A Big Sad Whale - Demo

Yesterday, I picked up a free demo CD at Slackers from a St. Charles band called A Big Sad Whale. Having seen the group before at SCW's Open Mic Night, I thought I might give it a go. The group itself is a two-piece consisting of Alex Dabney on drums and Zach Petzel on guitar and vocals. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.

The demo has three songs: "21st Century Novelist," "Run," and "Stone Hard Stiletto." The songs, all originals, have a retro-rock kind of feel. Their song-writing could use some work, but they keep it interesting with unique guitar licks and drum fills.

The guitar, especially on "Stone Hard Stiletto," shows some blues influence. The drums, while a little sloppy, are very creative and chaotic. I think they probably could have been recorded better, but, hey, it's a demo. 

The vocals would definitely not win on any reality TV show, and I'm sure Petzel would admit that, but that's alright. Reality TV sucks anyway. The vocals seem to be tame in order to let the instruments and lyrics speak for the band.

I can't say it's perfect because that would be lying. But it's listenable, catchy, and it's homegrown. They get major props for even trying and even more props for giving it away for free. I believe they've given copies to most St. Charles record stores. Check it out.