7Q’s With Campbell the Band

After some time off, Campbell the Band is back on the grid, releasing a new EP at The Watershed on Friday, May 14th.Â We’ll have a review of the EP up early next week!

First of all, welcome back to the music scene. Where have you been?

We disassembled for a while to go our separate paths. During this time Grant
traveled to different studios on the east coast (including Electric Lady
in NY) to learn sound engineering. Now we are back together and with
Crowded Records have formed a self contained unit.

The Bear With Us EP is a step in a different direction for Campbell.
Describe the new sound compared to the old sound. Campbell 1.0 vs. Campbell 2.0.

Bear With Us is a compilation of mostly live recordings. While in search for a new drummer we figured it would be nice to share the acoustic material we had been creating. Â Our live sound has changed enormously! With an additional member and a new drummer, and much more influence from sonically dynamic music…it’s a lot more Sigur Ros-ish in vibe. Don’t misunderstand us though–they are on a whole different level, they are heaven.

The first time we saw you was in ’05 with Sherwood and Waking Ashland and
you had a huge, enthusiastic crowd and an amazing energy in your
performance. Give us an idea of what to expect at The Watershed on Friday.
Will the set include new and old songs? Will you be bringing the penny whistle?

Haha! No penny whistle this time. The songs we will be playing were never heard live until three weeks ago in Jacksonville and Lakeland, FL. None of them are even on the EP. All SURPRISES…

What are your plans for the full-length album and when can we expect to hear it?

We are all taking a month off our lives in January to travel into glorious solitude away from home. We hope to finish the whole thing then. We just don’t like the thought of recording intermittently. The album needs to be one thought. One sound. So we wait. And unfortunately, so must everyone else. We love you.

What else does the summer/fall/winter of 20TEN hold for Campbell?

This summer is going to be our jump start. Festivals in June and a mini-tour starting in late July. The fall is going to be our time to write like crazy. We won’t be traveling any further than the southeast area during that time…then studio, and then tour again.

What’s the best thing about Charlotte’s music scene and what’s one thing that could use some improvement?

When you walk into a show in Charlotte it’s almost guaranteed you are going to see someone you know. It’s tight knit. But then again, people don’t go to the show unless they know who is
playing. No one walks the streets looking for music. That’s the downside.

Any other random thoughts you’d like to share with us and all your fans?

We are back for good. This is what we want. We love being together.
Thanks. Love you.

Be sure to check out Campbell the Band this Friday at The Watershed in Lexington, SC. Opening the show will be Alys Denney.

Doors at 8pm – $5