BC Campbell
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BC Campbell

Seattle, Washington, United States | INDIE

Seattle, Washington, United States | INDIE
Band Pop Acoustic

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""hooks to spare""

This full-length debut of Seattle’s BC Campbell, is a kaleidoscopic array of catchy, soulfully melodic songs, “from funny falsetto to bemused musings on supermodels…through the melding of sex, death and bent metal� Seattle Sound.

The allure of the album is the range of musical influences put together with a "consistency of style, both memorable and genuine, artfully conveying the emotion of each song to the listener� Rick Feuer, The Fifth Dimension. From Motown to blues-rock, alt-country to stripped down folk/acoustic ballads, lush and stirring string arrangements to house-driven dance music; Now’s the time. traverses the wide and rich terrain of America’s musical landscape. The thread is the warm vocals of BC and his well-crafted song writing- with hooks to spare.

As producer, writer, vocalist, and primary “back-up band� BC recorded Now’s the time. with engineer/co-producer Erik Chillman over a two year period in a homemade studio in Seattle’s industrial Georgetown. Beginning as a hopeful experiment-- melding BC’s background in jazz and all forms of rock and Erik’s years as a DJ of acid house and electronic music-- the album developed, song by song into an impressive and mature sonic unity.

The album begins with the blasting “How Much,� a driving, grinding song about procrastinating to the point of insanity. The opening song’s exploding energy is the emotional surge that binds the album together; the inner necessity of the music. Followed by “Get Down�, the album’s raw and pulsating dance track-- lust and desire culminate with a sparse and sexy chorus. This song highlights the unique collaboration of the two producers-- an edgy blues guitar and swelling vocals over a driving dance beat, filled with sweeping synth filters. The sweaty and addictive “Carcrash Boogie�, anchored by Campbell’s lascivious bass and soulful punctuations on the guitar, takes the theme of death and transforms it into something beautiful, surreal, even comic. The sweet falsetto and warm harmonies bring the song promisingly to the forefront of the album.

Now’s the time. is a beautiful album from a promising songwriter- unafraid to follow his whims to seek his own sound, taking risks both musically and lyrically. From its soaring beginning to its somber end, this album is a song-by-song soundtrack to life’s toils and exhilarations, humanity’s quirks and dark broodings.

- Handpicked Entertainment


""melding sex, death and bent metal""

"From funny falsetto to bemused musings on supermodels... through the melding of sex, death and bent metal."
- Seattle Sound Magazine


""memorable and genuine""

What I appreciated most about BC's songs was the consistency of style, which is not only enticing but both memorable and genuine. BC takes risks both lyrically and melodically, artfully conveying the emotion of each song to the listener. I can appreciate an artist like BC, who is both talented and willing to stay true to who he is and what his message is, without bowing into pressures of being politically correct. - Rick Feuer- The Fifth Dimension


""Fiercely well-written""

"If sex came in a tube of toothpaste The Celebrity Orphans squeeze 39 minutes worth with their new self-titled album. Up-tempo rocksters like "Hello" "You Got Nothin" & "Let Me Tell You" are ferociously danceable with BC Campbell and company telling the entire world just who's doing the messin' around now. Take a listen to slinky "Hello" and you can imagine mister broken-heart deciding he was done being the victim "notify my next of kin... cause you and me are gonna sin" or the delta bluesy "Let Me Tell You" where BC announces "Listen my pretty to my little ditty cuz what do you got to lose". Slow burners like "Broken Night" and "I Need You" (with beautifully haunting back-up vocals from bassist Angelina Baldoz) draw comparison to Chris Isaac while the terra firma terror on "Rollercoaster" and the bouncy 70's "Car crash" show a liking to the Talking Heads.

The Celebrity Orphans do a curious thing with this album by going top heavy with slower material. For some musicians this would end up being a regular snooze-fest, but in this case it takes the listener in dredging up memories of the break-up phone call, the drunken mistake, the terrifying realization that you're single. Loneliness, tragedy and false perception make for great songs and the Celebrity Orphans successfully build their foundation on this premise and then shellac it to the nines with sex appeal.

