Asmahan Karam is a content writer and disc jockey for KCPR. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang Media Group.
I love to sleep and dream my days away, collecting my favorite moments to recycle when I awake. It can be difficult to replicate these moments of imagination, so I search for earthly matters to fill the space; this is where music comes in.
Big Sierra’s music places me in a dreamscape, the same way I thought only sleep could. The group’s layered sounds transcend through me as I float and relive the fondest and most familiar memories.
Kristopher Elizondo, the singer-songwriter of Big Sierra, always knew that music was his way of connecting to the world and a big part of who he was, especially within his family.
Every beginning starts with a hook, sometimes placed by the people we grew up with. Elizondo’s father would often find his son with his face in front of the big screen, watching the glowing images that were projected from MTV.
Elizondo was especially captivated by Coldplay’s “Speed of Sound,” which his father took notice of, buying Elizondo his first CD. The subtle, yet impactful moment signified the start of a lifelong pursuit.
Elizondo’s passion took form in many different ways: memorizing the entire tracklist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “By the Way,” faking illness to skip football practice and practice guitar instead.
But Big Sierra didn’t take shape until the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a halt. With Elizondo’s plans derailed, he set out to leave Humboldt and start fresh in San Luis Obispo. There, the music naturally flowed, and the group’s sound evolved into what would become Big Sierra.
“As soon as the name was there, it kind of informed the rest of the sound. Just those two words for me, helped me to see where everything else was supposed to go at that point,” Elizondo said.
Big Sierra is committed to composing melodic guitar-driven songs with soaring falsetto vocals. When creating such music, a melody is the first click in the songwriting process, before the lyrics even come into existence.
For instance, band favorite “Floating Out,” came to Elizondo in the shower, becoming a fully fleshed-out track in only 24 hours.
Elizondo always knew his music was meant to be played with a full band, and when the vision finally became reality, he knew the product was something he would also want to share with the world.
PIN IT
PIN ITStanding in front of a stage and playing music to strangers can be daunting, but for Big Sierra, music was its own language — one that revealed the road to success.
To Big Sierra, excellence is an ongoing effort and can’t be reached if goals become more important than experience. With this in mind, the group hopes to one day take the stage at the Shabang Music and Arts Festival.
Today, Big Sierra competes against four other bands — Tiny Plastic Everything, Skipping Breakfast, Avalynn and Toad — on the Fremont Theatre stage for a chance to perform at the 11th annual Shabang weekend.
As he anticipates the performance, Elizondo urges artists everywhere to, “Never compare yourself to other musicians who’ve made it when you still aren’t there. Enjoy the moment in between all of that to create music you love.”
This year marks the third Battle of the Bands event coordinated by Shabang and Free the Youth, with the first set beginning at 8:05 p.m.
