Entering A New Headspace: Nick MacDaniels Discusses Big Something’s Past, Present & Future

Big Something lead singer Nick MacDaniels will never forget the day in 2017 when he heard that his best friend since kindergarten Paul Interdonato had died from an overdose. MacDaniels received the news the same day the six-piece outfit from North Carolina entered the studio to record their fifth album, The Otherside.

Interdonato and MacDaniels played in their first band together as kids and worked closely on the lyrics to Big Something’s songs since the band’s inception at Elon College in 2009. MacDaniels and Interdonato had already written most of the songs for The Otherside and MacDaniels worked through his grief by recording and playing live.

However, Interdonato’s death left MacDaniels devastated and after finishing the album, he struggled to bring himself to write again.

In 2019, the band ventured into the studio to record their next album Escape. Many of the songs were based on unfinished ideas that MacDaniels and Interdonato had worked on previously, but throughout the sessions, MacDaniels began to explore new collaborations and started to find his love for songwriting again.

Fast forward to 2023 and Big Something is back with their seventh studio album Headspace. The album gives testimony that not only has Big Something landed on their feet since the death of Interdonato, but they are also musically high-stepping as Headspace moves seamlessly through various genres, combines smart and heady lyrics, features great special guests (Andy Frasco, Josh Phillips and Justin Osborne) and the band lays down one of the best David Bowie covers you will ever hear (“Moonage Daydream”).

Throughout their career, Big Something has fused elements of rock ’n’ roll, funk, Americana, EDM, jazz, hip-hop, reggae and myriad other stylings in a completely original way. Their music is so varied at times it’s hard to believe that the same band makes all the songs in their catalog. It’s that diversity of styles that beget the name Big Something, a moniker that also alludes to the universe we live in with themes of outer space and science fiction deeply rooted in the band’s ethos.

On Headspace, the subject matter has shifted focus from outer space to inner space, taking on topics related to mental health. At the same time, their many musical influences are showcased front and center, combining dance hall grooves, with ‘90s-esque alternative rock, and even their first heavy metal banger.

Headspace is also significant as it marks the band’s last full-length release featuring the six original members. Since the beginning, MacDaniels has been joined by Casey Cranford on saxophone and EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument), Jesse Hensley on lead guitar, Josh Kagel on keyboards and trumpet, Doug Marshall on bass and Ben Vinograd on drums.

JamBase spoke to Nick MacDaniels from his home in Winston Salem, North Carolina about Headspace and the new changes for the band.

---

Tell me about the new members of Big Something.

Our new bass player is Matt Laird. He’s now our youngest member (26). We met him in the North Carolina music scene. One of his other projects had just ended and we were looking for a bass player and he was looking for a gig. He was actually the first person I called. He’s an incredibly talented and tasteful player and brings a great energy to the band. He does an amazing job honoring Doug’s parts but he can also take the improvisational moments to some really cool new places.

One of the other big changes coming to the band is our founding keyboard player and trumpet player Josh Kagel is retiring from tour to spend more time at home with his family as his daughter grows up. We’re gonna miss the hell out of him, he has been such a huge part of our sound and our group dynamic since the beginning, but we’re also really excited about the potential moving forward with Ross Bogan (Doom Flamingo) and Julian Sizemore (The Mantras) taking over on keys in 2024. We’re going to approach it as a team with both of them covering different parts of the tour. They have been training with Josh using his keyboards and keeping the exact same sounds that Josh has been developing for years so they’re doing a great job honoring the songs, while also opening some really cool new doors in the jams.

Let’s talk about Headspace. Wow, what an effort. There are so many great songs on the album put together in a very cohesive way. In classic Big Something fashion, they cover a wide spectrum of music. You took a new approach to recording with this record. Tell me about it.

Everything we’ve learned throughout our career culminated in Headspace. We got to do it in an incredible place in the middle of nowhere in Minnesota called Pachyderm Studios. Nirvana recorded In Utero there, Live recorded Throwing Copper there. We stayed up all night listening to records, we made dinner every night for one another. It was a great experience as a group with each other. I’ve never recorded a record like this before. It was a special moment in time.

