For 19 years, Thai rock band Big Ass has given Thailand some of its most iconic rock anthems, like Len Khong Soong and Kar Noi Som Kuan Tai (I'm bad ... I know). Writing, producing and having full autonomy on their own songs since their conception, they've been nominated and have won countless awards for their heavy melodic sound and motivational lyrics, growing a large and solid fan base.
So it was a huge shock to many when in 2012 frontman Ekarat "Dax" Wongchalard announced he was leaving the band for good. The rest of the band continued, welcoming the mysterious and solemn Daycha "Jeng" Konarlo into the family. Ever since, they have been taking baby steps to find a footing -- and so far, they've been doing pretty well.
Photos courtesy of Genie Records
On Feb 23, the band -- which now consists of frontman Daycha, Kajorndej "Kob" Promraksa (percussion and drums), Aphichart "Moo" Promraksa (guitar), Poonsak "Aof" Jatoorabun (guitar) and Phongpan "Oak" Polasit (bass) -- has finally released its first full album two years after the EP Dan Nay Ra Mit (Wonderland). Titled The Lion, the 11-track album is large in sound -- almost orchestral at points -- and consists of headbanging tracks as well as slow love ballads filled with Jeng's smooth, solid voice.
Life talked with Big Ass about the new album and its plans for the new line-up.
How did this album come together with Jeng now a part of the band?
Kajorndej: We started doing this album after our closing concert for the Dan Nay Ra Mit EP two years ago. We started talking, saying we're going to stop and not see one another for a month; then we'll come back and see what kind of music we're listening to and playing.
When we met one another, we took what was in everyone's hands and mixed it to go in a new direction. Since the first day, Daycha gave us songs that he wrote for us to listen to, and Phongpan did the same. In the past, the main songwriters in the band have been Poonsak and Apichart. At first we were surprised at what we were hearing, because it sounded new, and they are new stories we've never done before. But nothing works better than just trying it out. So we took the structures of the songs that we had -- no matter who wrote them -- and carefully built them up one by one. And in the end, we felt this album isn't like what we used to be. There's variety, and the process was more natural than with our previous albums.
Which song are you most proud of?
Poonsak: Actually, we're proud of every song. We put a lot of energy into all the melodies, compositions and lyrics. But I believe what makes this album fall into place is Cherd Sing Toh (Lion Dance), the first song on the album. It's a new type of Big Ass that has gone on a tangent -- but fans will still recognise our sound in it.
Moo: Personally I like the last song of the album, Kong Mai Pen Rai (It Should Be All Right). The origins are quite magical. This album has 11 songs, but we finished 10 songs and this last song we wrote inside Karma Studios. We left some time and space in order to write a song in there -- about what we're thinking or feeling at the moment. It's an acoustic song that's quite chilled-out, and there's other string instruments in there, so when you listen to it it's a perfect finish for the album.
Big Ass has quite a lot of ballads; it seems quite a contrast to your rocker image.
Poonsak: I think that if you're not a hardcore fan, people mostly are exposed to our hit songs -- and most of our hit songs are slow songs, love songs and heartbreak songs. But in reality, since the first album, we have rock songs that most people might not know. Because it's an album there has to be a variety. We want people to listen to it as a whole album -- so that's why we keep doing them [as opposed to releasing only singles].
Do you regret sometimes that most people only know your slow songs?
Kajorndej: Oh no, we love it. I see that when a rock band does a slow song, it's interesting. If we do things that conflict with who [supposedly] are, and people accept it, it's always interesting.
So where do you mostly get your inspiration from?
Kajorndej: In truth we've always walked down the path of Metallica. They play heavy metal. What we try to look at the most is their guitars -- dual guitars, and we use this point as our inspiration. The band members are almost 60 years old and they're still playing the Grammys. Not only do they inspire us to create music, but also to move the band forward and do constant work. They're our models.
Poonsak: We want to be like them, we absorb the things they do. For four of us it's really one band. But for Jeng it should be a different era.
Daycha: It would be the era of Korn, Slipknot and Linkin Park.
You haven't been together as long as Metallica but you've been rocking for 19 years. How do you guys do it?
Kajorndej: We grew up together, since we were in vocational school. Once we grew up working with one another, we became a family. Even though there have been some changes, it's no different from any other family -- there are arguments, there are conflicts, but we can still stay together.
Even though you've already found success, is it hard being an artist in Thailand?
Kajorndej: To decide to make music your main career, especially in this era, is a step above hard. We were lucky that our first album was a failure. Everyone's backs were against the wall, and if we didn't pursue music as a career, then we didn't know what to do. There was no choice. If we didn't walk forward, we wouldn't have anything to eat. That was our motivation, as we had only one thing left to do. And so we continued doing it.
Poonsak: Luckily for us, we never thought about money first. From the beginning of creating songs and signing the contract, we didn't even read how much we'd get. I think that if we thought of money as our main priority, we would have disbanded a long time ago ... We might be the last generation that came from a poor background.
You said that you're thinking about things bigger than money -- so what do you want listeners to get from your music?
Kajorndej: We're just a small band, and our songs probably won't have enough influence to change someone's life or change the world. But I personally believe music has influenced me and changed my life. Who says a three-minute song can't save someone's life? It was a song that saved my life at one point. And deep down, I want to pass on these inspirations to our listeners, to repay them. We wouldn't have lasted 19 years and still be here if it wasn't for our listeners. So Big Ass's songs, mostly, are positive -- they're motivational.
This album is quite focused on this. The first song, Cherd Sing Toh (Lion Dance), is about a small child who has to carry the head of a lion and climb to the very top of a pole to put on a show for the people underneath. But up there, people don't know how heavy the lion's head is, or how scared the boy is -- which isn't any different from people's lives today. But in the end you have to dance, you have to move forward. These lessons are in our songs, and if we have a chance, we'll communicate it. It might not help much, but hopefully it will.
After this album, what's next for Big Ass?
Kajorndej: We still have a lot to learn, and we have to inform both old and new fans that Big Ass is now like this. The fan base has changed, as well. Sometimes we don't even know who's going to watch our concerts. We're not able to guess anymore. I think it's a very fun time in Big Ass right now. It's very exciting, as we don't know what we'll face. We want to understand this period that we're in right now. I think it's important to know where we're at to be able to move forward correctly.
Check out what they're up to at http://facebook.com/BIGASSrockband.
