Big Chill

2012-01-06T23:25:00.000-08:00

It is Customer appreciation night at Tucson's this Saturday, Tucson's would like to thank their patrons for the fantastic loyal support they have given the club and are putting on a great night of music for you. Big Chill are happy to be part of that entertainment and want to thank you all in person, So come on down and party the night away.

Saturday:
9:30-10:00 - Wicked Grin
10:15-10:45 - Big Chill
11:00-11:30 - Double Double
11:45-12:15 - Conspiracy

2011-11-23T10:12:00.001-08:00

Customer appreciation

night at Tucson's

Saturday January 7th

BIG CHILL are back at the hottest blues club in town, We love to play at Tucson's and are very happy to be part of the line up for a great night of Party music and dancing, provided by a bunch of great bands (see below) Tuscon's want to thank their customers for another great year of solid support at the best music venue in town. So put on yer party hats, polish up yer dancing shoes and come and join us at Tucson's Saturday night January the 7th

Saturday:
9:30-10:00 - Wicked Grin
10:15-10:45 - Big Chill
11:00-11:30 - Double Double
11:45-12:15 - Conspiracy

2011-09-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

Check out Big Chill on Reverb Nation CLICK HERE

BIG CHILL'S Jim Hurcomb on the air with Dylan Black

2011-08-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

THIS Thursday August 25th, DAWG FM's Dylan Black will be talking to Big Chill's "Man on the Skins" Jim Hurcomb. Tune into Dawg FM, at 8:15am to listen to Jim, Shamelessly plug Big Chill's Gig at the Elmdale Tavern (the same night) Thursday Aug 25th cover charge $7.00.

Cheers everyone

AUGUST 25th at The Elmdale

2011-08-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

We are back, Live in Ottawa, At the Elmdale Tavern. Come join us on Thursday the 25th for a great night of Live music and Dance. The band has never sounded better. Cheers to you all, and see you there.

NEXT GIG

2011-07-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

Thursday August 25th 2011 - 9:00pm till close
Elmdale tavern Link
http://www.elmdaletavern.com/live-music-events/

2011-06-10T23:50:00.000-07:00

FRIDAY June 24th 2011

Big Chill are back at Ottawa's finest Blues venue in the south end, "Tucson's (Bank and Hunt club)

Every time we play at Tucson's it is a fantastic night out, so put on your dancing shoes and come and kick off the weekend with BIG CHILL.

Click on poster to enlarge

CHEO River Cruise

2011-05-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

Big Chill is very pleased to announce its participation in the Ottawa Senators Foundation’s event to raise funds for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) on Sunday May 22. The event will take place on the deck of Capital Cruises boat Empress of Ottawa while cruising the Ottawa River.

“The guys are all excited about this”, said Peter Feldman, bass player of Big Chill. “We think of Big Chill not only as an outlet to express ourselves through the music we love, but also as a vehicle through which we can contribute to the community and, hopefully, do some good. It’s going to be a great party, and we urge everyone to participate in a worthy cause.”

The cruise will depart from the Jacques Cartier Park Wharf on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River just east of the Canadian Museum of Civilization at 7 pm.. Tickets are $20.00. The cruise will last approximately three hours.

Feldman went on to say, “We’ll make some joyous noise. It’s a great way to spend part of your Victoria Day weekend!”

Details below (click on poster to enlarge)

Aboard the Empress of Ottawa
Leaving from Jacques Cartier Park Wharf
(East of the Museum of Civilization and across
from Best Western Cartier Hotel)
May 22nd, 2011
Departs: 7:00PM Arrives: 10:00PM
Live entertainment by: Big Chill
Tickets: $20.00/person
Silent Auction
All proceeds go to CHEO fundraising campaign
To Reserve call Capital Cruises 613-241-8811 or
Quality Entertainment 613-526-8742

BIG CHILL WERE ROCKING AT TUCSON'S

2011-04-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

Big Chill rocked the house at Tucson's, Saturday April 23rd. Kicking off the night with a couple of BIG CHILL original tunes, The fantastic enthusiastic Tucson's crowd, certainly were in the mood for dancing and The Chill were happy to provide the beat. Tucson's is a great night out and BIG CHILL will be back at the end of June, to enjoy another night of great food, great music and a really good time.

