Camp Howard Interviewtion
Camp Howard is an indie psych-rock band from Richmond, VA. They just released their outstanding self-titled debut album. It contains ten tracks that are filled to the brim with catchy hooks and amazing musicianship. In this interview they talk about recording the album, being a band in Richmond, and choosing a name for the group.
Q: I’m honestly blown away by how well produced the album is, so what was your process for recording it?
A: We recorded it at an analog studio called the Virginia Moonwalker with Russell Lacy. Bryan Walthall mixed the album at Stereo Image Productions, and Allen Bergendahl mastered the album.
Q: A lot of your songs have really interesting instrumental interludes and the arrangements throughout the album are amazing, so do you write your songs collaboratively? Or is there one person that does the majority of the arranging?
A: The songs are arranged collectively. Usually one of us comes in with a rough idea for a song and we all write different parts around it. Some little things on the record we wrote in the studio while we were tracking.
Q: One of the things I love about the album is how varied the songs themselves are. Who and what are some of your biggest influences musically?
A: It wasn't necessarily our intention to have the songs be as varied as they are but that's just how it turned out. Probably the most basic main influences on this album were The Beatles and Nirvana.
Q: The musicianship on the album is incredible, so what are your various musical backgrounds? How long have you all been playing together?
A: Two of us are in Jazz school at VCU. Three of us started playing music together in early high school, but as a band we've been writing and playing for about a year.
Q: From watching the few videos you have on your Youtube page it seems like being tight live is important to you. While you were recording did you have it in mind for these songs to be playable live with your current lineup (ex: not a lot of overdubbing)? In what ways do you think studying jazz has helped you carry these songs over to a live setting?
A: I think we played all of the songs live at shows before we went into the studio to record them. Also we were recording to an 8 track tape machine so we were limited to what we could overdub if anything. I think studying jazz has made Matt and Brian tighter and more knowledgable musicians.
Q: Since you’ve put out the album what has it been like hearing the reactions people have had to it?
A: The album has received some good feedback in Richmond which is nice. It's always good to hear praise for something you put effort into. Its reassuring to hear that people are enjoying the music, but at the same time we value our own opinions.
Q: Nic released an album in 2014 called, Too Many Days Ahead with some instrumentation done by current Camp Howard members. How do you feel that Camp Howard’s current incarnation has worked off the ideas established on that album?
A: I don't think Camp Howard as an album worked off of Too Many Days Ahead much at all. The process of writing and recording the two was almost entirely different. Too Many Days Ahead was really just a little experiment. Most of those songs I've forgotten how to even play.
Q: Where does the name Camp Howard come from and what made you decide it was a fitting name for this project?
A: The name comes from a place we went to last summer. It's a small cabin by a river near West Virginia. The guy who owns the property's name is Howard, and he calls it Camp Howard as a bit of a joke. I'm not sure it ever was or ever will be fitting for the band or album, but I don't think it has to be. It's a name that we didn't hate so we stuck with it. I think with any band name people eventually become accustomed to associating the name with the music and vice versa.
Q: What has it been like working with Citrus City Records, Crystal Pistol Records, and Bad Grrrl Records to release the album? How did you get connected with all of them?
A: It's been cool working with those labels. They're all basically just friends helping us out, and they're all really nice. We met them all playing and going to shows in Richmond.
Q: What is the music scene like in Richmond?
A: The music scene is great in Richmond! Tons of really great bands in all shapes and sizes. We've made a lot of good friends through music in Richmond. Everyone's very supportive of each other as well which is cool.
Q: How did you decide on the cover for the album? Did you have a plan for its creation in mind or is it a photo you saw and decided to go with?
A: We debated the album cover for a good bit and couldn't decide on anything until we talked about this one photo that our boy Henry Archer took. He takes a lot of our pictures as well as pictures for other bands/labels. It was one album cover that we all thought could work, so we rolled with it.
Q: Do you have any plans for the future of Camp Howard?
A: We've already started writing some new music and have some vague ideas for the future, but at the moment we're not solidifying any plans. I think it'd be good for us to get out of town a little more in the near future. Mainly we just want to keep working on making music that we are all excited about.
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