Biography
Once Louisville, Kentucky's trailblazing post-hardcore punk outfit Squirrel Bait called it quits, frontman Peter Searcy assembled the gentler, more conventional Big Wheel. That earlier group had channeled the aggressive punk-pop energy of Hüsker Dü and the Replacements, while Searcy's singing often evoked Paul Westerberg. In Big Wheel the singer's style evolved along lines similar to those taken by Westerberg and Bob Mould, incorporating ringing collegiate rock alongside introspective songwriting in the vein of early Elton John and James Taylor. Searcy launched the project alongside guitarist Glenn Taylor, his primary songwriting partner, soon after Squirrel Bait ended. At the time Taylor was performing in a local cover band alongside bassist Mike Braden and drummer Scott Lankford, both of whom came aboard Big Wheel. A demo secured a contract with Giant/Rockville, resulting in the 1989 release of the debut album East End, whose material largely anticipated the adult-alternative format that surfaced a few years afterward. Contractual disputes stranded the band in legal uncertainty for an extended period, yet they eventually transferred to Mammoth. During the recording of the follow-up, Lankford exited and was succeeded by Tom Tompkins. Issued in 1992, Holiday Manor presented a sleeker, more radio-friendly sheen yet never secured airplay on alternative stations. Slowtown arrived in 1993 and earned the strongest reviews of the group's catalog by recasting Searcy's Squirrel Bait-era intensity as a reflective, atmospheric collection of grown-up pop tunes. Still lacking broader commercial traction, the album prompted Braden's departure; his successor, Dave Ernst, created friction within the ranks, and Big Wheel dissolved before the close of 1993. Searcy and Tompkins promptly started Starbilly, which produced a single album in 1995. Searcy later relocated to Atlanta and returned in 2000 with the solo release Could You Please and Thank You.
Albums
