"The blues is a feeling. The blues reflects all those imperfections of the human soul. When nothing goes right you got the blues."

The Big Nose Attack: Paint It Blue(s)

The Big Nose Attack is an alternative blues / rock duo formed in Athens, Greece in spring 2011. In two years of life, the band has managed to make many appearances all over Greece and Europe having 2 full lenght albums in their trunk! Brothers 'Boogieman' (guitar/vocals) and 'Little Tonnie' (drums) were for years the core of the blues trio 'Down & Out', with whom they've learned the blues from the best as they have been the opening act for the likes of Gary Moore, Johnny Winter, the Sonics, Blue Oyster Cult, the Fuzztones, ZZ Top, and had played in prestigious festivals in Greece and abroad.

"Our philosophy is to change people’s mood for better. We like to write songs for the poor and the brokenhearted."

The Big Nose Attack nevertheless escapes from the classic stereotypes of blues and marries again with newer sounds. Inspired by the old (RL Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart) and more contemporary music (the Black Keys, the White Stripes, CW Stoneking, Seasick Steve) the band rocks out the most nasty and fuzzy alternative blues! Their new, sea inspired, album titled "Paint It Blue" just came out, so the band from Athens is sailing all over for a unique live.

Interview by Michael Limnios

What do you learn about yourself from the blues and what does the blues mean to you?

Boogieman: Blues is not just a music genre for me, it's a feeling. When you feel lonely you got the blues. When you love someone who doesn't love you back then you damn right got the blues! For me that's the story of my life.

Little Tonnie: The blues is a feeling. The blues reflects all those imperfections of the human soul. When nothing goes right you got the blues. When you’re thinking evil you got the blues. From the blues you can learn the depths of your soul.

How do you describe The Big Nose Attack sound and songbook? What characterize your music philosophy and what is the story behind the name of band?

Boogieman: Our backbone is the blues. We like to keep it simple and tight. Less is more! It's harder to perform live when you are a duo so we have to be creative and...heavily amplified!

Little Tonnie: A Polish guy came up with this name because of our big noses. We were touring there with another band we had back then. We thought it would be a funny album name. When we broke up the band, we thought it would be funny to name our new band ‘the Big Nose Attack’.

Our philosophy is to change people’s mood for better. We like to write songs for the poor and the brokenhearted.

"When you feel lonely you got the blues. When you love someone who doesn't love you back then you damn right got the blues!" (Photo: The Big Nose Attack & Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top)

Which meetings have been the most important experiences for you? What is the best advice ever given you?

Boogieman: I think touring with ZZ Top in the past was the best thing ever for me. As a musician I had the chance to meet my idols and talk about guitars and music with them. It's nice to meet someone who is so famous and still be interested in what you do. Best advice ever given was this: "Either you go big or you go home". We try to leave home as often as we can.

Little Tonnie: A few years ago we were the opening act for ZZ Top for some shows in southern Europe. Meeting the band and the road crew was a great experience. We saw for the first time how it really is to be a touring musician, behind the glamour of the stage. Not all people would be able to live their life this way, it takes endurance. For us it was something that came out naturally.

The best life advice ever given to us is: ‘do not borrow money’.

Are there any memories from Gary Moore, Johnny Winter, the Sonics, and ZZ Top which you’d like to share with us?

Boogieman: Yeah, there are so many memories that I could write a book. I feel blessed meeting these guys and sharing the stage with them. Pretty funny all of them also!

Little Tonnie: I can still recall Gary Moore coming out anxious in the side of the stage just before our show, asking: ‘Where are the chicks from your video?’ (We had a music video with two naked women playing the pool)

What do you miss most nowadays from the blues of past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

Boogieman: I kinda miss the fun and the party of the old school blues, like in the 50's! Back then the blues where tough and sexy. I don't know about the future blues though, I hope they will be around forever.

Little Tonnie: We miss the sincerity of the blues from the old days. I hope that this kind of music will manage to get more updated at some point and start to express young people again. I fear that music and arts in general will be controlled by big corporations and their brands if this is not already happening.

"Greece is a country suffered by many wars and political corruption that most of the people have their own story of poverty to tell. We also feel like we are slaves, in a contemporary way, to countries with superior economical sources than us." 

If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?

Boogieman: Bring Hendrix back from the dead! for sure.

Little Tonnie: I would hope that live music would be more attractive to audiences again, than the recorded stuff.

Successful live shows are very nourishing in an artist’s psychosynthesis.

Make an account of the case of the blues in Greece. What the difference between local and other European scenes?

Boogieman: Nothing more, nothing less. Great bands and players all over Europe. The blues nowadays don't have a country or color. If you feel them you can play them!

Little Tonnie: The biggest difference is that there’s no such thing as a ‘blues scene’ in Greece. Some bands here and there but nothing organized. No festivals, promoters or record labels familiar with this sound or something close to it.

What are the lines that connect the legacy of Blues from United States and UK to Greece?

Boogieman: The hard times I guess. War, poverty, crisis... women!

Little Tonnie: The first bluesmen that came out in the U.S. were poor people who felt the urge to translate the unfairness of their lives into songs. Greeks have many things in common. Greece is a country suffered by many wars and political corruption that most of the people have their own story of poverty to tell. We also feel like we are slaves, in a contemporary way, to countries with superior economical sources than us. We have to buy their goods and throw ours away because it is signed in some stupid contract. Most Greeks nowadays, especially the twenty to thirty-five year olds are unemployed.

What has made you laugh lately and what touched (emotionally) you from the local music circuits?

Boogieman: Hmm, nothing special I'm afraid.

Little Tonnie: Nothing fancy from the local music circuits lately!

"I kinda miss the fun and the party of the old school blues, like in the 50's! Back then the blues where tough and sexy."

Let’s take a trip with a time machine, so where and why would you really wanna go for a whole day..?

Boogieman: Well I got to see Hendrix live man! So here we are back in the 1969.

Little Tonnie: I would say Sunday, August 17th at White Lake, New York, to see the last day of Woodstock festival.

The Big Nose Attack - Home