As mentioned, desert rock collective Big Scenic Nowhere (members of Fu Manchu, Yawning Man, Mos Generator, and more) will release their sophomore album The Long Morrow in October (special guests TBA). They’re releasing one song a month leading up to the release, and we’re now premiering the latest single, “LeDu.” (The song title comes from being influenced by both Husker Du and Led Zeppelin.) It’s a heavy, chunky alt-rock anthem with just the right amount of desert rock psychedelia thrown in, and here’s what the band had to say about it:

Gary Arce:

“LeDu” was inspired by one of my favorite bands of all time Husker Du, and one of my favorite Led Zeppelin songs, “Achilles Last Stand.” I made up the riff and everyone joined in naturally, adding their own thing. One thing I really like about Big Scenic Nowhere is it’s a true collaboration of different styles and influences coming together without second thinking anything.

Tony Reed:

“LeDu” was named directly after we finished the jam that it’s constructed from. If I remember correctly, it was Gary who said “it sounds like Zeppelin and Husker Du.” As with all of the material on the Lavender Blues EP, this, and the rest of the album we are working on now, was taken from a series of live freeform jams we did in November 2019. This song was meticulously examined and reconstructed. Even going as far as to re-record drum parts in the choruses to bring the energy up. It’s a strange way to do things, but because we don’t live near each other it’s a necessary challenge. Personally, I enjoy it. It allows me to try and control strange forces of nature. While typing out the lyrics recently, they appear to be about how the world changes and the older you get, the more it seems that what is coming next will be a disaster. I figure all people grow older and then see the world this way. I am witnessing it happening to me now.

Bill Stinson:

This song formed quickly and the spirit and attitude is something that many of my favorite bands tap into regardless of the style of music. “LeDu” sounds determined and defiant but shows some reflection too.

Bob Balch:

When we jammed back in November 2019 we had tons of material to go through and fine tune. This song was one of those. Listening after the fact we had Bill come back in and play sections to go along with Tony’s new bass lines and vocals. It worked out great. Bill has a great feel and made the track flow. Tony’s editing, mixing and mastering helped a lot too. I did several takes but finally decided to keep the guitars in Drop A so that the last section gets heavy because most of the song is played in higher register. Gary is a rad guitar player and plants very unique seeds that we all get to add to to help the song grow. We all added to this one but Gary originated the main riff and vibe of the song.

Listen and watch a visualizer below…