Musician Showcase – Cam Head
I met Cam Head my first year of teaching at Indian River High School in 1973. He was a senior…and had the reputation of being the best rocker in the building. Once I met him, we hit it off immediately. Long hair…Strat…and a blend of stylings from classic rock to the eclectic. Our musical connection began with his bands and my engineering. That would change quickly when we found our common ground: High Energy Acoustics.
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There was never any doubt as to our places in our musical world - I was rhythm and he was lead. We both played Guild Acoustic Guitars. He used a Mutron Phase and I used an MXR Phase 90 (whenever the mood struck us to kick them in). But the most unique aspect of our playing was the taking of the incredible energy we generated and structuring it into uniquely wonderful arrangements of the songs we performed. Whether it was “Over the Rainbow” or “Traffic Jam” or “Gasology”, the timings and phrasings always rang true with their own flavor and intensity. This shaped the performance and recording of two of my favorite original recordings as well: “Sixty-nine Pimpmobile” and “Jody Lee Carroll” (1982).
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We started as a duo…then added Tania’s vocal and light percussion. We expanded to bass with David Frink (and an assortment of other bass players over the years). Steve Ihlenburg came with percussion and then drums. Peter Shonerd added full percussion and Tania went to keyboards. Cam added the strat and the full band was completed. We had the songs structured early on…and as the band evolved we flavored them with the new sounds and fresh energies. The move from duo to band took about two years…and the band played together for 5-6 years. The emphasis was always on playing; recording never really entered the picture – except for “Sixty-nine Pimpmobile” and “Jody Lee Carroll” on the Songsmyth album, and, some amazing home recordings that really captured our duo sound and energy. To this day, I love to watch and hear him play.
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We opened – as a duo – for the Cellar Door party in Richmond given by Bruce Hornsby at the beginning of his first tour with The Range. As a band, we opened for Poco, Firefall, and had Clarence Clemons sit in with us on sax for a benefit concert at the Pavilion…a set of original songs that were made for saxophone. My only regret was that I was not able to get a recording of any of those performances.
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The band members went their separate ways in 1989…we have the chance to jam these days from time to time. Cam and I continue to pursue our love of music through live performances and studio production. His band - Cam Head and the Noisemakers - is currently performing in the region.
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Here are some of the recordings from early home recording sessions, studio sessions, and links to the live video performances we were able to capture and archive. Below is a listing of the songs, contributions, and links that make up this “Musician Showcase”...with a full preview playlist for you to enjoy this wonderful body of studio and live performances.
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Studio and Live Video Performances
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Baby What Do You Want Me to Do (Live Video)
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Sometimes You're Down, But You Gotta Get Up (Video)
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Sixty-nine Pimpmobile (Live Video - TFAM 2013)
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