Big Drill Car

by Michael Sutton The Huntington Beach, CA, band Big Drill Car blended pop, heavy metal, and punk years before Offspring and Green Day made it fashionable. Big Drill Car were unsung heroes of the Southern California punk scene, carving arena rock hooks as sharp as Cheap Tricks but with more ragged edges. Formed by Frank Daly (vocals), Mark Arnold (guitar), Bob Thomson (bass), and Danny Marcroft (drums), Big Drill Car released its debut LP, CD Type Thing, in 1989. The albums title actually varied with each format as an homage to Public Image Ltd.s mid-80s gimmick; for example, the cassette was called Tape Type Thing. Batch followed in 1991, but Big Drill Car couldnt find airplay outside of college radio and the commercial breakthrough of punk was still waiting to happen. After Big Drill Car disbanded, Daly and Arnold joined former Doughboys singer John Kastner and drummer Matt Taylor in All Systems Go! in 1998, recording a self-titled full-length that appeared a year later. All Systems Go! then opened for high-profile acts such as Pearl Jam, Cheap Trick, and Cracker, giving the group the mainstream recognition Big Drill Car never tasted.