Interviews (257)

• August 4, 2026
• Colleen Johnson
• 13
• 0

(photo credit: Mark Stern)

As we slowly inch towards more club shows versus big outdoor shows, and the return to everyone and their mom being on tour,  the fall is about to ignite. And one of those bands that will be making their touring return in just under a month are the forever Allston legends, Big D and the Kids Table. The band released their first album in five years this past June, The Good Ole American Saturday Night (June 12th via SideOne Dummy), and recently announced a slew of dates that will take place spaced out over two months. Their tour will kick off with a slew of East Coast dates on August 27th, and then a short run in Mexico in October, which will be followed by another run of US dates. And the finale, at least, of this run? Two “A Nightmare Before Halloween” shows with direct support from The Pietasters in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and, of course, this year’s rendition of their annual Halloween shows at Paradise Rock Club in Boston as the finale. 

I got the chance to chat with founding frontman of the band, Dave McWane, a little while back, prior to the album release, for an in-depth look at the work behind the album. McWane talked about reuniting with two former producers for this one, Joe Gittleman and Matt Appleton, their time in Vermont, as well as being very particular about what he wanted this album to say. And of course, much more. You can find our chat below and find all their upcoming dates/tickets here!

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New England Sounds: Obviously, a lot is going on right now. You just announced your first album in five years. How do you feel about that announcement being out there? And obviously, how has the energy been around the songs?  

Dave McWane: Well, the first thing I’ve got to say is it was really four years. We just had to wait till we put it out. So I just wanted to shave off a year, technically. Technically, we were ready to go, guns blazing, in pretty early 2025. It’s just so people know, when it came to bringing out the record, it just had to be 2026, but it was ready. So, we’re extra excited because we had to wait. 

NES: So it’s an album that you had finished, ready to go, since like early 2025. Then I know you had been playing a lot of Boston one-offs, like the O’Brien shows not too long ago, the Sinclair, the Halloween shows, you were still doing those. But have you been playing some of the new songs, like will they be familiar with some tracks already,  besides “Whiplash”? 

Dave: We haven’t played them live. We only did two live for the video shoots. So no, when we  come out (on tour) this year, it will be the first time playing them live. 

NES: Maybe how has it been to be sitting on this much material, considering how long you’ve been doing Big D?

Dave: It’s been tough (laughs), it’s been tough. Like I saw Alex, the drummer, the other day, we went to Gorilla Biscuits/Murphy’s Law and Circle Jerks the other day, and we were talking about it. We were like, Jesus. It’s just tough. This might sound weird, but now that it’s 2026, I’m happy it’s coming out this year, rather than last year. I’m not even sure why, but it just seems to feel that way. Well, I do like the fact that it’s going to be a summer record. And I think with everything going on in the world right now, it’s so crazy, it’s always nice to provide some people a nice, fun summer record. To chill out with, you know what I mean? 

NES: And maybe speaking of that, Love More is kind of the message. And you kind of talked about that before. Obviously, we’re in a really weird world right now, a lot’s happening. 

Dave: Just with the world being the way it is, and the president being the way he is, like on this record, I wasn’t even going to come close to doing any kind of song having to do with that person because I very, very much love our band, and I love our songs, and I don’t want him touching it. I don’t want his grease stain. I can’t have him touching it. And the Dropkick Murphys are doing a great job. Nobody needs Big D to write a song. If the people come to us and say, “We need you to do it,” then we’ll do it. But “Try Out  Your Voice,”  “Hell on Earth,”  all the other songs, “Static.”  We have “ It’s Raining Zombies on Wall Street,” I mean, we’ve said it. And I kind of have a joke, which has to do with love more, I’m like maybe it’s me. Maybe I’m making the world worse. Basically, what I’m joking about is that I’ve decided to change my approach. I have to change something, so if I can’t get the message through that way, we’re going to try and do it the organic gardening way and just remind people to care more, don’t fight fire with fire. Be a good person, and we’re just taking that route this time. Because we have to change it up. 

NES: Then speaking of it a little bit, I know you connected with two producers on this record, who worked with you in very different eras of Big D, I would say. With Strictly Rude and obviously your last record. Maybe, being Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Reel Big Fish, how was it to kind of reconnect with these two producers in the same room, who you worked with in very different periods? 

Dave: It was kind of like a cosmic meeting. Both people wanted to, because they wanted to be able to be part of the ska scene, the music in it, and be a part of it. Literally, everyone wanted to just be together and do it. One of the craziest things about Joe (Gittleman, of Mighty Mighty Bosstones)  is that when I asked him, and he said yes, I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t think he was going to say yes. I said at one point, “How do we compensate you? How much do you want?” (laughs), “What do you want in return?” And he said, “Nothing. I just want to produce the record, and let’s say somewhere down the road, I have a Joe Gittleman song that needs some demoing? Like, would Big D help with demo-ing?” And we were like, of course, it would be an honor. But it was like a music trade, and I’m very in that wheelhouse. That vibe, and it was the coolest thing in music, I think ever happened. Yeah, a music trade. And he was there all the time. Like we stayed at Matt’s studio, The Station, in Vermont. It has a little bunk-house, and Joe didn’t cut any corners. He was there all the time; he was there before the band. He was there, you know what I mean? We had a huge experience for Strictly Rude and Fluent In Stroll together, but I even think this time it was more. So, it was just a dream. I mean, as a Boston Bosstones fan and Joe Gittleman fan, it’s a dream. 

