Brett Campbell

Artist Information

Biography

"SCARY MONSTER IS THE PERFECT SONG"
-GENE SHAY
[VOTING BOARD GOVERNOR, THE RECORDING ACADEMY, PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER, THE GRAMMY ORGANISATION]


2012 FESTIVAL CALENDAR

6-8 JAN CYGNET FOLK FESTIVAL, HOBART, TAS
22 JAN IGA RHYMES KIDS MUSIC FESTIVAL, BRISBANE, QLD
26 JAN AUSTRALIA DAY KINGS BEACH, CALOUNDRA, QLD
18-19 FEB COOL SUMMER FESTIVAL, MT HOTHAM, VIC
10-12 MARCH MOOMBA FESTIVAL, MELBOURNE, VIC
6-8 APRIL NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL, CANBERRA, ACT
13 APRIL THE SOMETHING REALLY FUN TO DO DURING THE HOLIDAYS CONCERT, BUDERIM QLD
19 MAY HILLS CARNIVALE, PINE RIVERS, QLD
10 JUNE QUEENSLAND DAY OUT, SOUTH BANK, QLD
2 SEPT DOING DADS PROUD, COTTON TREE, QLD


3 SEMI FINAL AWARDS -

"WAKE UP"
"MAX A DOODLE"
"SCARY MONSTER"

UK SONGWRITING CONTEST 2009/2010



MOST BOOKED SONICBIDS ARTIST FOR MAY, SEPTEMBER & NOVEMBER 2009, SEPTEMBER 2010, AS WELL AS MARCH 2011!



Brett Campbell is an Australian children's singer songwriter and performer. His live show is an exciting, fun and informative romp through his extensive songbook. Brett plays over 300 shows a year both solo and with his band.


In his years of playing music for a living Brett has never had as much fun as he is having now.


Brett began to compose songs for his own and friends children as a sideline to his music in 2005. The songs proved to be popular and he suddenly found himself with a new career. He released his debut children’s album in 2006.


Brett finds inspiration for his songs in listening to kids and their sometimes quirky ideas. He can often be found following his own children around armed with an instrument, pen, paper and a sense of humour. The song “Scary Monster” came from his son’s concern about the sound the drain in the bath made when the plug was removed. “Daddy, there’s a monster down the drain!” Brett wrote the song as a reassurance to every child with an over active imagination.


Although his show is primarily aimed at the younger set, he is constantly surprised to find how much people of all ages enjoy his performances.


Brett performs many of his shows solo and also has a fine backing band of experienced musicians. He believes children deserve the same respect as an adult audience and so his shows are completely LIVE. A Brett Campbell concert introduces kids to the wonders of real musicians.


Whether playing solo or with his band, Brett's performances have children playing games, singing, dancing and learning a little about the instruments being played.


He has independently released 4 albums of children's music, 1 Christmas album and most recently an EP. These are 2006's "BC", 2008's "Purple Cow", 2009's "A Happy Fun Christmas" and 2010's "Acoustic", "Press Play To Hear Brett", "Christmas 2010" (EP) Christmas 2011" (EP).
"Let's Skidaddle", his latest album is due for release in May 2012.


Brett and his family live near Maleny in Queensland, Australia on a property in the beautiful Mary Valley.

Instrumentation

Brett Campbell-vocals,guitar,bass,drums,piano,percussion,banjo,
harmonica,ukulele, kazoo and silly noises.
The Happy Fun Club:
Gleny G - drums, percussion, vocals, the voice of "Honk", extra kazoo [never enough kazoo!]
Ski - bass, vocals
David P Shortland - piano, vocals

Discography

LP "BC" 2006
LP "PURPLE COW" 2008
LP " A HAPPY FUN CHRISTMAS" 2009
LP " ACOUSTIC" 2010
LP "PRESS PLAY TO HEAR BRETT" 2010
EP "CHRISTMAS 2010" 2010
EP "CHRISTMAS 2011" 2011
LP "LET'S SKIDADDLE" 2012

