Big Search

If there was a rainbow-bridge/time warp between the Los Angeles of the 1970's and the present day, Matt Popieluch's band Big Search would be it's resident players, carrying the banner of Harry Nilsson and Lyndsey Buckingham into the 21st century. Once known as the singer of Foreign Born, and former part-time guitarist in bands Fool's Gold, Glasser, Papercuts and most recently Taken By Trees, Popieluch is now releasing his music under the Big Search name. The Big Search band is more like a secret society than a band - a scrappy incarnation of an Elk's Lodge club with members stretching far and wide. Each instrumentalist temporarily abandoning their posts at various jobs or homes to join Popieluch in playing his new songs. He is known to have an exhausting, but rewarding turnover rate. The band membership varies according to Popieluch's location. If his preferred four or five piece band is not available, he appears by himself or in a duo. Sometimes, in Scandinavia, he plays with Scandinavians as they are quick learners and know the terrain. That being said, he has yet to play with Canadians in Canada (but remains open to it). Since the demise of Foreign Born in late 2010, Big Search has released a collection of home recordings on Secretly Canadian's St. Ives label called Lay of the Land, Middle Man/Getting Warm 7" on White Iris Records and the Distant Shore 7" on Lefse Records. In the meantime, Big Search has toured the US with Vetiver, Taken By Trees and Jens Lekman, while continuing to work on a steady stream of new songs to play for the unsuspecting. While Popieluch does take certain musical advice from the past, he maintains his gaze on an intuitive horizon, following the course as it is revealed to him. Big Search plays transformative, journeying music and is intended to be raw, unhidden and up for interpretation. He does not like to bury his recordings or performances in effects, preferring to rely on the strength of the song and it's delivery, imperfections included.