BigBeef.com
Title
Welcome to Big Beef Records
Description
Big Beef is an independent production & distribution company featuring an array of diverse, but consistently good and interesting audio & video creations. We are not interested in cashing in on the latest fads or trying to cultivate a hip image, but rather are dedicated to taking on the challenge of exposing music and arts lovers to new and breaking acts which defy singular genres or classifications. Surf, rock, folk, over or underground video. It dosn't matter as long as it's good. Our involvement in the music business is first and foremost dictated by our love of music (working in the music business, as opposed to the "business of music"), and that attention to content shows in the quality of the material that we work with.
Started as a bit of an in-joke by owner Andy Valeri in 1978 as a "label" to produce various audio works by him and his friends, Big Beef quickly became the production moniker for the large volume of film and video works produced by himself and his close friends. These works included numerous film and video creations (some of which are still available today in various forms, including in the underground video television series "The Eat More Carp Show" -see our Video section-), books of poetry, an assortment of music and experimental audio recordings, cable TV programs, both live and pre-produced, and much more. This organic growth of Big Beef as a creative production house finally reached the level of "professional business" in 1995, when it became a full-fledged, record keeping, paperwork filing, tax paying business (an event marked by the company's first compact disc release "The Action Poets vs. George The King Of Swing" by the stellar Dayton all-acoustic "folk" rockers The Pure Plastic Tree.
People involved in these endeavors throughout the years include acclaimed filmmaker Steven Bognar (whose documentary "Personal Belongings" has gone on to garner tremendous accolades from around the world, including at it's premeire at the '96 Sundance Film Festival). Steve has gone on to produce a number of other quality films and videos, including the highly-acclaimed film "The Dream Catcher", as well as another Sundance featured work "Picture Day". Also involved was another close friend, David Hughes, whose business and creative involvement with Big Beef continues to this day. The label has also added to it's roster of participants such great talents as John Shough, producer/engineer at Dayton's famous Cro-Magnon Studios, and even Dayton TV legend and host of the cult movie series "Shock Theatre", Dr. Creep!
