KickActs interveiws Tony of “Big Engine”!
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Welcome to Kick Acts. Tell us a little about yourself and were you can be found
online.
My name is Tony Mikus and I am the lead singer and one of the guitarist of the rock band Big Engine based out of Jacksonville, Florida. We are on Facebook and Reverbnation and we have our website www.bigengine.com
Who are your musical heroes and influences? Why?
I personally have too many heros to list. Being from Jacksonville, the home of Southern Rock where the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, .38 Special, and others hailed from, I definitely have been influenced by that broad genre. Tom Petty is from near by Gainesville too and you mix those together and throw in AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and KISS and you start to get an idea of where my music stems from.
Do you have any advice for someone just getting started in the music business?
I have a lot of advice. Runaway! lol. This is a tough business so try to keep it fun. Enjoy other bands and don’t be a hater. Get band members that get along and enjoy each others company. If you have any
success it means you will be spending more time with them than anybody else in your life so you better like them. Write all the time.
What piece of advice did you ignore that you wish you hadn’t?
I don’t think I ignored any advice. Some things you have to learn on your own and you later say to yourself, “Oh that’s what they were talking about!’
Do you have a greatest gig story or worst gig horror story you’d like to share?
Wow doing about 200 shows a year for many years means I have a lot of both. More good than bad for sure. One in particular was playing in Sturgis, South Dakota and looking in the audience and seeing Patrick Simmons of The Doobie Brothers watching me. Another great one was opening for Motorhead. That was surreal. Being backstage and seeing Lemmy was like something out of a movie. Then on the opposite side, we played a show in South Carolina to a handful of people and after the show the club owner apologized for the lack of crowd. He said it was his fault for booking us the same time as the Gopher Festival.
Do you have any other hobbies other than playing music? Collect stamps? Collect hats from off the side of the road? Draw pictures of peckers or boobs? Make sock puppets? Sit in the dark and eat Cheetos?
I do all the fun family things with my kids. I love to travel and sightsee. I really enjoy sports, hot rods, motorcycles, and I collect Hotwheels.
What do you think about the current music scene or lack of? Care to address that?
There is all kinds of great music out there. The scene is never what you want it to be but griping about it does nothing. It would be nice if people went to see live music on a more regular basis. It depresses
me that DJs are more valued by the masses than musicians are.
Do you think reality shows like American Idol, X factor and The Voice have helped or hurt the music industry as a whole?
I don’t know if it has done either. I think it shows that singing talent is abundant but writing talent has always been what impresses me the most.
What is your opinion of unauthorized music downloads?
Well I think some people discover music that they wouldn’t have because of it but there is no question that it has taken away some of the incentive for bands to create new music. It might mean the end of
bands spending a year in the studio creating a masterpiece. I hope not! It is a reality for any business that you have to be smart and try to recoup your investment. Most people don’t want to pay for
anything they can get for free. Whether that be a sandwich or a song. I don’t know if anything will change in the future to make people care about the music creators. What I don’t mind though is when people tell
me they bought our cds and made copies for their friends.
Tell us something about each of your band members that we wouldn’t expect to hear.
I will start with myself. I have a degree in accounting. Want me to do your taxes? lol. Hans our guitarist is a clean freak. Charlie our drummer has an incredible knack of falling asleep within two minutes
of hitting the road in the van after a show. Matt our bassist is a really good bass fisherman.
Hypothetical situation. You’re on Gilligan’s island and you get to hook up with
only one of the survivors… Which one and why?
Here’s what I would do. I would play matchmaker and get the professor and MaryAnne together. Maybe she would spark something in him so he would come up with a way to get us off the island.
Do you know what a vinyl album is and have your ever purchased one? If so, what was it?
Click to buy this CD!
Man I even have a picture disc by The Cars. I love albums. I miss the artwork and liner notes. I used to go through record stores and look at every release in alphabetical order. That was a cool Friday night
when I was a kid.
You’re marooned on an island with Justin Bieber. Do you choke him out the first night in his sleep or what?
No I hope somebody is looking for him so I get rescued. Maybe then he could finance my next album.
What is your opinion of Miley Cyrus?
Hey she’s doing her thing I guess.
Which would you rather hear in concert? Lip synching or real vocals?
Real vocals. Even if they aren’t perfect I want to hear the real emotion in the singers voice.
Who, or what, is the next big thing?
I wish I knew. I have been surprised by some of the latest trends.
One artist you can’t get enough of and can’t live without is…
AC/DC. I honestly haven’t heard a song by them that I didn’t like.
Confession time. Share a secret about yourself.
I like Neil Diamond.
Favorite movie of all time and why.
Spinal Tap for obvious reasons
Our last question is called “Shout It Out Loud”. It’s were you get to talk about whatever you want to talk about. So go ahead and “SHOUT IT OUT LOUD”!
YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE ANGRY TO ROCK! EVERY SONG DOESN’T HAVE TO BE ABOUT HOW MISERABLE YOU ARE OR HOW SOMEBODY DID YOU WRONG.YOU CAN ROCK WITH A SMILE ON YOUR FACE! I like all kinds of rock. I have diverse interest in all things including music. Some people are scared to have a good time. Not me.
CHECK OUT “BIG ENGINE” ON THE FOLLOWING DATES!
Sept 11 OCEAN CITY BIKEFEST OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND
Sept 12 OCEAN CITY BIKEFEST OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND
Sept 13 OCEAN CITY BIKEFEST OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND
Sept 19 BAINBRIDGE BIKEFEST BAINBRIDE, GA
(Opening for Jackyl)
Sept 20 BOBAROSSA SALOON DEL RIO, TN
Oct 1 SANDPIPER BEACON PANAMA CITY BEACH,FL
Oct 2 SANDPIPER BEACON PANAMA CITY BEACH,FL
Oct 3 SANDPIPER BEACON PANAMA CITY BEACH,FL
Oct 4 SANDPIPER BEACON PANAMA CITY BEACH,FL
Categories: General Tags: .38 Special, ac/dc, Allman Brothers, big engine, black sabbath, florida, Gainesville, hot chicks, hotrods, Jacksonville, lynyrd skynyrd, southern rock, tom petty
FreeBird’s Last Flight! “The Story behind the Music” Feb 27th
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Everyone please come out for this inspiring event!
If you love Lynyrd Skynyrd, you’ll love this too!
For more info contact:270-577-7488
Categories: General Tags: behind the music, freebirds last flight, henderson, jo jo billingsley, johhny van zant, kentucky, lynyrd skynyrd, ministry, warehouse of worship
Looks like the “principalities of the air” have claimed another one…
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And now we can sadly add to that list Jenni Rivera. Ever notice it seems like a Rock Star gets killed in a plane crash every few years? Not that I am superstitious but is it more than just a coincidence? Apparently small planes are the favored way to take out a musician. I don’t recall anyone of them dying on a “major” airline crash… Opinions? Here is a list of some that have passed away this way.
Dec. 15, 1944: Glenn Miller, the trombonist and leader of a hugely popular dance band, was killed when his plane disappeared between England and Paris while Miller was entertaining troops.
June 30, 1954: Gospel singers R.W. Blackwood and Bill Lyles died when the group’s private plane crashed in Clanton, Ala.
Feb. 3, 1959: Rock stars Buddy Holly, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Ritchie Valens were killed when their chartered plane crashed near Mason City, Iowa, en route to a show.
March 5, 1963: Country singer Patsy Cline, whose hits included “Crazy” and “She’s Got You,” and fellow singers Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins died in a plane crash near Camden, Tenn.
July 31, 1964: Jim Reeves, a country balladeer known for “Four Walls” and “Welcome to My World,” was killed in the crash of a small plane in Nashville, Tenn.
Dec. 10, 1967: Soul singer Otis Redding died when his plane crashed into a lake near Madison, Wis.
Sept. 20, 1973: Singer Jim Croce, known for hits such as “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” was killed in a plane crash near Natchitoches, La.
Oct. 21, 1977: Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Stevie Gaines of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd died in a plane crash in McComb, Miss.
March 19, 1982: Randall “Randy” Rhoads, lead guitarist in rock star Ozzy Osbourne’s band, along with two others, were killed when their Beechcraft Bonanza allegedly flew too low while “buzzing” a band van on tour in Leesburg, Fla.
Dec. 31, 1985: Rick Nelson, “Ozzie and Harriet” TV star turned rock ‘n’ roller, died when his plane caught fire and crashed near DeKalb, Texas.
March 21, 1987: Dean Paul Martin, former member of the 1960s band Dino, Desi and Billy and son of entertainer of Dean Martin, was killed with his co-pilot. The two, flying an F-4 phantom, were members of the California Air National Guard.
Aug. 27, 1990: Blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan died when his helicopter crashed into a hill in East Troy, Wis., after departing from a concert.
Oct. 25, 1991: Bill Graham, who built an empire promoting concerts as rock ‘n’ roll turned psychedelic in the 1960s with groups including Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead and Santana, was killed in a helicopter crash near Vallejo, Calif.
Oct. 12, 1997: John Denver, 1970s superstar with hits like “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” died in the crash of his experimental plane off the California coast.
Aug. 25, 2001: Actress and R&B singer Aaliyah was killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas along with eight others. The twin-engine Cessna went down shortly after takeoff.
Nov. 24, 2001: Melanie Thornton, half of the pop duo La Bouche, which had ‘1990s hits such as “Be My Lover” and “Sweet Dreams,” died in an airline crash in Switzerland.
Feb. 12, 2009: Two members of jazz musician Chuck Mangione’s band, Gerry Niewood and Coleman Mellett, were killed in a commuter plane crash outside Buffalo, NY, along with 48 others.
Categories: General Tags: big bopper, buddy holly, crash, jenni, john denver, lynyrd skynyrd, otis redding, patsy cline, plane, randy rhoads, rivera
