Text: Alec Coiro
Photo: Farrah Fox
A good music scene is the key to being young and misunderstood. It’s a necessary incubator for innovative music. And it was such an incubator long before incubators were even a thing. But are the Soundclouds and Bandcamps of the world good for music scenes, helping to foster and connect them. Or are they the death knell, homogenizing music globally, taking away what’s special about a music scene by making all music always available from everyone’s bedroom.
Camp Howard and the Richmond music scene are strong evidence that the music scene is alive and well. Nic from Camp Howard tells us about how they were formed in the fires of playing shows basically at all times when they started out in Richmond. The result of this apprenticeship in live music rawness is a band that somehow came into the recording studio with amazing facility, musicality, and polish. But while there is definitely craft and care put into “Juice” and while when you press the “Juice” some highly listenable tunes come out, the sound is never plastic or digitized or lacking any of the group’s original rawness. There is a punkness to it in the same way there’s a punkness to legendary bands like the Talking Heads.
Can you describe the experience of your seemingly legendary show-a-night schedule when you were getting started in Richmond?
We played a lot of house shows when we were first getting started. Mainly the reason we played so much is ‘cause we were a new band, so we’d get asked to play on a lot of bills. Back then we’d take pretty much any/every show offer because we were naive, and also just eager to play all the time. We played a lot of really shitty gigs. I remember getting an envelope after a show with a $5 in it that we had to split 3 ways lol. But it was all fun, we played some really exciting shows here and there in the early going.
I get the impression you’ve grown a lot as a band in a relatively short period of time. Do you think you’re in a different place musically than you were when you formed Camp Howard?
I think we’re definitely in a different place musically than when we first got together. A lot of our influences have changed, and we’re inspired by new ideas all the time. We like to keep it fresh. We write songs really quickly, both Wes and I. We’re always working on new material, it’s more of choosing which songs we think would be worth figuring out as a band. In that sense, I feel like we’re inevitably continuously growing/changing.
Going back even further, what brought the four of you together originally?
Wes, Brian and I have known each other since we were like 14. We played music together when we were in high school, but never really seriously or consistently. When we got to college, Brian and I started playing more frequently. Wes occasionally joined us. And Matt, who we didn’t really know until a few years ago filled in for Wes on bass when Wes went out of town. Eventually, we were all in town during the summer and decided to try playing as a four piece.
Can you describe the experience of your seemingly legendary show-a-night schedule when you were getting started in Richmond?
We played a lot of house shows when we were first getting started. Mainly the reason we played so much is ‘cause we were a new band, so we’d get asked to play on a lot of bills. Back then we’d take pretty much any/every show offer because we were naive, and also just eager to play all the time. We played a lot of really shitty gigs. I remember getting an envelope after a show with a $5 in it that we had to split 3 ways lol. But it was all fun, we played some really exciting shows here and there in the early going.
I get the impression you’ve grown a lot as a band in a relatively short period of time. Do you think you’re in a different place musically than you were when you formed Camp Howard?
I think we’re definitely in a different place musically than when we first got together. A lot of our influences have changed, and we’re inspired by new ideas all the time. We like to keep it fresh. We write songs really quickly, both Wes and I. We’re always working on new material, it’s more of choosing which songs we think would be worth figuring out as a band. In that sense, I feel like we’re inevitably continuously growing/changing.
Going back even further, what brought the four of you together originally?
Wes, Brian and I have known each other since we were like 14. We played music together when we were in high school, but never really seriously or consistently. When we got to college, Brian and I started playing more frequently. Wes occasionally joined us. And Matt, who we didn’t really know until a few years ago filled in for Wes on bass when Wes went out of town. Eventually we were all in town during the summer and decided to try playing as a four piece.
Where does the name Camp Howard come from?
Camp Howard comes from a little camping spot we’ve been to a few times out in the mountains of VA. The property belongs to our friend’s dad’s friend who’s name is Howard. He calls the place Camp Howard, but it’s really just a little shed on a river.
I see you described as both indie rock-inflected and punk. Do you think that’s a fair characterization? I would say that “Juice” certainly sounds post-punk. To set the record straight, could tell us about some of your important influences?
I’d say post-punk indie rock sounds kind of accurate? I never really feel comfortable trying to categorize our music as a genre. Mainly because I’m not that knowledgeable about different subcategories, but also cause I don’t really give a fuck. I’d say our earliest songwriting influences were Fleet Foxes for me, and Jimi Hendrix for Wes. But as far as Camp Howard goes, it’s kind of endless. Some bands I personally really like that I think are doing something exciting/original are Omni, Palm, Chris Cohen, Red Sea, Lance Bangs, and Naomi Punk (to name a few). The other guys all have their own early influences and continuously growing palate.
What is the music scene like in Richmond currently?
The music scene in Richmond is really exciting. There’s so many great artists here (too many to name). We’re lucky to be a part of it. We’ve made a lot of friends in the music scene cause everyone’s so supportive/friendly. Not only is the local music scene stacked, but we fairly regularly have incredible artists coming in from out of town. Our good friend Manny at Citrus City Records has had a hand in bringing/booking jaw dropping bands to RVA like Palm, Omni, Red Sea, Hovvdy, Hellier Ulysses to name some. The music scene keeps growing/expanding. It’s been a blessing being here.