This freshman release is fiercely well-written and with KEXP live engineer Julian Martlew at the knobs and whistles finds the Orphans at the top of their craft with an album that announces that they are here to stay. Highly recommend you buy this album and a toothbrush." -Nadamucho.com
- Nadamucho.com


""Best I heard out of Seattle in 2007""

Their debut release was one of the best I heard out of Seattle in 2007. The music is rich, like a thick cut of red meat dripping with the saucy vocals and guitar from BC Campbell. A local genius for lack of better words. - Seattlesubsonic.com


""Brilliant and inspired""

"The Celebrity Orphans do get you at "Hello," the song that opens their
self-titled, full length debut album. It's a raunchy Texas style blues
riff that takes off Morphine style and drives you right off the cliff
of sin and debauchery. B.C. Campbell damn near snakes his way across
this song enticing the listener to loosen all kinds of inhibitions and
throw caution out the car door.

This rock-n-roll ring leader extraordinaire has assembled a band of
brilliant and inspired players to take the ride along with him. In
Angelina Baldoz he has a great singing partner with clear voiced
Joplinesque harmonies, but also a hell of a bass player. Jay Hoots has
to be one of the most expressive drummers on the scene today. This guy
is more than just meters and fills or in the pocket.

Campbell proves over and over again on this record what a mature
songwriter he is. On "I Need You," which has to be one of the most
heart felt odes to longing for a loved one -it also helps that he has
a very sweet Chris Isaak like croon to handle the wailing emotions of
such vulnerable words:"You were coming/And I knew you were coming…
I need you, I need you/And time was moving too slow/And I was getting to
old." The chorus is just simply beautiful, and where he croons "I need
you" repeatedly with Baldoz providing a lonesome harmony, you can feel
your stomach drop hoping the lovers either get together or that she
lets him down in a way that doesn't sting to badly. Campbell can come
across that viscerally." - Jill Cunningham, Radio Free Seattle


""excellent Songwriting...almost perfect songs""

Stylistically, BC writes jazzy funky rock which seems to be more at
home in the Atlanta or New Orleans areas, kind of like a mixing of
Dropsonic and Grant Lee Phillips. Moreover, he does it well, nailing a
marketable niche that could launch him into the stratosphere. –
"Carcrash Boogie", "I'm Right Here" and the stark "Happiness" are
among my favorites, but there are so many near hits... Just a tweak
here, a better peak there, and we are talking a golden album. I'm
talking unstoppable. I will avidly anticipate his next release. - Hybridmagazine.com


""a winning result...unshakable""

"Now's the time." is Campbell's debut album, one that delivers soft
ballads, catchy rhythmic rock tunes and a few things in between. But regardless of the genre that Campbell adopts, it is his poignant
lyrics that keep things in control and maintain a balance in the
music. –Campbell pulls listeners in with the darkly enticing "Get Down" and the inviting melody of "Carcrash Boogie" before he reveals a cheeky
and fun side on the quick moving "Supermodel." But it is on smooth
ballads like "I'm Right Here," "John" and "Soft Tyranny" that Campbell
really excels. Combining his thoughtful lyrics with understated
instrumentation offers a winning result. "I am suffocating/We are
suffocating," Campbell gently sings, his vocals matching the delicate
melody on "Soft Tyranny." On "Happiness," Campbell adds strings to the mix, resulting in a melody that floats effortlessly... once Campbell
gets into his groove, he remains unshakable. - Pluginmusic.com


""Inspire rushes to the dance floor""

"Local rockers Celebrity Orphans have a nice mix of ponderously slow and ferociously upbeat songs in their repertoire. Their ballads lean toward lyrics of emotional pain and lament while their whimsical up-temp rhythms inspire rushes to the dance floor." - Seattle P.I. - Seattle P.I.


""At their gloriest best""

"The Celebrity Orphans are at their gloriest best, especially on the track "Hello" where guitar solos explode with understated raw power." - Seattle Sound - Seattle Sound


Discography

BC Campbell "Now's The Time" (2007, Ellis Isle Records)

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Bio

BC Campbell grew up in Portland obsessed with classic rock and jazz. As an underaged saxophonist, he jammed around town in bars with old timers, who had played with the greats like Billy Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. At the age of 18 he traded the saxophone for the guitar while pursuing a degree in International Relations that ended up taking him to Germany and Paris. After 9/11 he returned to the Pacific Northwest. Working an endless steam of shit jobs and composing for experimental performance, he found himself writing the songs that became he first album. His debut "Now's the Time" has been picked up by over 250 stations across North America (charting in the top 30). His songwriting has been reviewed as "Excellent songwriting…nearly perfect songs"-Hybridmusic.com, "fiercely well-written" –Nadamucho.com, "Brilliant and inspired"- Seattle free Radio, "a winning result…unshakable" – Pluginmusic.com