Big Ass
Encyclopedia
Big Ass is a Thai
rock
band. It was originally a pop rock
band but the music moved toward hardcore punk
in some of the band's recent works. Big Ass latest release is Love, their sixth album.
. Their fourth album Seven (signifying seven years in the music scene) was very successful in terms of awards and popularity. The album was recognized by both major music awards in Thailand: Season Awards, and Fat Awards
(See Awards section below). Popularity-wise, they were also voted the most popular artist by fellow artists in Fat Awards #3 and nominated for the most popular group in 4th Channel[V] Thailand Music Video Awards. Their fifth full album was Begins with hit songs such as Kha Noi Somkhuan Tai and Prom Li-Kit.
Besides their studio albums, Big Ass has a song in the special album Wan Fa Mai (วันฟ้าใหม่) celebrating New Year released around the end of 2005. The song Rao (เรา) in the album was performed by Big Ass together with Bodyslam
.
In 2008, an original soundtrack for Thai movie Pid Term Yai Hua Jai Wawun
(ปิดเทอมใหญ่ หัวใจว้าวุ่น, also known as Hormones) featured Big Ass. The band also appeared in the movie as themselves playing the song Kon Tai (ก่อนตาย) in a pub.
Dax: Actually when we were students we used so many different names to book studio time that the owner would get confused if we were the same band. So we wanted to find a unique name to represent our band. When we looked around, the first thing that caught our attention was an ass. It seemed firm and sturdy just like rock music, the music we like. And we didn’t want just a normal ass, so we named the band Big Ass.
The Thai
names and nicknames are given in parentheses.
Note: In early albums, the bass guitarist of the band was Ekarat Rattanapinta (เอกรัตน์ รัตนปิณฑะ; Ton, ต้น).
testing in March, Fai and Justin did not give theirs until early May. On 10 May 2006 police announced that the result was negative. A retest performed by Khunying Pornthip Rojanasunand
drew the same conclusion. Even through he is not the child's father, the trial for the underage sex offense remained. The trial began on 13 February 2007 and the court decision was announced on 21 March 2007. He received two years of a suspended sentence
and must produce two anti-drug songs as pledged by the singer in exchange for a light sentence.
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band. It was originally a pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
band but the music moved toward hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
in some of the band's recent works. Big Ass latest release is Love, their sixth album.
History
Big Ass released their first album Not Bad in 1997 with music label Music Bugs. Their second and third album, XL and My World followed in 2000 and 2003. Big Ass won numerous awards for their work but attracted a rather limited group of audience during their first three albums. It left the old music label, Music Bugs, to join Genie Records label of GMM GrammyGMM Grammy
GMM Grammy Public Company Limited is the largest media conglomerate entertainment company in Thailand. It claims a 70% share of the Thai entertainment industry. Artists on Grammy include Bird McIntyre and Loso...
. Their fourth album Seven (signifying seven years in the music scene) was very successful in terms of awards and popularity. The album was recognized by both major music awards in Thailand: Season Awards, and Fat Awards
(See Awards section below). Popularity-wise, they were also voted the most popular artist by fellow artists in Fat Awards #3 and nominated for the most popular group in 4th Channel
Besides their studio albums, Big Ass has a song in the special album Wan Fa Mai (วันฟ้าใหม่) celebrating New Year released around the end of 2005. The song Rao (เรา) in the album was performed by Big Ass together with Bodyslam
Bodyslam (band)
Bodyslam is a Thai rock band. The band is best known by the unique voice of the leading vocal, Athiwara Khongmalai, and the band's live performance. As of 2010, Bodyslam has released five albums, the latest one is Kraam.-History:...
.
In 2008, an original soundtrack for Thai movie Pid Term Yai Hua Jai Wawun
Hormones (2008 film)
Hormones is a 2008 Thai romantic comedy film directed by Songyos Sugmakanan. The literal meaning of the Thai title is 'restless hearts during school break' or 'school break, hearts aflutter'.-Plot:...
(ปิดเทอมใหญ่ หัวใจว้าวุ่น, also known as Hormones) featured Big Ass. The band also appeared in the movie as themselves playing the song Kon Tai (ก่อนตาย) in a pub.
Origins of the name
Student Weekly: The name of your band is a bit naughty. How did you come up with the name Big Ass?Dax: Actually when we were students we used so many different names to book studio time that the owner would get confused if we were the same band. So we wanted to find a unique name to represent our band. When we looked around, the first thing that caught our attention was an ass. It seemed firm and sturdy just like rock music, the music we like. And we didn’t want just a normal ass, so we named the band Big Ass.
Members
Thai alphabet
Thai script , is used to write the Thai language and other, minority, languages in Thailand. It has forty-four consonants , fifteen vowel symbols that combine into at least twenty-eight vowel forms, and four tone marks ....
names and nicknames are given in parentheses.
- Ekarat Wongcharat, alternatively Ekkarat Wongchalard (เอกรัตน์ วงศ์ฉลาด; Dax or Dag, แด็ก): lead vocals
- Poonsak Jaturaboon (พูนศักดิ์ จตุระบุล; Off, อ็อฟ): guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals - Apichart Promraksa (อภิชาติ พรมรักษา; Moo, หมู): guitar, backing vocals
- Pongpan Pollasit (พงษ์พันธ์ พลสิทธิ์; Oak, โอ๊ก): bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Kachorndej Promraksa (ขจรเดช พรมรักษา; Kob, กบ): percussion
Note: In early albums, the bass guitarist of the band was Ekarat Rattanapinta (เอกรัตน์ รัตนปิณฑะ; Ton, ต้น).
Discography
- Not Bad (1997)
- XL (2000)
- My World (2003)
- Seven (July 2004)
- Begins (November 2006)
- Love (12 December 2008)
Awards
- Best new artist for album Not Bad, 10th Season Awards (สีสัน อะวอร์ดส์), 1998
- Best rock duo or band, best rock album for My World, and best rock song Che Wit Lang Khwam Tai (ชีวิตหลังความตาย), 16th Season Awards, March 2004
- Duo or group artist of the year for My World, Fat Awards #2, April 2004
- Best rock group and best rock album for Seven, 17th Season Awards, March 2005
- Song of the year for Len Khong Soong, and most popular artist voted by other artists, Fat Awards #3, April 2005
- Best rock group, best rock album for Begins, and best rock song for Begins, 19th Season Awards, March 2007
In the news
Ekarat Wongcharat, the leading vocal of Big Ass, made the headlines when a 17 year old men's magazine model nicknamed "Fai" appeared with her baby "Justin" and claimed that Wongcharat was the baby's father on February 2006. Allegedly they had sex when Fai was 16 years old, meaning that Wongcharat would be a child sex offender if the accusation was true. Wongcharat was subsequently arrested and released on bail on 27 February. While Wongcharat gave his blood sample for DNADNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
testing in March, Fai and Justin did not give theirs until early May. On 10 May 2006 police announced that the result was negative. A retest performed by Khunying Pornthip Rojanasunand
Pornthip Rojanasunand
Khunying Pornthip Rojanasunand, also spelled Porntip Rojanasunan, M.D. is a Thai forensic pathologist, author, human rights activist, and cancer survivor....
drew the same conclusion. Even through he is not the child's father, the trial for the underage sex offense remained. The trial began on 13 February 2007 and the court decision was announced on 21 March 2007. He received two years of a suspended sentence
Suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation...
and must produce two anti-drug songs as pledged by the singer in exchange for a light sentence.