The Big Takeover

“Led by the powerhouse, Jamaican-born singer and songwriter NeeNee Rushie, The Big Takeover’s horn-powered global blend reveals deep fluency in reggae and world music, hints of soul and Motown, and their own infectious brand of pop classicism.”
-John Burdick

Since 2007, the New York six-piece The Big Takeover has been fulfilling the mission implied in their name: packing clubs in the city and upstate and building their brand and reputation on the road and in the studio. A far cry from the pop-punk of American ska, The Big Takeover take their cues from Desmond Dekker and the first wave of Jamaican pop music as well as from the soulful energy and sophistication of Motown. At the center of this tight, grooving ensemble is the live-wire singing and deceptively subtle songwriting of the Jamaican-born NeeNee Rushie, a powerhouse performer who makes the audience feel like accomplices more than spectators. Traditional and experimental, The Big Takeover’s global blend reveals deep fluency in reggae and world music, hints of soul, and a pop classicism that is their own thing entirely. In New York’s musically hopping Mid-Hudson Valley, they are only the band around that is welcomed and honored at all the major national-circuit rooms: the indie/experimental haven of BSP in Kingston, the jazz and blues gem that is the Falcon in Marlboro, the classic rock mecca of the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock. The Big Takeover packs them all. On the road, the band has played over 500 shows, sharing stages with The Original Wailers, Jefferson Starship, Eek-a-Mouse, the Slackers and more. The band was recently selected to participate in a Converse Rubber Tracks Session in Brooklyn NY, and released their fourth full-length record, ‘Silly Girl’ at the beginning of 2017- to critical acclaim. A national tour to celebrate its release is in the works.