And then Matt (Appleton, of Reel Big Fish), of course, was like, “Are we doing a new record?” and we were like, “Yes!” He was there too. The people caring about the record were having a lot of fun, and it was just a very good organic music situation that every musician and every fan hopes is going on. We had fun. 

NES: Yeah! And I’m sure you’ve built lasting friendships, of course. You’ve all been doing these bands for so many years; it must be wild to even think about. 

Dave: It is, it is weird. Whenever Joe talks to me, I always think about looking at the cover of More Noise and Other Disturbances from the Bosstones. And you know, before the Internet, you didn’t always know exactly who everybody looked like. So I always thought Joe Gittleman was the singer of the Bosstones for like ever. I’d go to shows, and my poor eyesight, I still would be like, I don’t know what’s going on right. And so, there are a lot of funny things like that. It’s fun being his friend. 

NES: Then speaking to it, I believe you’re still based in the Boston area. Is that still true? 

Dave: Yeah, that’s where we do things, but we’re scattered, like Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, some of us in Boston. But everybody knows, if you ever have rented in Boston, we’d be there if they didn’t kick us, well, we got kicked out of Boston. And I’ve gotten to the point where I want more bonfires than traffic sounds. 

NES: Then maybe I know when you started this band, you were at Berklee School of Music in Boston, but you still make it important to play those Halloween shows, you still play these really special O’Brien’s shows that sold really quickly. Maybe the importance of keeping these roots in Boston, I know you’re a little bit out of the city now. 

Dave: Well, two things about that. One, Big D really does like the smaller shows. The shows that we go to, a lot of us are music experience lovers. Of course, we go to huge shows that are at stadiums, at least me personally, but a lot of us, really all of us, are part of the underground music scene. People who are part of that know that sometimes it’s hard for us to go to a show if the person’s really far away. We just personally love that environment, so we try to get back in it. I’ll just keep reiterating, the bigger the show, the smaller it is of an experience. So we try to make sure that we have small shows, and I was joking one time, I was like, guys, I think Boston gets the worst shows from us. And they were like, “Why?” And I was like, because sometimes we play these cool, smaller places, and it will be like sometimes we’re just playing big clubs that weren’t getting some intimate shows that other places were. So we made it a point. Everything stopped, it’s not about playing a big venue, it’s just music and fun. And O’Brien’s, I think, specifically like you were saying, I think something changed with that place. Like real estate and stuff, so we wanted to quickly get in there one more time, like with CBGB’s when they were closing. We just wanted to go there, smell it (laughs), feel the sticky floor. 

NES: That’s like when Great Scott first closed, early on in 2020, and people would literally just sit outside on the patio. It was like, at least I’m here, having an outdoor beer on the porch. 

Dave: Yeah, like one last go. 

NES: Then speaking of playing O’Brien’s and Great Scott, were there any clubs that really kind of stood out for you in the early days? Like big memories for you or an early place that doesn’t exist anymore? 

Dave: I would say L’X. I believe in Montreal, L’X, and it’s where we shot “The Difference” video. That place was really, really cool. And from what I can remember, it’s been closed forever. It still isn’t something new, what a waste. But The Rat was really fun. The Boston Rat was really fun. One, because of where it was located. It was like so in the heart of Boston, so you could walk around, and it was near the BU area. You were close enough to Newbury Street that you could walk there, you were close enough to Allston that you could walk there, so it was just a really great location. And what was always funny about that place is that there was, like, literally barely anyone in charge. As a band, you would open the door, and it would be empty. The soundperson wouldn’t be there until, like, way later. It always felt like your clubhouse. Usually, you would go into a venue and see someone and say, “Hey, we’re here”. That just wouldn’t occur. The bar would be doing the bar, and they just left the club door unlocked for the band. So that was just really funny, because it felt like your place. 

NES: And then a lot is going on, you probably can’t share too much about the album. As cheesy as it may seem, maybe hopes or focuses for this year, as you finally get to unleash this album that you’ve been sitting on? 

Dave: Hopes for the album? Yeah, I really hope people like it because, I mean, obviously, we really, really like it. And it has a couple of things. I think it has the grit of older Big D. It has the spasticness of older Big D, but then it has some grooves that would be found on Strictly Rude. And then I would add, there’s an element of (laughs), I don’t want this to sound scary, but newer Big D. There’s just like two pockets, like two drum pockets, that we hadn’t played in before. And so we were like, let’s write a song in this groove, so it’s still Big D, it’s just a new groove for us to play in. And I think we killed it. And those two songs, I can tell you the titles, I think it’s a null point nowadays. “Rocker’s Way” is one of those songs, and the other song is called “Opportunity.” And those two songs, we love them because it reminds us of some inspirations that we have. And it’s a new groove.  

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10/24: Big D and The Kids Table with The Pietasters at Paradise Rock Club

Limited tickets can be found here!