Camper Van Beethoven
is an American alternative rock group. An eclectic band even by the standards of 1980s underground music, Camper Van Beethoven mixed elements of pop, ska, world music, punk rock, folk, country, and acid rock.
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CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN TICKETS
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History
Camper Van Beethoven formed in 1983 in
Redlands, California, although they would soon relocate to
Santa Cruz, California. Early members included bassist/vocalist
David Lowery and guitarist
Chris Molla. Other early bandmates were future
Cracker guitarist
Johnny Hickman (who played in pre-Camper bands with Lowery and Molla, including the Estonian Gauchos), and drummer Bill McDonald, later the subject of their humorous tune "Where the Hell is Bill." Lowery switched to
rhythm guitar when
Victor Krummenacher joined on bass. Although the band grew out of the punk scene, they disliked its purism, and were fond of confusing hardcore audiences by playing countrified versions of punk classics and
ska-inflected instrumentals with
Eastern European and
Mexican melodies.
Their ethnic experimentation was improved with the addition of
violinist/
multi-instrumentalist/
vocalist Jonathan Segel. Segel was a trained musician who fit in with the band's diverse musical experimentation, yet he was also able to embrace Camper's irreverent, non-purist approach to
world music. By the time they recorded their
debut album,
Telephone Free Landslide Victory
, the lineup was Lowery, Molla, Krummenacher, Segel, and drummer Anthony Guess.
The group's trademark
violin-coated melodies and ironic,
Frank Zappa-influenced lyrics progressed from the absurdist novelty tunes of their debut to experimental music with the intricate, psychedelic pop meanderings of their self-titled third album. The band had also scored some underground college radio hits with songs like "Take the Skinheads Bowling" and "Good Guys and Bad Guys." By that time, Guess had left the band, replaced by drummer
Chris Pedersen, and lead guitarist
Greg Lisher had joined. Chris Molla also left after touring for the third album, leaving the band as a five-piece with Lowery, Krummenacher, Segel, Lisher, and Pedersen.
The band signed to
Virgin Records in 1988 and released two eclectic yet more accessible LPs,
Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart
and
Key Lime Pie
. Jonathan Segel had left the band after
Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart
, replaced by violinist Morgan Fichter.
Steel guitarist/
guitarist/
mandolinist
David Immerglück also joined the live Camper lineup in 1989, although he did not play on either of their Virgin releases. The band scored a minor hit with a cover of the
Status Quo song "
Pictures of Matchstick Men," and
Key Lime Pie
ended up being their most commercially successful album. However, tensions within the band were growing, and they broke up in April 1990 after a show in
Örebro, Sweden.
After disbanding, singer/guitarist David Lowery, along with the pre-Camper band Box O-Laffs guitarist
Johnny Hickman formed Cracker with bassist
Davey Faragher. The other members, Krummenacher, Lisher, Immerglück and Pedersen, played in
Monks of Doom, a CVB spin-off group that had existed since 1986. Immerglück later joined
Counting Crows.
Jonathan Segel played with
Dieselhed,
Sparklehorse, and fronted his own bands Hieronymus Firebrain and Jack & Jill, later playing under his own name. He has also recently been involved in experimental and
electronic music, including collaborations with
Fred Frith and
Joelle Leandre, and an electro-acoustic duo with Dina Emerson called Chaos Butterfly.
Victor Krummenacher has made several solo albums of Americana- and blues-tinged rock music with such notable guests as
Dave Alvin. Krummenacher and Segel collectively run their own record label, Magnetic.
In 2000, ex-members regrouped to compile the experimental rarity set
Camper Van Beethoven Is Dead. Long Live Camper Van Beethoven
. In 2002, they released
Tusk
. Allegedly recorded in 1987, it had all the same tracks as the
Fleetwood Mac album of the same name, and a parody of the original album's cover art. Later, the band admitted that they had actually recorded the album in 2001, as an experiment to see if they could work together in the studio again. A series of reunion tour dates followed with many of the band's former members, with Lowery, Segel, Krummenacher and Lisher forming the core of the reunited lineup. Former members Pedersen, Immerglück, and Molla have also appeared with the band in some live shows, although Cracker drummer
Frank Funaro is now Camper's main live drummer. They are also joined by Cracker keyboard player Kenny Margolis on accordion during some live shows.
