We all have that special (and at the same time, not so special) convenience store in our lives, the one that becomes a second home despite its misgivings and misfortune; for us, it was the Tedeschi/Store 24 in Allston next to Twin Donuts, now living out its golden years as a watered-down 7-11, a mere shell of its former feral self. The Dirty Nil have such a spot too, and the Toronto alt-rock trio pay loving tribute to it in “Bye Bye Big Bear,” a noisy ode that dropped Friday (November 18) via Dine Alone Records. Together, they raise a microwaved meal and pour out a can of Faygo for Big Bear, the Ontario chain where the band truly learned how to live, laugh, and love.
“For five years we lived together at a house in downtown Hamilton,” The Big Nil declare. “For five years we were sustained by the Big Bear convenience store, located directly across the street. There we were nurtured with sparkling water, protein bars and cigarettes. There we witnessed an untold number of human dramas play out in the parking lot, ranging from the hilarious to the hopelessly sad. For five years it was our clubhouse, our pirate ship, our prison. So we say farewell, thank you for everything: Bye Bye Big Bear.”
We don’t think Big Bear is closing; it’s just that The Dirty Nil have moved on, like most of us are forced to do at some point in our lives. But it brings a damn tear to our eye just reading the testimonial, and we can even feel the old angry Tedeschi guy behind the counter yelling at us for buying a $1 can of Arizona with a $20 bill. Fire up “Bye Bye Big Bear,” the band’s first new music since last year’s Fuck Art album, and go hit up your local dystopian convenience store before it’s turned into a bank.
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