Bigelf’s Damon Fox on Diversity, Technology and Pop Stars Christina Aguilera and Alicia Keys
"If people ever wonder or think, 'Man, music sucks now!' Well, that's all part of the catastrophe of it, the ripple effect from one thing to another. I think technology in some ways has ruined music in general." Strong words from Bigelf front man Damon Fox regarding the current state of the music business. Bigelf is a band best described as a mix of classic rock with some glam and progressive peppering for good measure. "I'm not against digital recording at all," Fox says defiantly. "The Beatles would be using ProTools – hopefully, they'd be abusing it and pushing it. The problem is, all the applications and programs have made everyone robotic. There is an air of convenience over quality. Let's just say, laziness over hard work."
Bigelf are a workhorse band, not afraid of expression or pushing the boundaries of what is considered "acceptable" in rock. Says Fox, "The sounds in Bigelf are much more diverse. There's a strong Beatles fluctuation happening and that lends itself to more experimentation. There's a progressive side and that brings in auxiliary sounds as well."
This diverse mix of sounds has opened many musical doors for both Bigelf and Fox. Not afraid of fans or labels, Fox has enjoyed working with some of music's biggest names, including Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera. Fox first worked with Aguilera on a benefit for Darfur. "I guess I don't know if I'm evolved, I'm numb to it or I just don't care... but when you're in the same room with Christina Aguilera and she's singing – and you're musical – you recognize she can sing," Fox says enthusiastically. "I don't discriminate against her abilities – just because she's a pop artist. She's phenomenal. Alicia Keys in the same. I worked on a couple tracks on her last album. She kept saying, 'What do you do, what does your band sound like?' So I eventually gave her the 'Hex' album, not thinking she'd have anything to say about it. But she said she liked it in O, The Oprah Magazine. I was surprised when I posted the article on our website people were really more accepting of it than I thought."
While Bigelf might not be a household name - yet - Fox is pretty grounded: "In the end, I'm just about the rock n' roll. As long as people want to breathe rock n' roll, I'll be there."