About
The premiere musical release of Okanagan Valley, BC based rock band Giant's Head is now available for digital download on over 150 websites worldwide!
Eight original songs ©2017 by Gord Osland and Steve Hegyi, SOCAN;
featuring the stunning guitar artistry of Steve Hegyi and the rock solid drumming and scintillating vocals of Gord Osland.
Album produced, arranged, recorded and mixed by Stu Goldberg;
mastered by Brad Vance of Red Mastering, California.
Press
From Winnipeg Free Press, March 8, 2018
POP / ROCK
Giant’s Head
Giant’s Head (Independent)
Former Winnipeggers Steve Hegyi and Gord Osland — best known as mainstays of local acts such as Mood Jga Jga, LesQ, Kilowatt and Graham Shaw and the Sincere Serenaders (among many others) — may be white-haired vets of the rock ‘n’ roll wars but their new musical project is certainly no nostalgia act.
Now based in Penticton, B.C., the old friends and bandmates began jamming and writing tunes in Osland’s basement a couple years back. Encouraged by their new sound (which Osland calls "classic nouveau"), they hooked up with area resident Stu Goldberg, who just happens to be an accomplished keyboardist, producer and composer for film and television (his huge list of credits includes projects as diverse as Mahavishnu Orchestra, Wayne Shorter and The Amazing Race).
The resultant eight-song EP is the real deal, full of rollicking rock tunes that soar with Hegyi’s expressive guitar work (the man’s bluesy licks and fiery solos are a treat) and roll with Osland’s swinging drum groove, while producer Goldberg’s keys and synths add depth and colour. As genuinely musical as this album is, the biggest surprise, and much of the record’s charm, comes from Osland’s lead vocals. Sure, he’s no Robert Plant, but his lived-in, rocker’s yelp is full of character and grit. The lyrics themselves are heartfelt expressions of a life well-lived; regretful, wistful, knowing and hopeful (always hopeful) all at once.
If this piques your interest, find out more at giantsheadmusic.com.
★★★½ out of five
Stream these: Wanna Go Rockin’, Little Pity City, Too Late to Stop Now
— John Kendle
From Kelowna Daily Courier, December 16, 2017
Steve Hegyi
Steve Hegyi plays all guitars in Giant's Head.
Steve started his musical career in Regina, Saskatchewan at the age of nine in 1961. For the next eight years he learned his chops on the guitar and ended up hitchhiking to Winnipeg Manitoba, during the height of Guess Who mania. There he played with many well known bands such as Zdenka with Bob Fuhr and LesQ with ex Guess Who members Greg Leskiw and Bill Wallace. Later the LesQ group would get signed to Dallcourt Records and renamed KILOWATT. After two albums, the band broke up. Shortly after that time Steve began to work in the bourgeoning Canadian Film industry as a SPFX artist.
Gord Osland
Gord Osland plays drums and sings all vocals in Giant's Head.
Born 10 months after Armistice Day, Gord was raised in Victoria, BC. His first musical experience was at 12 playing drums in the Sea Cadet Marching Band, with Dad, Les in swing bands and singing in church choir with sister and Mom. A complete washout in school, socially and academically, music was Gord’s only saving grace.
In 1964, the family moved to Churchill, Manitoba and rather than being the worst thing that could happen, it was the best. That year, the Beatles kicked the doors off our culture and Gord put swing music on hold. It was time to rock; especially when he found out girls liked guys in bands. “I had arrived” boasts Gord.
A move to Winnipeg in 1967 brought Gord into the exploding rock music scene there and played with many bands: Musical Odyssey, Wild Rice and Maclean and Maclean. Led by ex-Guess Who’s Greg Leskiw, keyboardist, Hermann Frühm and Bill Merritt on bass, Gord joined the all-original, cool-groovin’ Mood Jga Jga and recorded its iconic album in New York in 1972 with legendary producer, Phil Ramone. Hermann plays on our EP on "I Don’t Care".
A brief stint in Burton Cummings’ solo project was followed by Rick Neufeld and Prairie Dog, Fabulous George and the Zodiacs, Be Bop Beluga, Rocki Rolletti and Juno Award winning, Graham Shaw and the Sincere Serenaders with hit tune, "Can I Come Near".
First call studio drummer now, Gord recorded with francophone darlings, Folle Avoine, sparkling yacht rock, Elias Shritt and Bell and Zdenka, Bobby and the Bears featuring saxman Danny Pelfrey and began an extensive TV, record and touring career with family performer, Fred Penner, with a dozen albums and 2 Junos. This was followed by 2 splendidly funny and inventive children’s albums by Al Simmons and another Juno award.
Gord met and played with Steve Hegyi in hard rockin’ Kilowatt in 1985 with Leskiw and Streetheart alumni, Spider Sinnaeve on bass.
Coincidentally, Gord began working with Children’s Festivals across Canada as an Artistic Director and consultant. In 2002, Osland moved to Penticton and founded and ran the Rotary Okanagan International Children’s Festival for 10 years, building it into a signature event for the Okanagan Valley. 10-15,000 children, parents and teachers would attend over a 3 day run in June every year, experiencing great performing arts from around the world. Gord retired from his real job in 2012.
Giants Head is a dream come true, evolving with Steve out of Gord’s basement in Penticton where he lives with his partner, Dianne, their kitty Daisy and Ringo their All-Starr German Shepherd.
Full circle: writing, playing and singing new tunes for you.
Stu Goldberg
Giant's Head producer, arranger, recording, mixing engineer and recording studio owner Stu Goldberg plays keyboards and percussion on the album.
Born in Malden, Massachusetts; raised in Seattle, Washington; after 10+ years of worldwide concert tours and recordings Goldberg worked 20+ years in the Hollywood studio trenches as a Film/TV composer.
He moved to the Okanagan Valley, BC in 2004, where he continues to score films and TV episodes as well as produce, arrange, record and mix international recording artists in his studio.
Goldberg has a diverse, award winning career writing scores for projects as varied as CBS TV’s hit series,
10 time Emmy winning “The Amazing Race”, “Rescue 911”,
hundreds of hours of episodic television as well as scores to over 50 films.
As keyboardist and composer, Goldberg toured and recorded worldwide with the legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra,
John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, Jack Bruce, Freddie Hubbard and Wayne Shorter among many other luminaries.
As a solo concert artist, Goldberg has performed internationally and released ten LPs and four CDs on his own label, Dedication Records.
Stu Goldberg on the web: www.stugoldberg.com
Giant's Head
