You don’t come across too many interviews of Big Phony but Steve Nguyen is helping change that and recently sat down to sit with the artist and talk about a few subjects. Just a warning, the video volume is on the softer side so you may need to turn this one up to here it properly. Big Phony is a soft spoken guy but seems to be very earnest and honest in his answers. A great interview and a big recommendation for all you BP fans out there.
Also check out the extended interview with ChannelAPA!
Full description after the break.
Big Phony was born and raised in New York City. Off stage Big Phony is simply known to his friends and family as Bobby. At an early age, Bobby began secretly practicing his older brother Eddys guitar in defiance of warnings that he would surely get his ass kicked if he so much as laid a finger on it. Because of Bobbys dedication to and success in surpassing his brothers skill level, his mother eventually transferred ownership of that guitar over to Bobby.
At the age of 14, with 2 older brothers away at college and grad school, Bobbys family relocated to Los Angeles, leaving him in New York City so he could attend the legendary School of Performing Arts and Music and Art, which has produced a long list of talent including Al Pacino, Adrian Brody, and Bela Fleck. Living alone at such an early age, Big Phony devoted his time to writing in his New York City apartment.
With strong religious conviction, Big Phony left for Boston to attend a Christian college to study to be a pastor. He quickly realized that this was not the path for him and returned his focus to his music. After college, he moved to Los Angeles to be closer with his family. It was in Los Angeles where Big Phony began his pursuit to be a singer-songwriter. He quickly built a devout fan base with his songs and performances. In early 2006 he returned to New York to build that same kind of following and has since been splitting his time between both cities crashing on couches and aerobeds.
Big Phony delivers honest lyrics and natural talent. Theres a fragile but controlled quality in his voice, which he attributes to thin apartment walls and easily disgruntled neighbors. Fans of Elliott Smith, Bright Eyes, and Death Cab For Cutie will instinctively gravitate towards Big Phonys sound. His latest album Kicking Punching Bags was recently released in January 2010.
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