In 2012, Idiot Grins made Quarry. East Bay Express inexplicably referred to the band as, “zydeco-rockish” and said the album was “charming but torpid.”

The Idiot Grins’ newest album is entitled Big Man, and it represents a bit of a departure from their first album. “I’ve always loved R&B and soul, especially the music of the great Stax Records from Memphis – artists like Sam and Dave, Booker T and the MG’s, and of course Otis Redding,” Randy explains (guitarist). Of course, you can’t recreate the Memphis sound of the ’60’s without horns. The band was fortunate to enlist the services of Johnny Bamont, sax player for the 80’s super-group Huey Lewis and the News, and Mic Gillette, trumpet player for the legendary East Bay R&B band Tower of Power. Their horns add just the right touch of authenticity to the band’s original compositions.

Randy and the band have also spent a lifetime admiring the work of the legendary Gram Parsons, considered the father of country rock. Big Man also explores this genre, employing the incomparable pedal steel playing of Bay Area legend Joe Goldmark on several tracks.

You may stream the album via SoundCloud and follow the band on Facebook.

“Poppy Piss” by Idiot Grins