2011-04-18T22:57:00.000-07:00

I have been asked to post the links to the BIG CHILL videos on you-tube. Here they are and I hope you enjoy. Hope to see you all at Tucson's this Saturday night. For those of you that are attending the Ottawa Senators foundation, River Cruise (to support CHEO and Rogers House) in May, Tucsons, this Saturday night at 9:00pm, would be a great place to come and check out Big Chill. (See poster below)
1. The thrill has gone -
2. Get out my life woman -
3. Framed -
4. Bank Street blues -

How to book Big Chill

2011-03-04T09:57:00.000-08:00

It's time to think about the upcoming Spring, Summer, Fall Seasons. Big Chill are available for Club dates, Festivals, Corporate events, Private Parties, etc. To book the band send an email to: bigchillbookings@gmail.com or contact our booking Agent, Jeannette St-Jacques at 613-791-4064.

New CD

2011-02-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

Hi all, This is just to let you know we are taking a short break from live gigs at the moment. We are writing and rehearsing new material for our next CD. We have had great feedback from you guys regarding the new songs we have performed live, such as, "Testing our love" "East side blues" "Call me when the time is right" and "Rocking down the Roxy" All of the above mentioned will be on the new CD (yet to be titled) and we can't wait to perform this new material live. keep checking back on the site for gig news, or use the "contact us" button on the left side of the screen and we will add you to our "Big Chill Live" E Mail list"

Cheers for Now

BIG CHILL TO PLAY BASS LINE STATION

2011-01-19T11:14:00.000-08:00

This Friday (January 21st) Starting at 8;00pm Big Chill will play The West end bar Bass line Station.

The band has not performed at this popular music venue since August 2010 and are looking forward to repeat the great night had by all on that date. The band likes this venue, the stage is like a smaller version of the Barrymores stage and the atmosphere in this intimate club, is just what a band like Big Chill loves. If you find yourself in the West end on Friday, check out Big Chill at Bass Line Station - 2557 Baseline Road
Ottawa, ON
(613) 721-7771

The Official Blues Ring

2011-01-18T23:47:00.000-08:00

This site is a member of WebRing.
To browse visit
here.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010-12-31T13:32:00.000-08:00

Big Chill ended the year one week before Christmas, with a fantastic show at Tucson's and would like to thank all of you that came out and made the evening such a great success. We anticipate playing at Tucson's again in the not to distant future.

2010 saw the release of our first CD, "A Chill In The Air" It also saw the birth of DAWG FM 101.9, Ottawa's Blues station. Big Chill owe a big thank you to all the guys and girls at DAWG, for playing tracks from our CD such as "Since I met you baby" and "Bank Street blues", on a very regular basis.

We are going to kick the year of with a busy January, and would love you all to join us at any of the following shows.

BIG CHILL GIG GUIDE FOR JANUARY

Thursday, January 13th upstairs at Maxwell's

340 Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario
613.232.5771

Big Chill will perform from 9.00pm til Close. If you love to dance the night away, then this is the gig for you.

Saturday January 15th Ottawa's Rainbow Bistro, located at 76 Murray St. in the Byward Market is known as Ottawa's Legendary Home of the Blues... with justification. Big Chill will be performing 10.00pm - 2.00am
This is a great venue to see Big Chill in full blues based rock mode.

