaf had been, but in Canada they were both Top Ten hits.
In October of 2001, Big Wreck played a special show at Toronto's Roy Thompson Hall accompanied by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Uzume Taiko Ensemble of drummers, with The Tragically Hip's Paul Langlois and Robby Baker also making appearances.
The band's second album The Pleasure and the Greed (released in 2001) was marred by poor marketing and was not as big a hit as their debut album, especially in the United States. The band subsequently broke up a year later in 2002.
Thornley moved back to Toronto, launching the band Thornley. Doherty has gone on to be in the indie band Death of 8, but the other band members never emerged with new projects.
Ian and Brian rekindled their friendship, which lead to a reunion in 2011.
This reunion, however, would not include founding members Dave Henning and Forrest Williams.
Albatross, the band's third album, would be released on March 6, 2012, and would be Big Wreck's best charting album of all time, debuting at #5 on the Canadian albums charts, and would see its title track hit #1 on the Canadian Rock charts, which it would hold for six weeks straight. It would also spawn the singles Wolves and A Million Days, and would receive the CASBY award for "Favourite New Album" in 2012.
2014 would see the release of their fourth album, Ghosts, on the 10th of June. The album would debut at #5 on the Canadian Rock charts, and would go on to debut at #4 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, making it their highest charting album on that chart to date. Ghosts would come to spawn three singles: the name-sharing Ghosts, Come What May, and Hey Mama.
Big Wreck's fifth studio album, Grace Street, would see its release on February 3, 2017. The album would end up peaking at #5 on the Canadian Albums chart, much like Albatross and Ghosts. However, the lead single One Good Piece of Me would end up outperforming Ghosts (the song), with the track charting high on two separate charts within the first week of airplay. The other two singles that spawned from Grace Street were Digging In and You Don't Even Know.
On June 5, 2019, founding guitarist Brian Doherty would pass away after a battle with cancer. He was 51.
Big Wreck would release their sixth studio album, ...but for the Sun, on August 30, 2019. The band would end up dedicating the album to the late guitarist in memory of him. The album would see Locomotive, Too Far Gone, One More Chance and Alibi be the four singles to spawn, and would also see an in memoriam tour dedicated to Doherty.
...but for the Sun would be the last full-length album recorded with longtime drummer Chuck Keeping, as he would end up leaving the band in 2021 to focus on family life.
In the following years, Big Wreck would hire new drummer Sekou Lumumba (the former drummer for Ian Thornley's side project, Thornley) to replace Chuck Keeping, and would go on to release 3 EPs: 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3.
Pages, Big Wreck's 7th album, was released on November 24, 2023.
Discography:
Studio Albums
In Loving Memory Of... (1997)
The Pleasure And The Greed (2001)
Albatross (2012)
Bag of Tricks (Live, 2013)
Ghosts (2014)
Grace Street (2017)
...but for the Sun (2019)
Pages (2023)
EPs
7.1 (2021)
7.2 (2022)
7.3 (2023)
Members:
Ian Thornley (Vocals, Guitar, 1992 - present)
Chris Caddell (Rhythm Guitar, 2019 - present)
Dave McMillan (Bass Guitar, 2010 - present)
Sekou Lumumba (Drums, 2021 - present)
Past Members:
Brian Doherty (Guitar, 1992 - 2019 (d. June 5, 2019))
Paulo Neta (Guitar, 2010 - 2017)
Dave Henning (Bass Guitar, 1993 - 2002)
Forrest Williams (Drums, 1994 - 2002)
Brad Park (Drums, 2010 - 2012)
Chuck Keeping (Drums, 2012 - 2021)
Look What I Found
Big Wreck Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And we don't even have to sell
I roped it but what the hell
It's someone else's oh oh well
Stolen but it's okay
If integrity says no way
Well now it's here to stay
Well I suppose so
Well I never did really want to know
How can you walk around
With your feet up off the ground? (yeah)
How can you steal their sum?
Keep your ears below the ground
And take a look around
Look what I found
No one will ever notice
That all your shit is bogus
And never go for the fear
That someone like me might hear
Your shtick is gettin' thinner
But you'll come out a winner
Check's already in the bank
And you've forgotten who to thank
And fake is what you bring
And what I need is the real thing
How can you walk around
With your feet up off the ground? (yeah)
How can you steal their sum?
