Blue Giant (band)

Blue Giant is an American rock band from Portland, Oregon. An eclectic mix of country, indie rock, and psychedelic styles, Blue Giant have been called a Portland supergroup.[1] The band was originally composed of the songwriters and musicians from Viva Voce, Kevin Leigh Robinson and Anita Lee Elliott, Chris Funk of The Decemberists, Evan Railton of Swords, and Seth Lorinczi of The Golden Bears, Circus Lupus & The Quails. Musically, Blue Giant could be characterized as rural psychedelic rock, with one music critic calling them a perfect country rock band.[2]

Blue Giant
Blue Giant - Portland Tour, 2008
Background information
OriginPortland, Oregon, USA
GenresCountry, psychedelic rock, indie rock
Years active2008-present
LabelsAmore!Phonics
Jealous Butcher
Vanguard Records
Associated actsViva Voce
The Decemberists
Circus Lupus
Swords
Sleater Kinney
WebsiteBlue Giant Official Site
MembersKevin Leigh Robinson
Anita Lee Elliott
Evan Railton
W.C.Beck
Jesse Bates
Past membersChris Funk
Seth Lorinczi
Dave Depper

History

After touring extensively in 2007 with The Shins[3] and Jimmy Eat World,[4] Kevin and Anita of Viva Voce took a brief hiatus. Tiring of the confines of a two-piece band, they began writing songs they considered for another band. Evan Railton of Swords was asked to play drums. Seth Lorinczi of The Golden Bears & Circus Lupus was invited to play bass. Last to join on pedal steel was Chris Funk of The Decemberists, who, upon hearing the band's early demos, demanded to join the band.[5] Infused with their own respective indie-rock, punk and DIY backgrounds, the Blue Giant songs reflect a greater part of the Robinson's Southern heritage.[6]

The band name is a reference to a blue giant star, a transitory phase in the life cycle of a star, and one of the brightest types of stars in the universe.[7]

Blue Giant played their first show in June 2008 headlining the Wonder Ballroom in Portland. The band gave each audience member a free download of their first recording.

Collaborations

Blue Giant has recorded and performed with Corin Tucker of Sleater Kinney.[8] Tucker's distinct voice is featured on a duet with Kevin Robinson on Blue Giant's debut EP.

Portland tour

Delving further in their collaborative spirit, Blue Giant went on a mini-tour of Portland in October 2008, each night bolstered by special guests such as Corin Tucker of Sleater Kinney, Sam Coomes of Quasi, Corrina Repp and Rachel Blumberg of Norfolk & Western, and M. Ward. The tour culminated in a collaboration with The Portland Cello Project, which saw Blue Giant accompanied by nine cellists.[9]

Target Heart

Prior to release, Kevin was asked to talk about Blue Giant and the Target Heart EP in an eMusic Selects Q&A, on November 10, 2008.[10] The 6 track CD EP was subsequently released by the imprint label Amore!Phonics. The 12" vinyl version of the album contains two additional tracks ("Wasn't Born To Follow" by The Byrds, and "Got To Be Free" by The Kinks) and was released through Jealous Butcher Records, the same label that printed the vinyl edition of Viva Voce's Rose City.

New tour, record deal, and lineup change

In February 2010, the band announced a nationwide tour[11] and a recording deal with Vanguard Records, with plans to release a debut LP album on July 13, 2010. The announcement also stated that Funk and Lorinczi had relinquished their duties on pedal steel and bass, being replaced by Jesse Bates and Dave Depper, respectively.[12]

Discography
Year Title Label
2009 Target Heart EP Amore!Phonics / Jealous Butcher
2010 Blue Giant Vanguard Records

References
  1. Daily Vanguard: If Ever There Was A Portland Super Group, retrieved 2008-10-08
  2. eMusic : The Rainy Pacific Northwest Sprouts A Perfect Country-Rock Band, retrieved 2008-11-11
  3. Pitchfork Media: Anita Robinson to join Shins on SNL, Letterman, archived from the original on 2008-02-11, retrieved 2007-01-12
  4. Pitchfork Media: Viva Voce tour with Jimmy Eat World, archived from the original on 2008-01-01, retrieved 2007-09-27
  5. Kevin Leigh Robinson Q & A, retrieved 2008-10-07
  6. Enter Blue Giant, retrieved 2008-06-19
  7. Blue Giant Show Program, retrieved 2008-06-22
  8. Pitchfork Media: Blue Giant EP, archived from the original on 2008-12-17, retrieved 2008-11-14
  9. Blue Giant Portland Tour, retrieved 2008-09-11
  10. eMusic Selects Blue Giant, retrieved 2008-11-10
  11. Blue Giant Tour Dates, archived from the original on 2010-06-18, retrieved 2010-02-19
  12. New Label and Band Members, archived from the original on 2011-07-08, retrieved 2010-02-26
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