Saturday January 21st Bass Line Station Bar Big Chill will be performing from 9.00pm - Close

Tucson's December 18th

2010-12-12T11:58:00.000-08:00

We are proud to be playing in One of Ottawa's finest Blues venues. What a great way to relax before the mad, hectic Christmas holiday,
Come and join us Saturday December 18th at Tucson's. the band will hit the stage at 9:30pm and play till close.
We look forward to seeing all of you on what we know will be a great night. The band will be debuting a few new tracks from our next CD, along with our usual blend of blues and blues rock.
So put on yer dancing shoes and come on down to Tucson's for and evening of Great food, fine ales and spirits and fantastic music..
(click on image to see full size)

Exhale on Bank Street

2010-12-10T11:26:00.000-08:00

"Big Chill Exhale on Bank Street"

Big Chill are playing Tucson's Saturday December 18th, Given the recent cold snap we have had here in Ottawa, We took a classic Stones album cover and put an Ottawa winter spin on it, Hope you like it.

(Click on the picture to see the larger image)

Big Chill to play Tucson's Dec 18th

2010-11-11T11:53:00.000-08:00

Attention all Chill fans, Big Chill to Play Tucson's Saturday December 18th

The Thrill Has Gone

2010-10-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

Big Chill - Framed

2010-10-18T19:52:00.001-07:00

Big Chill - Get out my life woman

2010-10-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

Rocking in the Rain!

2010-10-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

Big Chill made its debut at Maxwell's night club on Thursday October 14th. We couldn't have had a better time.

First of all, Maxwell's is a great room to play. No pillars to obstruct the view, plenty of room for dancing, a great staff and a nice sound system operated by the one and only Johnny Vegas (Thanks, Johnny!). AND a nice crowd to play to.

We'd heard that the crowd at Maxwell's loves to dance—man, does it ever! Almost from the opening tune of our 90-minute set, people were on the floor. We did what we refer to as our "club show"—mostly blues, to be sure, but with a healthy mixture of more pop tunes, but all done with that special Big Chill flair.

Highlights? Almost too many to count, but "Jail Bait" KILLED, as did the Yardbirds classic "For Your Love". The Eric Clapton ballad "Wonderful Tonight" was popular, along with the Animals hit "It's My Life". Of our blues material, "Ridin' with the King" stood out, as did "Framed" and Junior Wells' "Messin' with the Kid". The dancers in the crowd had a great time, and those who just wanted to listen were quite happy, too.

The guys in the band look forward to returning to Maxwell's soon. Look for us there early in the New Year. The band is very excited about performing in new venues, and we had a total blast at Maxwell's!

Three new tracks from our CD " A Chill In The Air"

2010-10-14T02:10:00.000-07:00

1. Framed 2. Get out my life woman 3. Wine

Big Chill's Tour of Ottawa, continues.

2010-10-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

Just after a great night performing at Tucson's, We are all set to take Elgin Street by Storm. Along with teen sensations, "The Riot Police" Opening up the night, Big Chill will hit the stage around the hour of 10:00pm to keep the party going.
Looking forward to seeing you all at Maxwell's. Let's kick of the Fall with a big helping of blues rock from Big Chill.
Keep chillin!
(click on image to enlarge)

2010-08-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

BIG CHILL AT THE RAINBOW BISTRO, TUESDAY, AUGUST 31st

We are happy to tell you, The band is playing this Tuesday night at Ottawa's Best Blues club, The Rainbow Bistro 76 Murray Street Ottawa, - (613) 241-5123

The Band hits the Stage at 9:30pm and will play til close. Listen to DAWG FM on Monday night between 7:45pm and 8:15, to hear Big Chill interviewed by DAWG's Dylan Black

We've been busy...

2010-08-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

What can I tell you, It has been a busy month for Big Chill and Big Chill followers, With two gigs at Baseline Station on Thursday July 22 and again on August 12th, It was great for us to play in the west end of Ottawa again. From all accounts the regular crowd at Baseline really dug the Big Chill sound and will be booking us to play again at the earliest opportunity. Sat August 14th we had the great pleasure of playing a private party out in Metcalfe, The band was setup in a Company welding shop, we played one set then broke for supper (a pig roast) WOW! the food was great, the hosts were wonderful and everyone left with a belly full of good food and a head full of great music. We have been invited to perform at an October fest party held by the same fantastic bunch of people. (can't wait)

The gigs continue: We will be performing August 28th at the Ottawa Tennis Club and it's Gala closing event, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Ottawa tennis championships.

