Big House

The six members of Big House – guitarist/vocalist Monty Byrom, his brother drummer Tanner Byrom, guitarists David Neuhauser and Chuck Seaton, harmonica player and percussionist Sonny California, and bassist Ron Mitchell – all grew up in Bakersfield playing music. Though they all played with each other in different lineups at one time or another, the "Big House sound" wasn't born until New Year's Eve 1994-95.

"By a fluke, we put this combination together," Monty Byrom told POLLSTAR. "We did this show at a little club called the Skylark Inn in Oildale and it was one of those magical things. At the end of the night, we all went, 'My God.' … I think it was the most fun any of us had ever had just grooving."

Not only did these six musicians click, they were Bakersfield's cream of the crop, according to Byrom. So the decision to book more gigs with this lineup was a no-brainer. They began calling clubs and coffee shops "begging for a gig," Byrom said.

"We started playing every Wednesday in Los Angeles at this little coffee house called the Hot House. We did that for about eight months and it just got to be a thing. Like on Wednesday night, you never knew who was gonna show up. And all of the sudden, record companies are coming down and publishers are coming down and agents are coming down in this little place that holds like 50 people. So sometimes we'd have 100 people waiting outside and 50 people in the club. It got pretty crazy."

While Big House was making a name for itself on the West Coast, doors were slamming in the band's face on the Third Coast. The guys tried to play Nashville, but nobody would listen. "Nobody would return any phone calls," Byrom said, "I think because we were outsiders. They just didn't really want to hear what we had to say."

Byrom was content to turn back to good ol' Bakersfield. "It's a really proud town and they're spoiled with great music," he said. "And you build a following and you make a living at it. That breeds good music." Still, his longtime writing partner, David Neuhauser, kept saying, "We gotta get a tape to [MCA Nashville President] Tony Brown." But comparing the current Nashville sound to Big House's blues-edged style of country music, Byrom said, "Man, Tony ain't gonna get it." Fortunately, he was wrong.

Big House borrowed the money to make a record and when the demo made it to Brown's desk, he got it alright. In fact, he didn't want to change a thing. "But that's the kind of guy he is," Byrom said. "This is the guy that discovered Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett and Vince Gill. He can be a very stern guy but he can also be a very gentle man when it comes to the music. He's got a lot of sensitivity to what somebody's doing and he doesn't try to change [that]." The songs Big House recorded for its independent record are the very same recordings that made it onto the band's self-titled MCA Nashville debut.

With its newfound Nashville connection, Big House is experiencing success on a much higher level. Even before the record came out, thousands of fans were packing venues to see the band. Byrom said, for example, Big House sold-out the 1,400-capacity Saddle Rack in San Jose recently. "We've never played San Jose. We showed up, got a cheap little hotel, parked the bus in the parking lot and [all those] people paid to see Big House," he said. "A year ago, we were playing little tiny clubs and coffeehouses around Bakersfield and L.A. and if we sold 50 tickets, man, we were booming." He said to sell out a big club in a market the band's never played, "that's blowing my mind."

Byrom doesn't have a solid answer as to how Big House has gotten so far so fast. Maybe it's because the band's sound is different from contemporary country music. Maybe it's radio's latching on to the debut single "Cold Outside." Or perhaps it's the touring regimen William Morris has the band on.

Agent Bernie Driscoll has had Big House on the road with just about everyone this year, Byrom said. "We went out and we opened for Wynonna and Dwight Yoakam and Travis Tritt and Marty Stuart and Patty Loveless and Merle Haggard, and I'm leaving a lot of people out. So we had the opportunity to get out there and make fans before the record came out. And even more so, we had the opportunity to really learn from our peers."

Getting the opportunity to play on the same stage as huge country stars is quite a hoot for Big House. But the be all and end all has been the praise from Bakersfield neighbor Buck Owens. The country music legend has taken the band under his wing. "To be validated by Buck Owens was probably one of the highlights of my life," Byrom said. "Buck Owens has been one of the biggest inspirations for this band in the last year – not just because he was one of our favorite singers and songwriters, but just because of the kind of guy he is. He goes out of his way. And he's always been that way." Byrom said when Big House plays Owens' Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, the famous owner is usually in the front row rockin' out.

Big House hopped in its tour bus in May to hit the road for several months. "We're very, very fortunate that we can actually get to go do shows where we get to headline already," Byrom said. "We can go out and make a living doing that right now off our first single. And I'm sure by the time [our second single] 'You Ain't Lonely Yet' is kicked into gear, maybe some of these promoters will pay us more than five bucks a night," he chuckled.

Byrom's longtime friend Robbie Randall shares Big House's management duties with Nashville-based manager Al Bunetta.