Big Mother Gig was formed in 1991 by me, Richard Jankovich, and a few rebellious undergrads at Marquette in Milwaukee. For 4 years, we dreamed big – recording albums, gigging constantly around the Midwest (including an afternoon Summerfest set where we smashed a few guitars), rotating members in-and-out until finally imploding under the weight of impending adulthood. After our farewell show we played one final time at a label showcase and even though Dave Pirner dug it and Capitol Records expressed mild interest, we were done.
Years passed by, decades even. I made lots of different music in NYC and then in LA. Around 2013, I began to work on a book called “It was a Big Mother Gig.” I collected over 100 pages of notes from interviews with friends, scenesters and former bandmates. Never finished it but it was only a matter of time before the inevitable “what if?” We reunited in 2017 and celebrated by playing our first show in 21 years. Riding a high from the experience, I returned to LA and formed a new version of BMG including Albert Kurniawan on drums. Remember him, he’s important.
This version of BMG outlasted the original by 3 years with crazy highlights – tours with Black Joe Lewis, Luna, Soccer Mommy, Emily Wolfe and Gin Blossoms, write-ups on Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan and NPR, charting on Specialty Radio with spins on Sirius XM, cracking 1 Million Streams, even getting “The Underdog” on a TV show. I detailed my journey to sobriety on our 2021 LP Gusto. Shortly before our American tour supporting that record, and in the height of the COVID Delta Surge, the band shrunk from a 4-piece to a power duo – Richard and Albert. We did the tour and had a blast and decided to keep it simple moving forward. When we finished a new LP, it just didn’t seem like Big Mother Gig any more. And that’s ok – we had an amazing run that lasted a combined total of 11 years!
Albert and I are now called Long A and we hijacked the BMG socials. If you’re craving BMG nostalgia, you’ll find a photo archive below. But we sincerely hope you follow us on our journey as we start to release music next year. And who knows, maybe I’ll finally finish the book 🙂
Former members of Big Mother Gig (dates are approximate):
* Richard Jankovich (vocals, guitar) – 1991 to 1996, 2016 to 2023
* Rob Due (guitar) – 1991 to 1994
* Charles Watson (drums) – 1991 to 1995, 2019 show
* Jason Borkowicz (bass, vocals) – 1991 to 1995, 1996 final shows, 2019 show
* Riz Rashid (guitar, vocals) – 1994 to 1996, 2016 to 2017
* Joe Neumann (bass, vocal) – 1995
* Carson (?) (drums) – 1995 (brief)
* Brian Rutkowski (drums) – 1995 (brief)
* Brady Roehl (drums) – 1995 to 1996, 2016 to 2017
* Matt Deede (bass, vocals) – 1995 to 1996, 2016 to 2017
* Brian Janssen (guitar) – 2017
* Albert Kurniawan (drum, vocals) – 2017 to 2023
* Michael Datz (guitar, vocals) – 2017 to 2021
* Micah Lopez (bass, vocals) – 2017 to 2021