It’s not often a band will get its name from an insult, but the Big S Band is an exception. Stan Hendrix of the Big S Band is forthcoming enough to let people know exactly where the band’s name comes from.

“Someone called me a “big a**” once, and since my name starts with an “S” we thought we’d go with that,” Hendrix said, “It’s stuck ever since.”

The Big S Band has played their Big S Show all over the Upstate’s Big S Stages for 10 years now. They will perform tonight at Chiefs Wings and Firewater during the restaurant’s bike night.

Hendrix said the shows are productions and not just a few guys playing music. According to Hendrix, the Big S Band incorporates a sound engineer and lighting to maximum effect on stage. The band’s mix of old and new rock with a dash of country should appeal to the Harley riders that will inevitably be at Chiefs tonight.

“We can change our set to accommodate almost any crowd or situation,” Hendrix said, “We always like playing for the bike crowds because they are always there to have a good time.”

The band is made up of Hendrix on guitar/vocals and harmonica, Ted Ethridge on guitar and vocals, Kevin Justus on drums and Mark Turner on bass. According to Hendrix, all the members are looking forward to the band’s performance tonight because of the random nature of Chiefs.

The last time the band performed there, Chiefs had its only fight to date. Hendrix remembers this fondly because instead of halting the show, the band simply stopped playing a Lynyrd Skynyrd song and started in with “Eye of the Tiger.”

“The crowd loved it,” Hendrix said, “It may have been a little risky at the time, but it totally deflated the situation; people just laughed and went on with their night.”

The Big S Band plays mostly cover tunes, ranging from Bo Diddley songs to “Fly Me Courageous” by Drivin’ N’ Cryin’. Hendrix said the band tries its best to mess with people’s expectations during sets. He said the band routinely plays the “Peanuts” cartoon theme song only to launch into “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin.

“The best time to throw the audience a curve ball is when they’re looking for what’s coming next in the set,” Hendrix said, “That’s one of my favorite things about performing live.”