by Mike DaRoncoSince their start in 1995, Bigwig have delivered an aggressive dose of sarcasm to the East Coast shores of New Jersey. Under the influence of Rich Kids on LSD and Propagandhi -- minus the anarcho-politics -- members Tom Petta (vocals/guitar), John (bass), Josh (guitar), and Dan (drums) didn't waste any time with their initial releases. Coming to the attention of Fearless Records through Strung Out's Jim Cherry, the band appeared on a handful of compilations and two EPs before their first full-length, un Merry Melodies, was released in 1997 courtesy of Fearless. Two years and some heavy touring followed before the follow-up, Stay Asleep, came out on Kung Fu Records in 1999. The guys returned to Fearless for August 2001's An Invitation to Tragedy, a faster, heavier album mixed by Ryan Greene (Lagwagon, No Use for a Name). Numerous member changes (interim members Jeremy Hernandez and Max Béchard went on to form Near Miss together) and injuries plagued the band, causing little touring and a five-year gap between albums. With a permanent lineup finally in place -- Petta, Zak (bass), Jeff Powers (guitar), and Keith (drums) -- Bigwig released the muscular, and long overdue, Reclamation in February 2006.\r