Ace Mar… Read Full Bio ↴Damon Fox: vocals, organ, mellotron, synthesizers, piano, guitar
Ace Mark: lead & rhythm guitars, slide guitar
Duffy Snowhill: bass
Froth: drums & gong
Flaunting a style that is unparalleled, Bigelf have forged a sound all their own: heavy pop rife with epic guitars, maniacal keyboards and rich, sophisticated harmonies laid over a foundation of hallucinatory hard rock. Working within their carefully constructed pop framework, they have injected a diabolical sound quality with quasi-psychedelic overtones, where demonic timbres are mingled with explosive experimental passages. Bigelf is a cutting edge, musical experience unlike anything else out there today.
Although they’re based in L.A., the band have already blown open the European market where they’ve developed a fanatic following. Now the band is primed for an assault on America. And with bands like The Darkness, Jet and The Mars Volta striking a nerve with young music fans, the time is right for these black-dressed long-haired prophets of doom.
“Today’s music is too mechanical and homogenized,” says lead singer and songwriter Damon Fox. “Songs are vacant of human feeling and real musicianship, they’re just cut up in the studio with Pro Tools. I think people are drawn to Bigelf because we make real music.” That “real music” emanates from vintage equipment Fox has been collecting since he was a teen growing up in Laurel Canyon.
Live, the band is completely over the top. Once a listener recovers from the initial shock of seeing how much equipment the band hauls onstage for a live performance, it’s easy to understand how this Brit-pop-crazed quartet achieves its gargantuan sound. Fox’s massive keyboard setup is strewn out in Baptist-chorus-sized proportions; his mighty C3 histrionics, majestic Mellotron soundscapes and lashes of fat modular synthesis meld with the heavy down-tuned Gibson guitars and mesmerizing solos supplied by Ace Mark. Froth’s herculean drumming on his classic Hayman kit is underpinned by the propulsive basslines of Duffy Snowhill, thundering out of his princely Acoustic 360 cabinet. Their bludgeoning live performances boast theatrics reminiscent of rock shows from the 70s. Fox sings with so much intensity and conviction that “sometimes I’m so into it, I lose my voice” he says. “I went to a vocal coach and he said, you can’t sing every show like it’s your last. But that’s exactly what I do, I can’t fake it.”
The sonic alchemists of Bigelf are no newcomers to the now-trendy retro rock scene. They have their own identity firmly established through years of developing and modifying their own DNA into a powerful new kind of music in the tradition of the great rock acts from the past. “We’re bringing real rock ‘n’ roll back to the table,” Fox explains, “rock ‘n’ roll the way it used to be made, but with a modern hybrid twist. We’re carrying the torch forward for this genre.” He continues, “I compare us with Morpheus from the movie, “The Matrix”. People today are in a programmed state of listening to music and they are not aware of it. We are trying to wake people up and free them from the Matrix.” Welcome to the revolution.
Counting Sheep
Bigelf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Foolish minds controlled by greed
I despise your kind
I’m just counting sheep waiting to fall asleep
But I can’t close my eyes
Swayed by greener fields of weed
I can see you’re blind
I’m just counting sheep waiting to fall asleep
But I can’t close my eyes
Sign on the dotted line
My friend it’s the right time
I dream of the day they take you away to the farming factory
It’s there the sheep will meet their destiny
There’s no time to think
When you’re mind is consumed by the ink
I dream of the day they take you away to the farming factory
It’s there the sheep will meet their destiny
Please let us be free please let us be free
I’m your maker, not thy savior
Please let us be free
I’ve been waiting for so long
The moment to pull the curtains on the sheep
Please let us be free please let us be free
I’m the maker, not thy savior
Now the sheep are dead and gone
I hang their rotten heads upon my keep sleep
The song "Counting Sheep" by Bigelf is a commentary on the nature of power and control, and how those in power can manipulate and control the masses (represented by the sheep metaphor). The lyrics criticize those who follow blindly and are controlled by their own greed, without any consideration for others. The singer despises this kind of attitude, and is "just counting sheep waiting to fall asleep", but finds it impossible to close their eyes because they are so consumed by the injustice of the situation.
