Reviews: Big Scenic Nowhere (Review By Rich Piva)

Big Scenic Nowhere is a desert/stoner/doom/psych supergroup that includes the two hardest working men in the business today, Tony Reed (Mos Generator, Hot Spring Water, Stone Axe, lots more) and Bob Balch (Fu Manchu and a guest on pretty much every album these days) along with two members of the excellent desert/psych instrumental band Yawning Man (Gary Arce and Bill Stinson). Based on this you already know it is going to be awesome. 

Pair that with the fact that 2022’s The Long Morrow was an amazing record with one of the best songs and solos of the past decade or so (the title track) and you understand supergroup or not, Big Scenic Nowhere is not some one-off side project but one of the best bands that exist today, period. So, there is no surprise that their new album, with these guys and a bunch of super cool guest, have what is the early album of the year front runner with The Waydown. Seven flawless tracks that expands on the Yawning Man with words and double guitar action to create what will undoubtably be in discussion all year in the best of the best category. 

BSN is not here to re-tread on their past output either, throwing in some new surprises and excellent guests to elevate the record even further, including keys once again from Per Wiberg (Opeth, Spiritual Beggars), guitar work from Reeves Gabrels (Bowie, The Cure) and the original keyboard player from Hall & Oates (yes, Hall & Oates, more on this later) Eliot Lewis. Let’s start from the beginning with the title track, that picks up the sound and vibe from the last record. The amazing Yawning Man (Yawning Balch too!) instrumentation and vibe along with Tony Reed’s underrated vocals and a production sound that could be described in no other way than perfect sets the tone for the journey that The Waydown is about to take you on. Tony's layered vocals here are spot on with the music while Balch and Arce have perfect dual guitar chemistry, case in point the last two minutes of the track. Breathtaking. 

Summer Teeth continues the same floating across the desert path, but a bit more chill and psych leaning, while Reed contributes a killer bass line to the trademarked Yawning Man atmosphere, plus some of his crunch, yielding perfect results. Reed pulls out the synths and eight string bass for Surf Western, showing the complexity of playing and skill level that this group brings to the table. This leans way more on the atmosphere than the heavy at first, until the guitar kicks in and smacks you across the face with that riff. For a group of songs that were written over a period of a few years the songs play perfectly together in the sequencing of the record. 

Bleed On is the heaviest track on The Waydown, with so many riffs and another excellent vocal performance from Reed. The biggest surprise on The Waydown is the (pretty much) straightforward cover of the Hall & Oates early hit Sara Smile. This is where Mr. Lewis comes in. How cool is it to get the original keyboard player to help on the cover? I say it is straightforward, but it is musically made their own by the Yawning Man guys, but the biggest surprise is how perfectly Tony Reed pulls off his Blue-eyed soul impersonation, even the high parts. So great. On first listen I was confused, but it eventually clicks in and works perfectly amongst the rest of the songs. 

BT-OH is the most straightforward rock track on The Waydown highlighted once again by the twin guitar action and Reed’s bass while the closer, 100, is not the life altering track the finisher from the last record was, but it is more of the same excellent desert rock beauty you get from every single note of this album. It is not a surprise that I love this, but honestly, I didn’t think Big Scenic Nowhere could top The Long Marrow but somehow, they have. The playing is unmatched, the vibe is on point for what they are delivering, and the songs and the production are perfect to my ears. Album of the year front runner and a record that will be remembered for years to come. 10/10