Oct

26

Maybe I’ll keep that in mind, the next hundred times…

Filed Under Reviews, Sunday Share 

This Sunday, like many Sundays, I’d like to do something just a little different for my Sunday Share. I’d like to share something from a friend. Literally more from a friend than other “from a friend” things that I’ve posted.

My friend, Sean Evan, and I played many shows side-by-side in Orlando. And as long as I’ve known the guy? He’s been a very jazzy guitar player with a hint of attitude. And while he comes across looking like a very scraggly clone of Paul Simon with a touch of Jason Mraz, the presence that he holds on a stage is one that I could only envy. He gets lost in his music, and because you can see the passion and emotion that he feels for it? You have no choice but to be drawn in on it.

The whole time I’ve known Sean, he’s been behind an acoustic guitar. So when he told me he was getting a band together, I had no idea how that would sound. I couldn’t really imagine the guy with anything but an acoustic, maybe another acoustic backing him in a band. But, he knows best, and I trust that.

While he did a few gigs before I left Orlando, because I was so busy with our upcoming move, I didn’t have a chance to make it out to see him and the band. And a week or two back, he asked me to take a listen to his bands EP on his MySpace. I told him, quite honestly, that I don’t really listen to music at home anymore just for the sake that I’m always either at work, or that I don’t have speakers on my home computer, and if he wanted me to take a listen, he’d better pass me the mp3s. I felt a little greedy, knowing that he and the band got it professionally mixed, and I know how hard he’s been working on this…

And I felt even worse when I heard it.

To be honest, The Cameron Quartet (or on MySpace for the EP) isn’t the best band that you’ve ever heard. They’re not even the best band that you’ve never heard of. They’re four hardworking guys who put in a lot of what they love into the music that they play, and it comes across. And the four songs, for the few months they’ve been together? Are a perfect full band sound. They’re not “Sean Evan and backing band.” The harmonies to the songs are nice additions to Sean’s vocals, and Richie Kelly’s vocals on “Streetlight” are a nice introduction to the sound on the EP. The other three tracks–”Worthwhile,” “Be There,” and “Brand New”–lead mostly by Sean (with Richie stepping in for a verse or alternating line here or there) are classic fare that I’ve come to expect from Sean, but then some. Richie’s lead guitar work, while sometimes feeling a little excessive, still belongs. The artistry of Mark Cardona’s bass playing leads the steady march of Cheech’s drums. To be honest, while sometimes lost in the mix, the pairing of Mark and Cheech’s rhythm section is sublime. I found myself stopping and listening to the underlying lines, and there’s something there that is so counterpoint to Richie’s lead work, but that just works. Sean’s lyrics are complex, thoughtful, and insightful, and make me wish that I had more of a chance to actually sit down and hang out with him in town. Sean writes in a style that paints pictures. These snapshots just draw in the listener, and strong hooks on the chorus keep your head moving. My two complaints are that Richie’s guitar is in need of a slight intonation adjustment (something only a musician or audiophile would notice) and the mixing is still a little rough…

BUT those are superficial things.

If this is only what they’ve done after three to four months? Keep an eye on them Orlando. Finally some good music coming out of the town…

Oh yeah, and check them out at a show and pop $3 into Sean’s pocket or buy the guy a beer because I owe him for my copy of the EP…

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    About The Site


    Thanks for stopping by, folks! My name is Adam J. Cohen, and I'm a guitarist/songwriter in Champaign, IL, recently relocated from Orlando, FL where I'm a UCF grad. Here, you'll find vignettes on my life, setlists from open mics and reviews, and whatever else crosses my mind. Enjoy!