And capping of the month with a gig at the The Rainbow Bistro, Ottawa's Legendary Home of The Blues On the 31st, This date is a Tuesday night, we will be playing from 9:00pm till 1:00am. this is one gig you won't want to miss. Big Chill where they should be, in the best Blues club in town.

DAWG FM 101.9 have been playing Big Chill on a daily basis, so tune into Ottawas best friend and hear us belting out "Bank street blues", "Since I met you baby" "The thrill has gone" and others from our CD "A Chill in the Air"

Once again, we would like to thank all of our supporters, without you we could not do this. Stay tuned for more Chill info.

Cheers

2nd annual Silent Auction and Gala in support of the Ottawa Fury U15 Girls Team

2010-05-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

Tuesday May 11th 2010
Saturday night at D'arcey McGees was a blast, The band played till gone midnight, and The Fundraiser went very well indeed. The Ottawa Fury Under 15 girls soccer team gave the band a nice gift basket for playing (always nice to get free beer)
We Picked up quite a few new Big Chill fans At D'arcy McGees and It looks like we will be playing there again sometime soon (watch this space)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday May 8th 8:30pm - Close

Hosted at Darcey McGee's, 360 Moodie Drive, Bells Corners, the doors open at 8:30pm and Big Chill, returning for an encore performance, will kick off the evening at 9:00pm.

Tickets are $4 - Please contact Shelley for tickets at slbraun@rogers.com.

Expect great door prizes, appetizers and a whole lot of good stuff to bid on. There will be deals! Care to start bidding now? See the auction items online at http//furysilentauction.blogspot.com

CD Release in review

2010-04-01T08:55:00.000-07:00

What a great night it was:

Big Chill would like to thank you all for coming out to our CD release party on Saturday March 27th. The feedback on the CD has been great, The feedback on the gig has been fantastic, all in all a great time had by all. I have never seen Tables being moved so quickly to create a bigger dance floor. you guys really wanted to dance. I have been asked to let people know where they can get a copy of the CD. Well, we will make sure we carry some CD's at our gigs, or you can email us at bigchill@mail.com eiter way, we will make sure you get one.

Cheers to you all

Peter Feldman talks about recording the new CD

2010-03-23T02:19:00.000-07:00

It all started with the idea of a demo.

When a band is relatively new on the scene and looking for gigs, a demo is a quick way to get the band in front of a few designated listeners, i.e. club owners and bookers. So it came down to the question of which three or four tunes we’d like to include to best showcase the group.

This was easier said than done. We eventually narrowed our “book” down to 10 songs that we felt showed Big Chill at its best. Somehow, the discussion evolved to “Why don’t we do a CD?” After a bit of thrashing around, we liked the idea. At the very least, it was something that friends of ours could have as a souvenir!

We decided right off the top that even if it wasn’t to be a “live off the floor” recording, we wanted the CD to be the best possible representation of Big Chill’s live sound—no overdubbing, no extra instruments. So rehearsed our list of 10 tunes for two solid weeks—around 14 hours of rehearsal.

When we went in to record, we were tight! The objective of laying down 10 instrumental tracks in one four-hour recording session seemed overly ambitious to Luke Duross, our recording engineer, but we were confident that we could do it, with vocal tracks to be done in a second four-hour session. We would soon find out…

The first session was exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. I think we may have done three takes on one tune, but two was the maximum on most of the others—and we chose quite a few of the first takes to use on the recording! I’m not sure who was more amazed that we were able to lay down 10 tracks, Luke or us. We knew the vocals session had the potential to be quite a bit more difficult.

And it was. As the lead vocalist for seven of the 10 tunes, the second recording session was much more taxing for me personally—again, in a good way—and totally exhausting. I felt the same after seven tunes as I do after a three-set performance—totally bagged. But Wanda and Ted Duross’s baking and tea saved the evening for us; gotta love that carb energy!

