Drenched in the dark mystique of South Portland, Maine, since their formation in 2006, psychedelic freak-folk outfit Big Blood emerges as an enigmatic force in the American underground music landscape. It's phenomenal to consider what this ethereal union of Colleen Kinsella and Caleb Mulkerin, partners in both life and creativitiy and former compatriots in the legendary Cerberus Shoal, have acheived within their kaledidoscopic realms of psychedelic folk and experimental rock.
As the cosmic symphony of Big Blood took shape, the duo found themselves thrust on an unexpected journey sparked by the arrival of their daughter, Quinnisa, a surprising addition to the ensemble who seamlessly integrated into the band's sonic tapestry, her ethereal presence first gracing the recordings in 2010 before blossoming into a full-fledged member. Now, she is a force of nature, sharing the vocal and songwriting dutues with her mother to a point where their differences are barely dicipherable.
Together, the three are a masteclass in keeping your projects in-house and close to your own chest. Songs are written and "they are always recording,' choosing to capture most in one or two takes to exploit the spontanetity. Caleb records, produces and labours over stringing a batch of songs together to make the album unified, while Colleen executes the art. The art studio and the recording studio is all in their home in Maine, South Portland. If the world was locked down tomorrow (as it was when they began work on their latest album - First Aid Kit), Big Blood would thrive.
They have self-released most of their recordings with unique handmade packaging, although starting with their 2010 album Dead Songs they have also distributed some albums through independent record labels, the latest of which - First Aid Kit - coming out via Brooklyn indies Ba Da Bing Records. Which quickly brings us up to speed in 2023 when we bestowed the latter upon our club members in August. The band has quickly become another beloved wild card addition to the club, most mystified by but strangely attracted to the enigmatic trio. It was a journey during which the boundaries of sound are stretched beyond listeners' expectations into a strange and cosmic allure where Big Blood's indelible mark on the ever-evolving landscape of independant music is by force of Caleb's madcap production and captivating and unorthodox harmoines betwen mother and daughter.
Bringing First Aid Kit to Australia was a task acheieved thanks only to the enthusiasm and passion from Ba Da Bing Records, Feeding Tube Records and Forced Exporsure. And of course, to Colleen and Caleb themselves (plus a special 'rare appearance' by Quinnisa), who stayed up late one Tuesday night to have a talk to us about all things Big Blood and making music with their offspring. In all honesty, it's more a casual chat and a meeting of musical minds, than a formal interview. So, settle in and immerse yourself in their world and an enjoyable exchange of ideas with these music enthusiasts. Enjoy!
Furthermore...
The album title - First Aid Kit - seemed to confuse down here in Australia, many thinking we were featuring an album from the Swedish folk duo of the same name. So, to clear up any ambiguity, we emailed them after our chat to ask what the title was all about....
"This one is easy... though a bit convoluted... First off, we hardly ever enter into a period of writing music with any specific concept of what we want the music to sound like.... however we had two scheduled live zoom concerts booked during the pandemic (quarantunes for Feeding Tube Records, and Virtual To Fest in London) that we had to prepare for, the three of us needed to get into gear and create some material that we all felt good about presenting.,,,, At the time the one page we all could get on as a family was "The Cure".... we are all huge fans and were leaning towards that type of sound.... This carried through to the recording process in which my goal was to kind of make something that sounded like a love letter to The Cure funneled through the Ronettes and Phil Spector .... so when naming the album... First Aid Kit seemed like a direct verbal nod to The Cure."
BIG BLOOD'S FIRST AID KIT OUT NOW VIA BA DA BING RECORDS