Savage and the Big Beat

Though they've been playing shows in Denton for the past couple of years, Savage and the Big Beat have yet to release a proper full-length album.

Well, actually, that's not entirely true. Last year, Max Brown and Ryan Cortez released an 18-track soundtrack to a parody musical based on Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park. Not counting that, though, the twosome has only released a handful of somewhat lo-fi EPs.

And although their upcoming Love and Hunting release still won't see them exploring full-length territory just yet, it nonetheless marks a big leap forward for the former drums- and piano-based duo. Aside from being the most polished tracks they've put out to date, the addition of guitarist Kyle Irion has beefed up the already frenzied clanking of the band's theatrical-rooted piano-heavy sound. In a good way, too: The fact that Brown's vocals so closely resemble Freddie Mercury's when paired with the band's musical theater leanings will surely draw some obvious comparisons upon the disc's release.

The first chance those fans will have to purchase the album will be on September 29 at Andy's when the band plays with Team Tomb and Vagabond. (The former of those outfits, we might add, includes Roy Robertson, who produced the new EP.)

Until then you can sample a pair of tunes here, which the band has kindly passed along to Central Track prior to the album's release. - Central Track

You may remember the 2011 theater production Jurassic Park: The Musical, which had several showings in venues around Denton. With its dinosaur costumes and gigantic T-rex puppet, the show was an instant hit amongst townies, and gave a truly new perspective on what it means to have a D.I.Y. ethic in a theatrical medium. The production was the brainchild of Savage and the Big Beat members Ryan Cortez and Max Brown. The two met in an improv comedy group at UNT and later wrote 18 songs that spanned the entire arc of the production.
The two have since added guitarist Kyle Irion to their drums and keys setup, and the trio is releasing a brand new EP, Love and Hunting, on Saturday, September 29 at Andy's Bar.

"The fun, smile-to-keep-from-crying element of the earlier records is still intact, but with more emotional and musical depth," Irion says. The group describes their sound as primitive, upbeat pop-rock balladry with strange rhythms and elements of early Broadway musicals. Yeah. That's how I was gonna describe it. - The Dallas Observer Music Blog

"Savage and the Big Beat is a wonderfully fun band out of Denton, Texas. With there 1930's piano chords and humorous and imaginative lyrics, audiences consider themselves fully entertained.

They are currently working on producing "Jurassic Park: The Musical" after looking at the script it looks as though it will be hilarious and something you should not miss.

If you would like to know more about Savage and the Big Beat, they mostly inform their fans through Facebook, which a link can be found at:

http://savageandthebigbeat.com - paperdarts.org