Caamp: A Nostalgic Trio Worth Watching
There’s just something so refreshing about listening to indie-folk music in an intimate and packed venue on a cold Saturday evening. Most shows now are all about size, scale, production, fire, loudness, you name they gimmick, most concerts and festivals have it. Not Caamp. These three bring raw emotion, mastery of their instruments, and a crafty manipulation of quietness to command the attention of audiences, whether performing indoors or out, in a big space or small, at a festival or in a bar.
Originally started by childhood friends Evan Westfall and Taylor Meier, the two added a third to the mix – Matt Vinson – in order to capture the low-end of a bass guitar and the harmonies of a well-polished choir. Though each of the members wear many hats both live, and in the studio, Meier appears to command lead vocals and guitar, while Westfall and Vinson play banjo and bass, respectively, and harmonize impressively.
On one particular night of the tour in Houston, the Upstairs room at White Oak Music Hall was crowded, warm, and quiet. The audience had had their fair share of adult beverages from the bar, likely to take the edge off but also to loosen their anxieties about belting Caamp lyrics during the upcoming set. And that’s exactly what happened. The most avid fans were front and center singing the words to every song almost loud enough to be picked up by the stage mics. The remainder of the audience, though taking shelter in the sea of voices, also sang their nearly every tune throughout the night. Briefly, the intimacy was even kicked up a notch when Westfall and Vinson exited the stage to let Meier perform solo – almost unplugged – for a handful of songs, before wrapping up the evening with a round of laughs and some of the band’s top tracks. Were it not a glaring fire hazard and likely problem in most concert situations, the only thing that could have made the evening better would have been an actual campfire. The band is still on tour and their information can be found here.
Photography by Marshall Heins II
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