Links

• Facebook
• Facebook
• jitterbug
• Pure Tone guitar strings
• Brett Campbell Children's Musician
• Utube

Audio

• Arthur The Christmas Cat
  Listen   Download
• Scary Monster
  Listen   Download
• SCARY MONSTER acoustic
  Listen   Download
• MAX A DOODLE
  Listen   Download
• What if Santa lost his laugh mp3
  Listen   Download
• HONK THE CHICKEN acoustic
  Listen   Download
• WAKE UP
  Listen   Download
• DUCK DUCK FROG
  Listen   Download
• PURPLE COW acoustic
  Listen   Download
• OH MY GOODNESS! IT'S A LION!
  Listen   Download
• MY PILLOW acoustic
  Listen   Download

Lyrics

• ARTHUR THE CHRISTMAS CAT
• SCARY MONSTER
• WAKE UP
• OH MY GOODNESS! IT'S A LION!
• What if Santa lost his laugh
• PURPLE COW
• HONK THE CHICKEN
• STUMPY THE CAT
• GARDEN LOLLIES
• Sunscreen and Surf and Having Fun

Video

Wake up

SCARY MONSTER 8.1

Photo Gallery

Press

• Brisbane IGA Rhymes Kids Music Festival [+ Show ]
  

  Here is a selection of comments posted on the Rhymes facebook page after Brett's performances at Bri...Here is a selection of comments posted on the Rhymes facebook page after Brett's performances at Brisbane IGA Rhymes Kids Music Festival 23rd January 2011.
  
  Hayley Brimelow "My little guy is in awe of Brett Campbell...great to see such a friendly and talented guy promoting music and movement to the next generation!"
  
  Alicia Facoory "Brett Campbell on the secret garden stage was my favourite. Kids loved agelina ballerina and ben 10 :) can't wait for next year!"
  
  Donna Harrowell "As always Brett Campbell was great!! "
  
  Naomi Preston Naomi Preston "Had a fantastic day today... my 5 year old daughter had a wonderful time... I think they did a wonderful job... Hi-5, Brett Campbell, the jumping castles and the cooking were hands down the favourites of ours today. Thought it was well worth the 2 hour drive... Will bring the rest of the family next year. Thanks for a wonderful day"

• ARTSHUB Interview [+ Show ]
  

  Brett Campbell is one of the musicians that will be taking part in the National Folk Festival in Can...Brett Campbell is one of the musicians that will be taking part in the National Folk Festival in Canberra. He has played music for 25 years and says the one thing he couldn’t work without is his kazoo. Check out his answers to our ArtsHub Career Profile below.
  
  What did you want to be when you grew up?
  Writer, historian, astronaut, cricketer, musician.
  
  What did you become?
  A musician who writes a bit for fun, loves reading history, gazes at the night sky a bit and loves playing cricket when he gets the time.
  
  How would you describe your music to a complete stranger?
  Fun, real children’s music
  
  What's your background - are there studies that prepare you for this?
  25 years of playing music for a living plus having kids
  
  Tell us about a song or artist that has been influential in your career (and probably no one’s really heard much about)
  I meet musicians all the time [and always have done] who probably should be more well known than they are. It’s not always the best songwriter or most outstanding singer that wins fame and fortune. Recently in the US I met a Welsh folk musician named Martyn Joseph who, like me, has been playing for a long time with considerably more success than me. He reminded me that you don’t have to conquer the world to be happy and successful as an artist. Despite great talent, his humility and affable personality were always on show. I placed a video I took of him in Memphis on youtube and it got over 500 hits in 24 hours. I never knew he was well known in the UK.
  
  What's the first thing career related you usually do each day?
  Check emails.
  
  Can you describe an "average" working day for you?
  Answer emails. Change guitar strings. Get in the van and drive to my shows [anything up to 3 a day]. Come home and either help in the office or go into my music room for whatever is left of the day. Often a club or restaurant gig or a rehearsal at night but preferably not as I have 3 kids.
  
  What's the one thing - piece of equipment, toy, security-blanket – that you can't work without?
  My kazoo!
  
