Big Wheel January 2006 / Free / :30 / 76M / Big Wheel Magazine, PO Box 520, Van Nyus, CA 91401 /Â
This is another of the area-specific scene zines, like those that can be found in any major city. However, this zine has a lot more in the way of material than any of the other scene zines, having features on The Briggs, The Briefs, Dead Kennedys, and Three Bad Jacks right out of the gate. Sure, there are some advertisements present, but they tend to match well with the focus of the magazine. As evidenced by the collection of bands in this issue, there is decidedly a punk focus to Big Wheel. The layout is without much in the way of frills but the one thing that cannot be challenged is its ability to convey information to the readers. The full-sized nature of this magazine means that it is actually a good resource for all the shows that are coming into town as well as the latest bands out on the scene. The fact that Big Wheel can even throw in a poster (The Bronx) is a further fact that there are individuals that are working on this magazine that genuinely give a shit about their audience and will ensure that this zine will be hard-hitting and interesting for months, if not years to come. There is little to complain about with this zine, as it does the job of a Maximumrocknroll without quite as many ads or annoying rants from individuals that don’t honestly give a shit about the gigs that they have been given. Further kudos goes to Big Wheel for the sharp reproduction of pictures in this, a newsprint magazine.
Rating: 6.8/10