Fight the Big Bull is a

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

based improvisatory ensemble with two 2010 recordings selected for NPR's best of the year lists. The band was founded in the mid-2000s (decade) by guitarist

Matthew E. White Matthew E. White (born August 14, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and arranger. He has worked as a collaborator, producer, and arranger for acts including Bedouine, Natalie Prass, Cocoon, Foxygen, Justin Vernon, Hiss Golden Me ...

, one of the organizers of the Patchwork Collective, an arts group dedicated to creating a vital local music scene. The original configuration- called simply Fight the Bull- was a trio with drummer Pinson Chanselle and trombonist Bryan Hooten. The group was subsequently expanded to eight players (or nine, with the occasional addition of ex-

Agents of Good Roots Agents of Good Roots is an American rock band from Richmond, Virginia. The group formed in 1995 and toured heavily on college campuses in the middle of the decade. They independently released two records before signing to RCA Records, after whic ...

percussionist Brian Jones.) The band has collaborated with Chicago saxophonist Ken Vandermark and NYC-based slide trumpeter and composer Steven Bernstein (the latter captured on the 2010 recording "''All is Gladness in the Kingdom''"). They also collaborated with alternative folk singer

David Karsten Daniels David Karsten Daniels is an American singer-songwriter with an affinity for "slow-creeping songs that, once at full power, are like nothing else". His recordings are typically combinations of many styles of music sitting underneath lyrics that e ...

, with White providing arrangement to his critically well-received 2010 Thoreau project "''I Mean to Live Here Still''." A performance with Daniels at the NYC club ''

La Poisson Rouge LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'' was reviewed by the New York Times. In 2011 White formed

Spacebomb Records Spacebomb Records is an independent record label based in Richmond, Virginia, co-founded by Matthew E. White in 2012. The label has released notable albums by Matthew E. White, Natalie Prass, and Bedouine. The label's first release, White's own ' ...

, featuring members of Fight the Big Bull backing musicians including Washington-based indie folk-rocker Karl Blau and NYC jazz

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...

ist Jason Stein. The label's first release, Matthew E. White's
Big Inner
received international critical acclaim, including positive reviews in the NY Times and selection as "Artist of the Month" by Rolling Stone. White and Fight the Big Bull also provided the music for Duke University's 2011 tribute to Alan Lomax's "Sound of the South" field recordings in a concert featuring the band backing Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, Sharon Van Etten and members of

Megafaun Megafaun is an American psychedelic folk band based in Durham, North Carolina.Mongillo, Peter (2010) "Megafaun relaxes into headlining slot", '' Austin American-Statesman'', April 27, 2010, p. D02 History Brothers Brad Cook (bass, guitar) and Phi ...

Members

– Guitar *Cameron Ralston – Bass *Pinson Chanselle – Drums *Bryan Hooten – Trombone *Reggie Pace – Trombone *John Lilley – Saxophone *Jason Scott – Saxophone *Bob Miller – Trumpet *Brian Jones – Percussion

References

{{Authority control Musical groups from Virginia Clean Feed Records artists