All in all, I have to say we had a real blast making this disk. We hope you have as much fun listening to it, and that you’ll tell your friends!

2010-01-26T15:22:00.000-08:00

FEBRUARY 6th

Big Chill are ready to hit the stage of the Atomic Rooster once more! After a recording session, leading up to the Winter holiday season, Big Chill are back with even more new material, for you loyal Chillers to take in and enjoy.
We will kick off at our usual start time of 8:30pm, even though the Posters might say 9:00pm and we will play till the wee small hours as usual. Always proud to bring new material to each gig, this will not be any different! So strap on yer dancing shoes and get ready for another great night at "The Rooster" It's "Saturday night's alright for dancing, get a little action in"

2009-12-01T23:21:00.000-08:00

BIG CHILL Back at the Rooster

We are proud to be playing back at the Rooster, Saturday December 12th 2009.

The band last performed on Bank Street's best Live musical venue back in October. If that gig was anything to go by, then it will be yet another, rocking, fun loving, dancing Saturday night at the Rooster.

Recently awarded the "Best night out in Ottawa", by the Ottawa Express publication, Big Chill are happy to be a part of the regular fantastic, atmospheric, Entertainment that The Atomic Rooster keep providing.

With Donny, Kim and the rest of the staff, looking after the great service and Big Chill dishing out the licks, groove and beat, rest assured you will be in for a night to remember. Come on Down to 303 Bank Street, and join in the frolicking with the rest of the gang.

Cheers and see you there.

2009-09-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

Forty Years Of The Fender Stratocaster
by Richard R. Smith

Leo Fender had worked as an accountant and radio repairman before
taking up musical instrument manufacturing during the waning days of
World War II. Riding on the double wave of post-war prosperity and the
guitar's rising popularity, his novel, tradition-breaking designs quickly
became popular with working musicians who played western swing,
country, and rhythm and blues--the roots of rock and roll. He started
designing the Stratocaster in 1953 for these cutting-edge musicians
destined to shape popular music's next forty years.

Fender's intention was more than simply adding a new guitar to his
successful line, which already included the highly popular Telecaster.
Packing his new model with the latest "Fender Firsts," he hoped to outdo
all other guitar inventors and make all other electric guitars obsolete.
Besides looking streamlined and modern, the deep cutaway body
balanced the instrument, made the high frets more accessible, and
reduced weight. Musician Rex Gallion had once implored Leo, "Why not
get away from a body that is always digging into your ribs?" The
Stratocaster's contours allowed a snug fit to the player's body.

The Stratocaster's advanced, built-in vibrato put shimmering, sustaining
sound effects at the player's fingertips. The distinctive Fender headstock
design let the strings pull straight over the guitar's nut, minimizing the
only real source of de-tuning friction. Surpassing earlier designs, Fender
made each individual Stratocaster bridge section adjustable for length
and height. To get the best tone, he tested a wide variety of pickup coils
and pole pieces with different lengths and diameters.

Musicians soon discovered that by carefully positioning the Stratocaster's
switch between settings, the signals from two pickups mixed and
produced snarling nasal tones that redefined electric guitar sound. These
unintended tones were reminiscent of a muted trumpet or trombone, but
with the sting of downed power lines. Fender's new guitar offered much
more than he anticipated.

Fender's business partner, Don Randall, came up with the new guitar's
name. Fender Sales shipped the first few commercial units by May 15,
1954. No one envisioned the Stratocaster's eventual commercial success
and historic impact. Considered by many an instrument for
teenagers--bandleader Lawrence Welk often introduced Buddy Merrill as
"our teenager"--the Stratocaster sold well in the 1950s, but did not
dominate the market. Dick Dale first explored the Fender's high decibel
capabilities playing surf music in the early 1960s. Beatles George
Harrison and John Lennon had matching Stratocasters heard on the
single "Nowhere Man" and numerous album cuts recorded after 1965. Of
course, Jimi Hendrix revolutionized electric guitar playing with his
Stratocasters and proved the wisdom of Leo's original design--which
stood up to almost every abuse except a match and lighter fluid. For the
next two decades, the Stratocaster's popularity grew almost unabated.

