Big Jerks

Big Jerks started as a band playing the New Wave club circuit in Los Angeles in the early 80s. While the band had fun, that scene quickly grew tiresome, and despite some legendary gigs, the band turned to studio projects, experimenting with a new concept: rock improv. The jerks expanded musically to include many styles of jazz, rock, folk, comedy, world, avant garde, obscure genres. On top of that, Brian Sisson and lead guitarist Karl Grossman were experimenting with improv vocals over the new music, while trying to make the results come out sounding like real songs. This proved to be a challenge, and only hundreds of hours of experimenting and pushing the creative envelope sufficed to bring the total improv concept under control. Luckily for the Big Jerks, the musicians were up to the task at hand. Karl Grossman is a locally famous musical chameleon and visionary guitarist, adding trumpet and occasional keyboards. Original bassist Peter Carreiro is a fine bass player who studies music from around the world. Peter is replaced in the nineties by Tony Alvarez, one of the finest bass players in the LA area. Brian Sisson is a guitarist/vocalist with a deep creative drive. Mark Baertschi is the drummer who plays in an orchestral fashion and listens deep. Together they lock into solid, multi-layered grooves and float vocals on top. They have honed improv rock to a fine edge. Entering Barking Dog StudioGet Your Own! | View SlideshowGet Your Own! | View Slideshow