Big Talk: A Killer Takes The Lead

What do you do when your multi-platinum, Grammy-award winning band goes on an extended hiatus? In the case of Ronnie Vannucci, drummer for The Killers, and frontman for the band Big Talk, the answer is simple: just make some music! “I just thought I’d throw something together,” the quiet, unassuming drummer states. “I knew we’d do something eventually, but I wanted to do my own thing for a little bit.”

Solo projects can often highlight the strengths that individual members bring to the collective whole; last year, lead singer Brandon Flowers released Flamingo, which highlighted his talents as a songwriter, though setting his songs to arrangements that were decidedly mellower and a bit more melancholic than the Killers’ joyfully loud, frantically exciting style.

When comparing solo records, “I don’t necessarily think that’s the case. I mean, you’ll find some of the Killers’ style on his record, and on mine as well—and you’ll find things on both our records that aren’t necessarily like what we do together. And that’s good, you know—allows for us to explore new things. He wanted to go in a direction that as a band, we might not do over the course of a full-length. Will it have an impact? Not for me to say, really—we’ll know when we start working together later this year.”

With Big Talk, Vannucci has carried on those more familiar elements. “In The Killers, we all write the songs,” he states. “So when I wrote these songs, I was calling on the things I know how to do, and since we were on a break, taking my hand and making them into full-fledged songs—that was my responsibility. It wasn’t always as easy as I’d expected it to be,” he laughs. “But I have learned a new perspective, and that’s definitely a plus.”

“I’m looking forward to getting out, playing shows, and being the leader of my own thing for a little while. Brandon has said he’s enjoyed his solo experience; I think stepping out of my main gig for a little while will prove helpful for what we in the Killers will do next. It gives us a fresh perspective we might not have had in our respective roles. But most of all, I am just looking forward to going out and having a good time.”