In 1987 Guitar Player magazine hailed the Stratocaster as the
"undisputed Guitar of the 1980s." The Stratocaster, recognized by
players for its wide-ranging, versatile tone, had become the most
commercially successful and copied electric guitar design in history. The
almost endless list of Stratocaster-playing stars included Eric Clapton,
Jeff Beck, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, Stevie Ray Vaughan, David Gilmour
and Mark Knopfler. While many players had turned to vintage
Stratocasters in the 1970s when CBS owned the Fender company (Leo
Fender and Don Randall sold the company to CBS in the mid-60s) an
increasing number of 1980s guitarists discovered new Stratocasters
made by a revitalized Fender company under new ownership.

In 1985, the Fender company was purchased from CBS and in fact, a
new chapter of Stratocaster history was being written. In 1990 the
company offered a single-spaced index that included 31 different
Stratocasters on the first page alone. The 1992 literature pictured 44
different Stratocasters. Players failing to find production models fitting
their needs could consider a top-of-the-line custom-built guitar from the
Fender Custom Shop. John Page, the shop's manager, sums up the
company's philosophy quite well: "Old guitars represent a starting point,"
he said. "Vintage (product) is something you learn from. Then you go on
and design something for tomorrow."

Leo Fender designed the original Stratocaster to outdo all other electric
guitars. In 1954, it was a guitar for tomorrow. Astonishingly, after 40
years, it still is.

A former working guitarist, Richard R. Smith has written extensively about vintage guitars and guitar company history. He is guest curator for the Fullerton Museum Center's show Five Decades of Fender: The Sound Heard Around the World. His articles and columns have appeared in Guitar Player, Guitar World, Guitar (Rittor Music, Japan) and Bass (Rittor Music, Japan) magazines. In addition, he is the author of The History of Rickenbacker Guitars (Centerstream) and a forthcoming book about Leo Fender and the Fender Electric Instrument Company.

Big Chill Rocked the Rooster

2009-08-25T03:49:00.000-07:00

Saturday night saw the return of Big Chill to the Atomic Rooster Saturday August 22nd. After a two month break from the Band friendly bar, Big Chill let loose with new Drummer Jim Hurcomb and at least a set worth of new tunes. Manager Kim Ramji was celebrating her birthday and the "Chill" along with a crowd ready to party, helped her celebrate in style,

Next gig for the band is coming up in September, at the brand new Royal Oak pub in Barhaven, Manager Debbie brown was happy to book the band, based on a very successful Thursday night gig at the Original Royal Oak pub situated at 318 Bank St. (downtown)

September 26th is the date for the Barhaven debut, and "The Chill" look forward to meeting and playing for the regulars at The Royal Oak Pubs newest addition.
Big Chill is looking to start playing gigs in all the Ottawa areas rather than keeping the party focus on the downtown core. keep checking back to this site for more gig information, or send us an email to bigchill@mail.com to be added to the gig distribution list.

Royal Oak Gig July 23rd 2009

2009-07-24T08:32:00.001-07:00

What a fantastic turnout and a great night. Big Chill want to thank The Royal Oak and all that came to see the band, what a Great time!. With the construction right outside the door and foul weather not adding to make things comfortable, The night was a rocking success at the Royal Oak pub 318 Bank Street. Bringing in Jim Hurcomb on drums for his first gig with the band, was a hit from the first beat. This was Big Chill's first gig at the Royal Oak and we intend to play that location again and a few others (watch this space)
Next gig (at the moment) will be at The Atomic Rooster, August 22nd, It's a Saturday night and we intend to start early and finish late so came prepared to party.
We will keep updating this site with more gig info as it comes in, and once again thankyou all for letting us have fun playing for you

Cheers