Cape Girardeau band The Big Idea hopes to add to its fan base with new CD, more shows out of town

For the past three years, The Big Idea has been a regular on the Cape Girardeau band circuit and gained popularity among locals, but with its new CD, the band hopes to reach beyond city limits to expand its fan base.

The self-titled album includes 12 original songs and differs from last year's CD both in content and energy.

"The first CD we put out had seven songs, and it was kind of rushed because Will and I just wanted to get something out there to sell," band member Tommy Main said. "We wanted to record a new CD because our music has progressed so much. This new CD is different because it's more energetic and upbeat than the last one and is more representative of us as a band and where we're going."

Band member Will Montgomery said the album serves as a musical chronicle of the time the band spent on the road last year.

"This CD has a lot of good traveling music on it, so it would make a good road trip CD," Montgomery said. "A lot of the album was written while we were on the road and traveling to play outside of Cape Girardeau, so really the CD is a chronicle of us traveling with a few locally inspired songs mixed in there."

Main and Montgomery formed The Big Idea three years ago after playing together in a local cover band that eventually disbanded. The two musicians decided to start a new group and began playing local venues.

"In the beginning, Will and I both started out trying to play as many instruments as we could at once to try and make a two-man band sound bigger," Main said. "We tried everything we could to try and fill the space with as much sound as possible in order to make it sound like a full show."

After a year of playing as a duo, Main and Montgomery added bassist Hank Jones to round out the band's sound.

"We always wanted a bass player, but it was really hard to find somebody that was into our style and willing to put in the time to play," Montgomery said. "Hank actually used to come out and watch our shows as an audience member, and one of his friends recommended him to us as a bass player for the band. We decided to try him out, and it's worked out great ever since."

Since Jones' arrival, the group has frequently played venues in Cape Girardeau and worked hard to perfect its sound, which Main describes as "a mix between folk music and grunge grass."

Main plays guitar, banjo and bass drum while Montgomery handles high-hat, acoustic guitar and banjo. Dale Baker joins the band on bongos for a few songs, as well.

The band plays every first and third Wednesday night at Port Cape and recently began traveling to perform in cities such as St. Louis, Springfield, Mo., Jefferson City, Mo., and Chattanooga, Tenn.

Main said the band's added live shows helped shape the album.

"This new album is definitely more energetic," Main said. "It sounds more like we do when we play live, and that was our goal. We really wanted to record something that people could listen to and feel as if they were sitting and watching us in a live show. We wanted them to be able to close their eyes and listen to it without being able to tell the difference."

Montgomery said the time spent on the road not only shaped their new album but has also refined the band's sound, making them more polished.

"The regulars in our audience have definitely noticed a difference since we've started traveling," Montgomery said. "They tell us that we sound tighter and that we've gotten better over the last year."

The Big Idea is focusing on finishing out show dates scheduled for the summer and plans to start writing new material at the end of the season. Main said even though the band wants to shift its focus to writing, the group still plans to travel around the area and play as much as possible.

"We'd love to get on the festival circuit and we'd like to get to the place where we're able to work a lot less and be able to support ourselves with our music," Main said. "It's not even about getting famous, we've got a great fan base already, but our goal is to get to the point where we're playing all the time and supporting ourselves with it."

The Big Idea performs every first and third Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. at Port Cape in downtown Cape Girardeau. The band's CD can be purchased at shows, on iTunes or at CDbaby.com. For a full schedule of tour dates, visit facebook.com/thebigideasmusic.

ssemmler@semissourian.com

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Pertinent Address:

19 N. Water St., Cape Girardeau, MO