Story by Art Howard
Crappy photography in Part One by Art Howard
Good photography in Part Two by Beth Benedict

  

 
  "We think of the people who come to the shows as brothers and sisters. It might sound naive or dumb, but its true," says Andy Miller, bassist for Minneapolis' The Big Wu. The Big Wu's number of brothers and sisters is growing at an amazing rate; If the band's "family" were literal rather than metaphorical, the band might be spending millions on Christmas gifts by now. Miller counts Seattle, Boston, Atlanta and most recently New York as cities that have turned out in force to support the band. In many of these cities The Big Wu has made the jump from sold-out bars to headlining 1,000+ theaters in just a couple of visits.
 
 


Al Oikari

   Its all a heady trip for the modest Midwestern boys from the Twin Cities. Like fellow Minnesotans Husker Du, The Replacements and Soul Asylum, they have ridden a wave of cult popularity out of the snow banks of Minnesota to national prominence. Shows with Phil Lesh and String Cheese Incident are in the works, and their Family Reunion festival is drawing around 7,000 fans these days.

Voyager caught up with Big Wu members Chris Castino (lead vocal/guitar) and Andy Miller (bass) at two different points in their campaign to conquer Atlanta. The first interview with Castino is after the band has played their very first two shows in the city; the crowds are significant from the outset. The second interview with Miller is nearly a year later, after the band has firmly taken Atlanta in hand and is preparing to play the Turniptown Music Festival in Ellijay, Georgia.
 
 

PART ONE
 

VOYAGER: Is this the first time in Atlanta for you guys?

CASTINO: First time south of Washington, D.C. We've been to the Southwest before, but as far as the Southeast -- lovin' it, lovin' it.

VOYAGER: Is the reaction different in the Southeast as opposed to the Southwest or Northeast?
         
  CASTINO: Yeah, they hate us here (laughs)!

VOYAGER: I could tell!

CASTINO: Tonight was one of the funner (sic) nights we've had on this tour. The folks down here have been really nice, and tonight they've been extremely nice. Atlanta has been cool to us. We played the Cotton Club last night, and that was their last show at the (Peachtree Street) location, so that was pretty cool that we got to close that out.		  


Terry VanDeWalker on his copper tubs.

  
     
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