The second verse talks about the way people are swayed by the promise of "greener fields of weed", or the lure of wealth and power, which reveals the true nature of those in control. The singer can see that the followers are blind to this truth, and is again "just counting sheep waiting to fall asleep", but unable to do so because of the frustration they feel.
Later in the song, the singer dreams of a day when those in control will be brought to justice and the sheep will be free. The line "I’m your maker, not thy savior" suggests that the people in power do not have the best interests of the masses at heart, but rather want to control and manipulate them for their own gain. The final lines, "Now the sheep are dead and gone, I hang their rotten heads upon my keep sleep", suggest that the singer's desire for justice has not been fulfilled, and that those in power continue to reign supreme.
Line by Line Meaning
Those who follow cannot lead
Leadership cannot be attained by those who always follow others.
Foolish minds controlled by greed
People who are controlled by greed are foolish.
I despise your kind
I hate people who are greedy and follow others blindly.
I’m just counting sheep waiting to fall asleep
I am waiting to fall asleep, but I cannot.
But I can’t close my eyes
I am restless and cannot sleep.
Swayed by greener fields of weed
People are easily tempted to choose what looks better.
Tells the nature of the beast
This reveals the true nature of humans.
I can see you’re blind
I can see that you are not aware of the reality.
Sign on the dotted line
Sign the agreement on the specified line.
My friend it’s the right time
This is the appropriate time to sign the agreement.
I dream of the day they take you away to the farming factory
I wish for the day when people are taken away to face the consequences of their actions.
It’s there the sheep will meet their destiny
That is where people who blindly follow will suffer.
There’s no time to think
You don’t have the time to think and understand the agreement.
When you’re mind is consumed by the ink
Your mind is busy signing the agreement and not thinking.
Please let us be free please let us be free
I ask for freedom repeatedly.
I’m your maker, not thy savior
I am the one who created you, not the one who can save you.
Please let us be free
I want to be free.
I’ve been waiting for so long
I have been waiting for a long time to be free.
The moment to pull the curtains on the sheep
The moment has arrived to expose the truth about those who follow blindly.
Please let us be free please let us be free
I am asking for freedom again and again.
I’m the maker, not thy savior
I have created you, but I cannot save you.
Now the sheep are dead and gone
Now those who were following blindly are no more.
I hang their rotten heads upon my keep sleep
I am still haunted by the memory of those that followed blindly.
Contributed by Austin G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Petter Aasbø
I saw them in Oslo. One of the best live perfomance I've ever seen. And imperial march as intro... awesome!
Victorino Maldonado
I remember back in 2010 when they opened a concert for Dream Theater.
Didn't now who they where at the moment but when they started playing I totally kept track on them ever since. Great music, great show and of course great band.
MarTB
Same thing for me :) They were opening for DT in Rome together with Opeth. Both bands became my favourites since then
Yan Figueiredo
saw them in Sao Paulo yesterday, opening for DT...They´re great... super stylish key solos!!!!
Le Singe
Hace unos meses de verlos antes de que le habrieran a Dream Theater... en el auditorio nacional. Que chulada de música.
MarTB
I discovered Bigelf in the Prog Nation tour 2009 in Rome together with Opeth and Dream Theater. Been listening to them since then. Sometimes it makes me sad listening to them because i understand how talent is not appreciated anymore...
Thomasooo2003
Saw the band yesterday in Cologne. Wonderful concert, and funny conversations with the audience. They used a real M400 and a Memotron (= sampled Mellotron), but fortunatly it was only played in total for less than a minute ;-) The Mellotron brass is a beast of sound!
DreamTheateriana
I saw them in Rome, at the prog nation...great perfomance for a big band!
Niamorg1007
I saw them on the progressive tour, the intro of Evils of Rock And Roll, immediatly made me love them.
KRANOZ
Really powerfull