This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
When rock band The Killers went on hiatus in January 2010, the band had toured nonstop for six years. The friends said they just needed some time off.
The drummer, Ronnie Vannucci, could have headed straight to his Park City home and hibernated, taking out his snowboard every once in a while.
Instead, Vannucci followed the lead of singer Brandon Flowers (who released "Flamingo" in September) by working on his own side project named Big Talk, and will release an album on Tuesday.
"I got used to playing all the time and being busy, and when that stops, it's tough," Vannucci said in an interview. "I was feeling creative and I said, 'What the hell?' "
He knew he'd face inevitable questions: "Nobody wants to hear that the drummer wants to sing," Vannucci said. "We already have Dave Grohl."
Vannucci, 35, recruited a friend he had known back in the Las Vegas club scene in the late 1990s, Taylor Milne, to join him on recording the album. They had been in a short-lived band called Expert on October. That was before the Killers formed and became one of the hottest bands in the world, selling more than 18 million albums.
"Throughout everything, we've been good friends," said Milne, who plays lead guitar in the band while Vannucci sings, plays guitar and some bass, plays the keyboards and, of course, drums. "There were no expectations or promises when he called me. We wanted it to be as stress-free as possible."
While the majority of the recording was done in Las Vegas, Milne, like Vannucci, has Utah connections. His father was raised in Heber City, and his mother was raised in Wayne County. The family has a vacation home in southwest Utah's Pine Valley. Most notable might be the 66 refurbished campsites in Kane County's Duck Creek thanks to Milne — that was his Eagle Scout service project.
Together, Vannucci and Milne wanted to ensure the writing and recording process was relaxed. "Touring is hard," Vannucci said. "We were going 100 miles per hour for nine years straight." He quickly added that playing music is still the best job in the world.
Former Weezer bassist Matt Sharp also played on the record, which was mixed by Alan Moulder, one of the most sought-out producers in the world, having worked with Depeche Mode, Erasure, My Bloody Valentine, Nine Inch Nails, The Smashing Pumpkins and The Killers.
The result is an appealing rock record, not as synth-influenced as the sound of The Killers but definitely sporting many of the same inspirations.
As of now, the band has a brief three-date tour planned in California in late July, and the touring band includes Salt Lake City native Tyson Henrie on bass. The band hopes to tour more in August and November; the other months, The Killers have regrouped and are writing together for the next album. "Any time [The Killers] aren't working, Big Talk will be working," Milne said.
Side projects come and go, but now that the first album is done, Milne and Vannucci are talking about a second. "He loves playing guitar and you can either sing or you can't," Milne said. "Ronnie can. Big Talk is not a passing thing. We're having too good a time together."
So, it ended up that Vannucci didn't spent too much time lounging around his Park City home the past year and a half. When he wasn't working on Big Talk's album, he found even more time on his hands, so he ended up re-enrolling at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and finished a degree he had begun long before The Killers. When it comes to being active, Vannucci walks the walk and talks the Big Talk.
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Talk this way
Big Talk's self-titled debut album will be available in stores and online Tuesday, July 19.