The Big Boys got their start in the late 1970’s Austin punk scene. The band was fronted by the occasionally cross-dressing Randy “Biscuit” Turner, with Tim Kerr on guitar, Chris Gates playing bass, and Rey Washam on drums. Unlike the rest of the early hardcore scene of the day, they weren’t afraid to stray away from superfast tempos in favor of some nice white boy skate funk.

Beyond the funk tendencies, the band at times played an early brand of post-punk not unlike their contemporaries The Minutemen. Thanks to their inclusion on some of Thrasher magazine’s first “skate comps,’ the Big Boys were hugely popular amongst the new 80’s skate punk crowd. They were also known for the encouragement of crowd participation, breaking down the barriers between performer and audience. They even covered Kool & the Gang, never wavering when venturing into uncharted musical territory. The Big Boys paved the way for other skate funk bands like The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fishbone.

Rey Washam, Chris Gates, and Tim Kerr all still play music. Tim Kerr has his own
website where you can check out what he is doing now. Sadly, Randy Turner passed away in August of 2005.

Terrific new 7” out on Nasty Product Records from Bordeaux’s garage wonderkind the Magnetix. I don’t know what it is about France these days, but a surprising portion of the memorable records I’ve been getting lately are coming from this seeming bland country and the Magnetix are no exception.

The song “Something About You” is destined to become a classic. A distorted 60’s R&B beat leads the way into a perfectly orchestrated mess of psych-tinged rock n’ roll only to fall completely apart at the end of the song with the group sonically spiraling down the rabbit hole.

“New Dance” is on the flip and while it’s a good song in it’s own right, it fails to compare to the song on the other side and unfortunately comes off as slightly generic in it’s vibe. “Something About You” is just that good.

With only 500 of these babies pressed, it’s about time you get your ass over to Nasty Product now to make sure you get one.