In 2004, the band recorded
New Roman Times
, their first studio album in 15 years, which was well-received by critics and fans. A live concert disc was also released titled
In The Mouth of the Crocodile
, capturing a 2004 reunion performance in Seattle. Segments of a 2004 performance in Chicago were released the following year as
Discotheque CVB: Live In Chicago
. They have continued to tour and perform regularly since reforming. They sometimes tour with Cracker, and together in 2005 they started an annual three night "Campout" at Pappy and Harriet's Pioneertown Palace in
Pioneertown, CA, close to where David and Johnny met, in which they and several other bands will perform. A compilation of greatest hits titled
Popular Songs of Great Enduring Strength and Beauty
was released by
Cooking Vinyl Records on
June 23,
2008.
In 1993, the band
Sublime's singer and songwriter
Bradley Nowell covered the Camper Van Beethoven song entitled "Eye of Fatima." The chord progression of this song was also used in the Sublime song entitled "What Happened."
Teenage Fanclub's cover of Camper Van Beethoven's 1985 staple "Take the Skinheads Bowling" was used as the title track for the 2002
Michael Moore film
Bowling for Columbine
. A portion of the original Camper Van Beethoven recording can be heard as an introduction to the DVD release of the film. The song has also been covered by the
Manic Street Preachers, and can be found on their B-sides album
Lipstick Traces
.
Members of Camper Van Beethoven collaborated with
Eugene Chadbourne on a number of records under the name Camper Van Chadbourne.
Band Members
Present
- Victor Krummenacher - bass, backup vocals (1983-1990, 1999-present)
- David Lowery - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums (1983-1990, 1999-present)
- Jonathan Segel - violin, guitar, keyboards, mandolin, vocals (1984-1989, 1999-present)
- Greg Lisher - lead guitar (1985-1990, 1999-present)
- Frank Funaro - drums (2000-2004 as guest, 2004-present)
Part-time members:
- David Immerglück - guitar, lap steel guitar, backup vocals (1990; 2000-present part-time)
- Chris Molla - guitar, vocals, keyboards, drums (1983-1986; 2002-present part-time)
- Chris Pedersen - drums (1986-1990, 2004; 2002-present part-time)
Former
- Daniel Blume - violin (1984)
- Eugene Chadbourne - guitar, banjo (1986, studio sessions only)
- Morgan Fichter - violin, vocals (1989-1990)
- Anthony Guess - drums (1985)
- Don Lax - violin (1989)
- Stephoni Lowery - unknown (listed as former member on original vinyl press of Telephone Free Landslide Victory)
- Kenny Margolis - keyboards, accordion (2000-2006 as guest)
- David McDaniel - guitar (1983-1984) [1]
- Bill McDonald - drums (1983-1984)
- Richie West - drums (1984)
- Mike Zorn - harmonica (1983-1984)
Discography
Studio albums
- Telephone Free Landslide Victory
(1985)
- II & III
(1986)
- Camper Van Beethoven
(1986)
- Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart
(1988)
- Key Lime Pie
(1989)
- Tusk
(2002)
- New Roman Times
(2004)
EPs
- Take The Skinheads Bowling
(1986)
- Vampire Can Mating Oven
(1987)
- Turquoise Jewelry
(1988)
Compilations and special releases
- The Virgin Years
(1993) (by Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker)
- Camper Vantiquities
(1993) Rarities Compilation
- Camper Van Beethoven Is Dead. Long Live Camper Van Beethoven
(2000) Rarities Compilation
- Cigarettes & Carrot Juice: The Santa Cruz Years
(2002) Box Set. Includes Telephone Free Landslide Victory
, II & III
, Camper Van Beethoven
, Camper Vantiquities
, & Greatest Hits Played Faster
, a bonus live disc.
- In the Mouth of the Crocodile - Live in Seattle
(2004) Live Album
- Discotheque CVB: Live In Chicago
(2005) Live Album
- Look at All the Love We Found
(2005) Sublime Tribute
- Popular Songs of Great Enduring Strength and Beauty
(2008) Compilation
References
- http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/campervanbeethoven/biography