Published: July 11, 2009 10:15 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight July 2009 Edition
Camp Out
Camp Out
Get ready to be blown away by the melodious tunes of Maddy + Jackie of Camp Out. What makes this talented duo especially appealing is their ability to complement each other musically. With a sound that encompasses several musical genres, Camp Out has managed to create something magical and exciting that music lovers all around the world are loving. Check out a recent spotlight with the duo in this special spotlight.
Isaac: What was the best part of 2008 for you musically?
Camp Out: Well, let's see. We haven't really been a band that long, only about 10 months, so we weren't a band for much of 2008, haha. But, the best part would probably be just starting the band. Really getting together and saying, 'hey we have something here' and coming to terms with the fact that in order to really give music a shot we would have to put a lot of other things on hold. So there have been a lot of sacrifices but we really enjoyed making music, recording our demo in our garage and just playing for people and seeing their reactions.
Isaac: What do you feel was your biggest accomplishment for 2008?
Camp Out: Hmm, well I think we'd have to say starting our album. We were just so excited to record a full length CD and use nice equipment instead of what we had in our garage, haha. We were/are learning a lot about what we want our music to sound like and really opening up ourselves to new ways of writing, recording, and performing. We realized that we wanted to try something a little different from a standard 'band' and since we only have two people we knew we had to do something to get a fuller sound live. So we decided to use drum machines, loop stations, synths and do a little multi-tasking. It was very difficult at first, learning how to play two instruments at once (for Jackie) and really getting the loops to match the back beat of the drum machine (for Maddy). So basically, recording the album has been an awesome and important learning experience for us. We have changed so much from when we first started playing music.
Isaac: Describe the music scene.
Camp Out: Music is always changing and evolving but more so now than ever. There are so many new genres that the names we have for them often don't fit most bands or do them justice. There are also so many instances of completely different genres melding to form a new sound and it is making music today very interesting. That's a little bit of what we want to do. We want to kind of mix up the acoustic/folk singer-songwriter sound with some synth and dance beats, kind of try something new. But anyways, all the music out there is constantly inspiring us. We meet/hear so many amazing, amazing bands and we are just thankful to be a part of it.
Isaac: What has been the best venue to perform at and why?
Camp Out: Well we have played a lot of shows with really awesome bands but in terms of the venue, probably El Rio in San Francisco. Just because we love the atmosphere, it has a really local feel and the people are all so wonderful. We have played there a couple times and it just feels like a community when we're there, which is a hard thing to find in big city like San Francisco.
Isaac: Elaborate a little about whom were your biggest influences in the music industry and why?
Camp Out: We are inspired by so many bands/artists. All of our music collection is basically our influence. I think we'd say that we learn a little bit of something from every band, in some way. Our major influences would probably be Death Cab for Cutie, Mates of State... and The Blow too. Death Cab has such an amazingly complicated but simplistic style all at the same time, their music is just discreetly genius in every way. Mates of State's music is beautifully harmonic, and they have an amazing live set too, really inspiring. The Blow uses electronic sounds and beats in such a unique way. We love their sound.
Isaac: Let's talk about what you feel you will bring to the music industry?
Camp Out: Our goal is to just share our music with people, as corny as that sounds, we have all been in the situation where we are emotional, whether happy or sad, and there is music playing in the background. And that music becomes part of your life experience, part of your memories. We just hope that we can be that memory for someone at some time. We really want to bring something new, something unique, something that people can enjoy.
Isaac: If you had an opportunity to work with one artist or group, who would it be and why?
Camp Out: I think we would pick Anthony Raneri from Bayside. They are incredible musicians and we have been fans of their music for a long time. We love his voice and a male-female duet would be awesome! He's also very adorable! haha.
Isaac: How would you describe your music to others?
Camp Out: This is always our toughest question, haha. Maybe we just aren't good at describing music. Well, our songs start as acoustic songs that one of us writes on the guitar. Then we show it to the other person, get feedback, record a demo of it, with drums or use the drum machine. Then we add second guitars, keys, vocals, harmonies, etc. All of our songs are really different, but I guess it would be acoustic indie rock with a little bit of an electronic feel and lots of harmonies.
Isaac: What type of feedback have you received from fans about your music?
Camp Out: Everyone, friends, family, fans, have been so so supportive. People seem to genuinely enjoy our music, which is a good thing! haha. They also like our live set. So hopefully, we are doing some things right. Once someone told us our music reminded her of fresh baked bread on a Sunday morning. haha. That was really nice. We love hearing things like that, we were so flattered. Our fans are such sweet people.
Isaac: What can fans expect from you in the next five years?
Camp Out: Hopefully, a nationwide tour and another album! We really want to play every city that has been requested, our fans are everything to us.
Isaac: Time for some shout outs to your family, friends, and fans?
Camp Out: First we'd like to thank Shaw Waters, our producer, and friend. Without him, this upcoming record would not have been possible, we owe him so much. Also, to all our supportive family and friends, for putting up with the noise, the long hours, and our general absence from their lives lately. We love you all. And to our fans, thank you so much for letting us share our music with you and we hope we can meet each of you someday. We have met so many amazingly wonderful people through music!
