Special Artist Feature Interveiw: Joe Cameron

This week’s new artist feature is Joe Cameron. His a bit rock, a little bit Caribbean, I love the little sound in my head that keep beeping after listening to his songs. The sound is genuinely honest. And I’m totally into the whole guitar work that he’s done in all the songs. It reminds me of the old country sound, yet there’s a breath of freshness in it. More like Keith Urban, just that Joe’s sound is more urban than country. I love that cross over. It’s really captivating. He is the independent label out there. He’s been in the Ellen show before and I’m sure everyone would love him.

Hailing from Indianapolis, He is an independent force to be reckoned with. 3 CDs and still going strong.

Here’s the interview I had with him a couple of minutes ago.

Hey Joe Thanks for taking the time for the interview. Appreciate it. Your CD is fantastic. I’d loved your music since the first time you come in.

Let’s get down business now.

Q. So, let us know a little bit about yourself and the band?How long have you guys been playing now?

JCAM: I started my first band when I was 15 but we broke up early in college. The band I have now started in 2004. It took several years to find the right mix of musicians so along the way there were several guys in and out of the band. But the current lineup has been together since early 2008.

Q. Your sound is pretty unique, a little bit of country, Caribbean, I especially love the guitar. So how do all this came about? Do you suddenly pick up the guitar and decided to be a singer? JCAM: I started playing piano at age 3 and guitar at 15. I’ve been singing since I can remember. I grew up in a family full of singers. I started seriously writing songs around 17 or 18 years old and then all through college. My style has always leaned towards the mainstream pop/rock side. It’s funny you mention country, because while I wouldn’t consider what I do as country at all I have always tried to learn from country songwriters. They’re such good story tellers and that’s what I want to do in my songs. Tell great stories.

Q. Who is your inspiration in life and music?

JCAM: Wow. There’s no easy answer to that one, is there? Haha! Personally my family (and the thought of my future family) is a huge motivation. Musically, I’ve always been inspired by great songwriters…the kind I mentioned earlier…the storytellers. People like Sarah McLachlan, Rob Thomas, Glen Philips, U2, John Mayer, and Phil Vassar.

Q. So how do you get all the writing done? Does it comes in part like the music first and then the lyrics or they come in jumble?

JCAM: It’s different with every song. Sometimes it’s a piece of music that I really like, other times it starts with a melody I’ve been humming for a few days. Very few times, with me at least, does it start with lyrics. I need to have a solid melody in place before I want to work on a song. Then comes the fun of writing the lyrics to fit the melody. It’s like solving a puzzle and I love that part the most. I’ve been working for years to tell good, relatable stories. I love it when people say that they heard one of my songs and it fit with their life for whatever reason. That’s the best. My next step is to write great *conversational* lyrics. Like John Mayer did in his song “Comfortable,” of Phil Vassar did in “Rose Boquet,” or how Glen Philip does with about every other Toad the Wet Sprocket song. It’s a brilliant tool. I just want to get good enough with the craft of songwriting where I can use it effectively.

Q. Are there any tour coming soon?

JCAM: There is! We’re really excited about it. We are doing a college campus tour during the spring 2009 semester. We’ll mostly be in the Midwest and on the East Coast. There are some other big plans in the works…maybe some shows with some other cool artists…but those are secret for now! Haha. You’ll just have to keep checking back with me.

Q. Let’s talk about the Ellen Show. How the heck you got that gig? How do you feel when you got that phone call at first and then going on to the show to showcase your talent?

JCAM: Haha. I still can’t believe that worked. I made a website called “I’m Gonna Be On Ellen.” It was basically a blog with a few funny videos and it had a link directly to Ellen’s contact page and I asked people to start emailing Ellen and asking her to let me perform on the show. Hundreds of thousands of people emailed in and three months later I was singing one of my songs live on the Ellen Degeneres Show and being interviewed by her! It was crazy. The site is still up. It’s funny. http://www.imgonnabeonellen.com/

When the producers called me and showed interest I just laughed for a good, solid 3 minutes or so. I just couldn’t believe it could actually happen. It was incredible though. I owe Ellen a lot for doing that for me. It helped showcase my music to literally millions of people. Q. Should we be expecting more appearance in the future?JCAM: Ellen told me that when I get a record deal she wants to have me back on the show. Fingers crossed on that one. Haha. Seriously though, I hope to make a few more appearances on TV soon. I just need to make them happen for myself, which I proved is 100% possible. I also think my songs would work great in TV shows and movies, so I’ve been working on making that happen as well.

Q. How is it to be able to record or play a song with such producer like Bill Bell?

JCAM: Bill is the best! He saw something in me when nobody else did and we made a great record. I knew of his work with Jason Mraz, but he exceeded my wildest expectations. He’s super talented and ridiculously generous. We didn’t just work together, we became friends. I need to also point out that I wouldn’t have had a lot of the successes I’ve had so far if I didn’t work with Bill. Period.

Q. Any advice for those trying to make it out there? What do they actually need to do? Get some management partner?

JCAM: This is all easier said than done, but: 1) write great songs and 2) think outside the box. Go your own route and don’t worry about record labels or finding a manager. Look, I performed on national TV without a record label, agent, lawyer, manager, publishing company, etc. Literally anything out there can be achieved if you work really hard AND you’re talented. And I still have a long way to go myself. I’m still an unsigned artist. No record deal or publishing deal. But I’m finding new ways to be heard and always, ALWAYS writing more music. Like I said though, that’s all easier said than done.

Q. Hanson’s brothers have gone independent a couple of years back. So do Taylor Hicks of American Idol. Is it supposed to be a trend now that all artist can or should release their music themselves?

JCAM: I’m all for it. Why have a bunch of people taking a cut of your profits if you don’t need them to sell CDs. With tools like Myspace, Bebo, and iLike along with digital distribution from iTunes and CDBaby it’s easier than ever for the Independent Artist to be successful financially. On the other hand, how many independent artists do you know who are wealthy enough to fly on private jets and own flats in NYC? So there’s still an argument to made for landing a major record label deal.

Q. So Joe, something personal, are you looking or have you already some family and kids waiting for you somewhere?

JCAM: Oh wow. I am single. “Looking” sounds a bit too active for my current taste and situation, but my eyes definitely aren’t closed either. I absolutely want to get married and raise children someday. That would mean the world to me!

Q. Any new future projects coming soon?

JCAM: A few. The band is going to record a live CD soon. I’m really happy with my CDs, but they don’t show what we can do live. So it’s really important to document our live performance, which is high energy and very fun, and share it with as many people as possible.

Sometime next year I’m going back into the studio with Bill Bell to cut some new songs. We recorded VanCity in February of 2007 so it’s almost been two years since I’ve recorded a new song and I have a lot I want to get out there.

Q. How would people get hold of your music and album?

JCAM: All three of my CDs can be heard and purchased at my official website: http://www.JoeCameronMusic.com and VanCity can also be bought on iTunes, Amazon, and other digital sites. You can always find me and my music on myspace though. I try VERY hard to stay very interactive with my Myspace community. http://www.myspace.com/joecameronmusic

Thanks again for taking the time to answer some of the question. I’m sure that all of the audiences here and your fan would appreciate it. All the best on your new coming projects and new show.
Check out Joe Cameron’s sounds and his Ellen show appearance at http://www.myspace.com/joecameronmusic