  What gets you fired up?
  Injustice, corruption and self centered people.
  
  Who in the industry most inspires you?
  This is an unpopular thing to say in some circles, but Paul McCartney is easily the most inspiring musician for me. Massive success from writing amazing songs has enabled him to completely ignore his critics and to their annoyance he is still one of the few acts on earth who can consistently fill stadiums. His songwriting, musicianship and performing are among the very best there’s ever been and he was the musical backbone of the Beatles in the second half of their career.
  
  What in the industry do you despair about?
  Australia is a very difficult place to have success as a musician. It is a very small and jealously protected market. The US, despite its reputation as a difficult place to make it in, is actually very receptive to up and coming musicians if you can find yourself in the right place. There is room there for everyone.
  
  What is the best thing about your job?
  Making kids laugh and have fun.
  
  What’s the worst?
  I had to think about this one. It’s hard to complain about anything when you play music for a living. I do get annoyed when adults don’t respect what I’m doing. Especially at acoustic shows some people will talk loudly like I’m not in the room. Very distracting for me and not fair on the kids who are trying to have a good time.
  
  What song do you wish you had written?
  Yesterday – obviously!
  
  What are the top three skills you need in this industry?
  Patience, application, determination
  
  What advice would you give a young muso looking to break into the field?
  If you don’t have good management behind you from the start, develop a thick hide, get some accountancy skills, learn about car engines and don’t try and drag any boat anchors with you, no matter how much you love them – it won’t work! Learn how to handle rejection. It’s only someone’s opinion and remember the biggest band ever were rejected by EVERY record company except for a small unknown comedy label!
  
  When do you know you’ve made it?
  When you’re happy and satisfied and making enough money to get by comfortably.

• Gene Shay 'Scary Monster' review [+ Show ]
  

  "Scary Monster is the perfect song!" Gene Shay: The Dean Of American Folk DJs- The Philadelphia ..."Scary Monster is the perfect song!"
  
  Gene Shay:
  The Dean Of American Folk DJs- The Philadelphia Daily News
  The Godfather of Philadelphia Folk- The Philadelphia Inquirer
  Folk DJ of The Year (2007)- The International Folk Alliance
  
  Host of the Folk Show, WXPN, Philadelphia (49 years running)
  Folk Correspondent, World Café
  Host, Producer- Folkalley.com
  Board Member, Philadelphia Folksong Society
  Founder and Concert Host, Philadelphia Folk Festival
  Workshop Committee Director, NERFA
  Charter Board, International Folk Alliance
  Board- American Composers Forum
  Voting Board Governor, The Recording Academy, Philadelphia Chapter (The Grammy Organization)

• INTERNATIONAL FOLK ALLIANCE USA
  

  One of the top children's performers from around the world!

• AUCKLAND FOLK FESTIVAL 2010 Review [+ Show ]
  

  He's got 3 children of his own and lives on a small holding in Queensland. The topics of his self-pe...He's got 3 children of his own and lives on a small holding in Queensland. The topics of his self-penned songs are topics that all kids can relate to..eg the excitement of the rubbish truck, animal songs and songs that help to make getting up and cleaning teeth fun!! He had the children in the palm of his hand through a strong connection with them right from the beginning. They participated enthusiastically (and so did some of the adults) by dancing, making noises, whistling and wriggling around on the floor! He is also a very accomplished instrumentalist. His session was fun with a capital 'F'!
  Gill Mayo

• SONG HIT FOR BRETT [+ Show ]
  