Tell me about the track “Clouds” that features Andy Frasco. You guys are tight. Explain your relationship with him and the song.

That’s our guy. We love Andy & The UN. The first time we met him was in 2018. We had them come play with us at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater in Wilmington and then a year later we did an entire tour together with a wrestling theme, stand-up comedy and lots of musical collaboration. I’ll never forget The Royal Rumble Tour. Each band would dress up in full wrestling gear and interrupt each other’s set. It may have been the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. We got home from that tour a couple weeks before the pandemic shut everything down. It was completely surreal going from that amazing experience straight into quarantine.

We’ve been really close friends with Andy ever since. A couple months into the pandemic, we were able to hang out in person and that’s when we started writing “Clouds.”

“Clouds” is a classic-sounding Big Something tune, up-tempo, nice EWI drop from Casey. Frasco adds a nice surprise flavor. But then you re-recorded the song again for an acoustic version. What made you want to have two versions of the song on the album?

“Clouds” sort of became a three-way writing effort between Andy, Justin Osborne from SUSTO and myself. I started it with Andy and then Andy introduced me to Justin who helped us finish it. When Justin sang the song in his deeper voice it gave the song a completely different, more haunting sound. It reminded me of the Nirvana/Alice and Chains Unplugged sessions from the ‘90s. I think it’s kind of cool to hear the song both ways. The full band version with Andy is more upbeat like our live sound and it gives the lyrics a more blissful feel in contrast with the unplugged version which gives the lyrics a darker and more raw feel. I think it’s interesting how the context of the music can change the tone of the lyrics.

I would venture to guess that Big Something has played over 200 covers over the course of the life of the band. But you’ve never put a cover song on an album. Why did you choose David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream?”

We just love David Bowie. He is an artist that all six of us can agree on as a major influence. We love covering artists that are unique to themselves and he’s celebrated for being creative in his own truly original way. It’s such a great psychedelic song and we thought it would fit well with the themes on the album related to space, love and introspection. Outer space and the universe have always been themes for our music, but this album sort of shifts the focus to an inner space and “Moonage Daydream” kind of bridges both of those worlds.

“Amanda Lynn” is a show-stopper for you. You often play it as an encore. Why did you decide to re-record it for Headspace?

That was the first song Paul and I ever wrote together. After all these years the original recording was starting to feel a little dated. I think the new version does a couple things: first, it’s a nice way to pay tribute to Paul and show the progression of the band, and it also kind of brings everything full circle with this being the last album featuring our original lineup with Josh and Doug.

Let me ask about one more song. The opening track on the album, “The Mountain,” the lyrics seem to be pointing to achieving goals and dreams — getting to the top of the mountain and seeing the light — and then the song moves thematically to the idea that we’re all alone. It feels like a contradiction. What were you going for?

The lyrics to the bridge do introduce the thought of being alone, something I think a lot of people feel as they struggle with difficult things in life. I think those lyrics are kind of suggesting that no matter how close you are to someone, you’re ultimately on your own mountain and the way you live your life is up to you and no one else. The lyrics about eyes hitting the light are about being open to seeing things in a new way. To me, this song is kind of like the main thesis of the album – “coming up the mountain, I can see it all again.” Those were some of the last lyrics I have from Paul. I learned so much about writing lyrics from our time together and I love that we are still able to channel his spirit in the music.

How are you feeling going into 2024? You’ve got a new album, a new band, you’re playing bigger venues than you’ve ever played, it feels like something big is going to happen for Big Something in 2024.

I’m more excited and grateful than ever. I feel more confident than ever before both personally as a singer and songwriter and also more confident in the band as a group and with our music. I think we’re about to have the best shows and improvisational moments we’ve ever experienced and I’m just really grateful that it’s all happening the way it is after getting through some really difficult times.