Members of Minutemen, Wilco, Deerhoof and Tera Melos have come together to form the new group Big Walnuts Yonder. Minutemen bassist Mike Watt, Wilco guitarist Nels Cline, Deerhoof drummer Greg Saunier and Tera Melos multi-instrumentalist Nick Reinhart will release their self-titled debut album via Sargent House on May 5 featuring the lead single “Raise The Drawbridges?”
Big Walnuts Yonder first began to formulate back in 2008 when Watt and Reinhart were touring together with their bands in Japan. After deciding to bring in Cline – who Watt had previously collaborated with – and Saunier, it took years for the four musicians to coordinate recording.
Sessions finally occurred over three days in 2014 with former Pere Ubu bassist Tony Maimone engineering at his Brooklyn-based Studio G. A total of 10 songs were tracked live, mostly without overdubs, with vocal tracks recorded by Reinhart and Watt added several months later.
“It’s sick,” Cline said in a statement describing the project. “It has an extreme quality and kicks ass.”
Head here to pre-order Big Walnuts Yonder and stream the single “Raise The Drawbridges?” below:
Big Walnuts Yonder Tracklist
- All Against All
- Sponge Bath
- Flare Star Phantom
- I Got Marty Feldman Eyes
- Raise the Drawbridges?
- Ready to Pop!
- Forgot to Brush
- Rapid Driver Moon Inhaler
- Pud
- Heat Melter