  THE RANGE NEWS 11 SEPT 2008 Maleny district singer-songwriter Brett Campbell was stunned last week ...THE RANGE NEWS 11 SEPT 2008
  Maleny district singer-songwriter Brett Campbell was stunned last week when he received the news that his song about a 'scary monster' had made the semi finals in one of the UK's leading song writing competitions.
  Brett, who lives with his partner and three children at Cambroon near Conondale, entered a children's song in the contest via the internet in May.
  "What makes it even more amazing to me is that of the 10 categories, there was none specifically for children's songs," Brett said.
  "So I had to enter this song called Scary Monster in the open section. To then be told i had reached the semi finals was just fantastic."
  The songwriting contest is as high profile as it can get, and it's patrons include Sir Paul McCartney and Simon Cowell no less.
  There were 6,200 entries from throughout the world.
  "Actually it's quite funny how the song came about," Brett said.
  "When my four year old pulled the plug out of the bath one day and the water made a funny noise going down the plug hole, he said, 'there's a scary monster down that hole'.
  The first time I heard him say that, I rushed out and got my guitar and started to write the song".
  Brett has been a full time musician for 25 years, playing in the clubs and pub scene based in Brisbane.
  He moved to Cambroon 2 years ago to recuperate from a serious illness.
  On Saturday September 27, Brett will join former Savage Garden drummer-percussionist Glen Gibson to perform during Kenilworth Celebrates Festival.
  "We've got a portable music set up which we'll move from place to place around Kenilworth throughout the day and play a wide variety of music," Brett said.
  "It should be a lot of fun."

• Kyler England review [+ Show ]
  

  "I especially love 'Oh My Goodness! It's A Lion'. Really cool production and I love how the verses a..."I especially love 'Oh My Goodness! It's A Lion'. Really cool production and I love how the verses are spoken over the rhythmic elements. I can imagine kids loving that song and screaming the 'Oh My Goodness' along with Brett at live shows. 'Purple Cow' also is fun - great line about strawberry milk coming from a sun burned cow! I think it's great that Brett is making music that's fun and interesting and not so childish and silly that the parents will hate it"

• Great American Song Contest Review [+ Show ]
  

  Review for "SCARY MONSTER" "This is a potentially strong lyrical theme, excellent detail and iden...Review for "SCARY MONSTER"
  
  "This is a potentially strong lyrical theme, excellent detail and identifiable imagery and most importantly a universal element that most children could relate to."

• Doing Dad's Proud [+ Show ]
  

  Recently Lifeline held the Doing Dad's Proud event at Cotton Tree park. Brett Campbell was our main ...Recently Lifeline held the Doing Dad's Proud event at Cotton Tree park. Brett Campbell was our main children's performer for the day. He was absolutely fantastic at entertaining the children and capturing their attention. His songs are catchy and he related well to the kids who were attending the event. I would recommend him for any future shows. A very professional entertainer!!
  
  Brett Gadenne
  Youth Development Coordinator
  Lifeline Sunshine Coast

• BC and The Happy Fun Club LIVE [+ Show ]
  

  By far and away one of the most successful days at the Beach Hotel this year was the appearance rece...By far and away one of the most successful days at the Beach Hotel this year was the appearance recently of Brett Campbell and his band The Happy Fun Club. A fantastic family event, with kids and parents alike joining the musical journey.
  Any hotel planning family entertainment should definitely book The Happy Fun Club.
  
  Brett Slattery
  General Manager
  Beach Hotel @ Broadbeach

• BC and Purple Cow reviews
  

  http://

• Kindy Patch Paddington [+ Show ]
  

  "Brett Campbell is fun and exciting with plenty of energy which you need when working and entertaini..."Brett Campbell is fun and exciting with plenty of energy which you need when working and entertaining children. He makes the children smile and laugh and shows the children all the different types of musical instruments there are to play. His music/song lyrics are great for the age group. We wish him all the luck in the future and hope one day he can come back to our centre for another show."
  

Setlist

Brett plays a set of all original songs for children under 8 years of about 30 minutes in length.
Scary Monster [semi finalist 2008 & 2009 UK Songwriting Contest]
Truck
My Pillow
Duck Duck Frog
Rubbish Truck
Wake Up [semi finalist 2009 UK Songwriting Contest]
Purple Cow
Oh My Goodness! It's a Lion!
Honk the Chicken
Sqiggly Squirmy Worm
I Love Dinosaurs
Stumpy the Cat
Max a Doodle [semi finalist - 2009 UK Songwriting comp]
Dinosaurs
My Fleas Have Got Dog(semi finalist - 2010 UK Songwriting comp)

Basic Requirements

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