EPK
BIO
MUSIC
// Origin: Cocoa, FL
// Genre: Blues, Roots, Rock
// Years Active: 2010 - Present
// Label: Kettlehead Records
// Website: bigkettledrum.com
Ten years of being “on the cusp” and “the band you should have seen” can wear a band down. Having played over 800 shows from Boston to Austin to Cheltenham, England, Big Kettle Drum (BKD) founding members Brant Christopher Menswar and JT Keel certainly have earned the right to kick off their boots and call it a night. But instead they continue to dive head first into writing and performing their soulful blues in living rooms, clubs and music halls across the country. Their music has been heard on dozens of television shows and is featured on Amazon’s sophomore season of “Hand of God.” A decade of blue collar, morale crushing, playing to an empty room, life in a Kia Soul pulling a home-made trailer has earned them the kind of respect you deserve.
That respect has been given by the likes of Brandi Carlile, Nancy Griffith, Glenn Kaiser, Switchfoot, Tonic, Michael Tolcher, Will Hoge and others they have shared the stage with. It’s been given by Nashville songwriting machine, Marty Dodson (Six #1 singles with 20 million albums sold) who co-wrote six of the songs on their last two EP’s. Most importantly, it’s been given by their incredibly loyal fan base the band lovingly calls “Kettleheads”.
Their 2018 release 'I Thought You'd Be Bigger,' produced by the legendary Carla Olson (Textones, Mick Taylor, Percy Sledge), debuted at #3 on iTunes Blues charts while their single 'Bad Bad Man' is now in rotation on BB King's Bluesville on Sirius/XM and radio stations around the country. BKD continues grinding it out til the guitars are out of tune, the strings break and the suitcase kick drum needs more duct tape.
VIDEO
I Thought You'd Be Bigger Album Credits:
BIG KETTLE DRUM is:
Jeff “JT” Keel - guitars
Brant Menswar – vocals, guitars
MUSICIANS:
Tony Marsico – bass guitars (Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Paul Jones, Peter Case, Matthew Sweet, Jeff Healey)
Don Heffington – drums (Bob Dylan, Ron Sexsmith, Peter Case, Shelby Lynne, Jackson Browne, Dwight Yoakum, Buddy Miller, Emmylou Harris)
Barry Goldberg – B3 Hammond organ (Bob Dylan, Duane Allman, Levon Helm, Leonard Cohen, Gladys Knight, Bo Diddley, Joan Osborne, Electric Flag, Percy Sledge, Tom Jones, Phil Seymour, Carla Olson, Mick Taylor, Ramones, Rod Stewart, Steve Miller Band)
Tom Jr Morgan - saxophone (Quincy Jones, Carla Olson, The Textones, Percy Sledge, Paul Jones, Mick Taylor)
Greg Lewis – trumpet
Rob Stone – harmonica
Gregg Sutton – vocals (Free Again) (Joe Cocker, Joe Bonamassa, Beth Hart, The Commitments, Billy Ray Cyrus, Carla Olson, Paul Jones, Maria McKee, Sam Brown, Barry Goldberg)
Gia Ciambotti – vocals (Free Again) (Bruce Springsteen, Lucinda Williams, Chicago, James Blunt, Carla Olson, Belinda Carlisle, Buckcherry)
Produced by Carla Olson (The Textones, Barry Goldberg, Percy Sledge, Gene Clark, Joe Louis Walker, Eric Johnson, Mick Taylor, Paul Jones)
Recorded by Mikal Reid (Ben Harper, Alice Cooper, Carla Olson) at Rancho Relaxo,
Hidden Hills, California
Additional recording by JJ Blair at Fox Force 5 Recorders, Los Angeles, California, assisted by Gabe Lowry
Mixed by Mikal Reid
Mastered by Brian Foraker
Brett Nemeroff / a&r
Saul Davis / a&r
Photography by Markus Cuff
TOUR
RIDERS
Tech Rider
Hospitality Rider
REPRESENTATION
Label: Kettlehead Records, bigkettledrum at gmail
Management: Saul Davis/Brett Nemeroff | bigkettledrum at gmail
PR: Kettlehead Records, Brant Menswar | bmenswar at gmail
Booking: Jane M. McKee | janesworldtalent at gmail
FL TA #549
4601 So. Hesperides St.
Tampa, FL 33611