Keep your ears below the ground
And take a look around
Look what I found
Well I suppose so
And no one will ever know
How can you walk around
With your feet up off the ground?
How can you steal their sum?
Keep your ears below the ground
And take a look around
Look what I found
The lyrics to Big Wreck's song "Look What I Found" reflect the feeling of frustration and betrayal when one discovers that someone has stolen from them or taken credit for something that doesn't belong to them. The opening lines, "It's solely operational / And we don't even have to sell," suggest that the stolen item is valuable, but the thief doesn't need to exploit it for money. The singer feels a sense of resignation, admitting that although they "roped" the item, it's now in someone else's possession and there's nothing they can do about it.
The lyrics continue to explore the idea of theft and deception, referring to the stolen item as "your shit" and "bogus." The singer criticizes the thief's lack of integrity and inability to bring anything genuine or authentic to the table. In contrast, they express a desire for the "real thing," suggesting that honesty and authenticity are more important than material gain.
The repeated refrain of "How can you walk around / With your feet up off the ground?" suggests that the thief is living in a state of delusion or overconfidence, while "keep your ears below the ground" implies that they are deliberately ignoring the reality of their situation. The singer, on the other hand, is grounded and observant: "And take a look around / Look what I found."
Overall, the lyrics to "Look What I Found" convey a sense of disillusionment and skepticism towards those who prioritize personal gain over honesty and authenticity.
Line by Line Meaning
It's solely operational
This thing works, but that's about all it has going for it
And we don't even have to sell
We can coast on this thing's functionality, no need to market or promote it
I roped it but what the hell
I acquired this thing in a shady way, but I'm not bothered by it
It's someone else's oh oh well
The thing belongs to someone else, but I don't really care
Stolen but it's okay
I know what I did was wrong, but I'm rationalizing it to ease my guilt
If integrity says no way
Deep down, I know this was the wrong thing to do
Well now it's here to stay
Despite any reservations, I'm now committed to keeping this thing
So let's go outside and play
Let's focus on the positives and enjoy what we have
Well I suppose so
I'm reluctantly accepting of the situation
Well I never did really want to know
I wasn't interested in the details, all I cared about was the end result
How can you walk around
I'm incredulous at the fact that you can exist like this
With your feet up off the ground? (yeah)
You're not even grounded in reality, yet you carry on like everything's fine
How can you steal their sum?
You've taken something that doesn't belong to you
Keep your ears below the ground
You're being secretive and sneaky
And take a look around
Take a moment to really see what's going on
Look what I found
This is what I've discovered, and it's not pretty
No one will ever notice
I'm confident that I won't get caught
That all your shit is bogus
Your façade is completely fake
And never go for the fear
I won't be intimidated by you
That someone like me might hear
I won't be bullied into keeping quiet
Your shtick is gettin' thinner
Your act is becoming less believable
But you'll come out a winner
Despite this, you'll still likely be viewed as a success
Check's already in the bank
You've already been financially rewarded for your deception
And you've forgotten who to thank
You're not grateful for what you have, and have lost sight of those who helped you along the way
And fake is what you bring
Despite any benefits, you're ultimately bringing falsehoods and deceit into the world
And what I need is the real thing
I don't want any part of this phony charade - I'm looking for something genuine
Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Written by: IAN THORNLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
daniel robeson
Who ever the sound engineer is at these Suhr sessions deserves an award.
Dr Grimfist
Album quality. Totally nuts
jmarkbatchelor
The greatest rock band you've never heard of....
TIKTOK LIVE ENCOUNTERS
luckily I have heard of them and they are easily one of the greatest!
javernie
Most under rated guitarist Thornley rocks these guys should be bigger than they are look at that solo
Wisecracker
This is a prime example of how I judge good bands. Their live sound is incredible.
Jo Lewis
My favourite band, TRUE artists..full stop.
ChellfireDrumz
They are flawless, truly a band of musicians
paula williamson
This is a great point. You can tell they are immaculate perfectionists & auto tune is a pop tart flavour.
Kevin Radloff
Another unreal live band that can crush their own recorded offerings are The Trews, seen them a couple times as openers but yet to see s full show as a headliner, love them!