Stumbled Upon #111 – Jon Campbell (New York, USA)

In our 111th edition of Stumbled Upon, we meet Berlin-based New Yorker, Jon Campbell. Learn more about this talented musician and his debut EP, About a Boy, out now!

Name:
Jon Campbell

Website / Social Media:
Facebook

Members & their roles:
This was the band for the recording, although the band for live shows varies:

Jon Campbell – vocals, guitars, electric bass, toy piano, electronics

Jamie Irrepressible – piano, vocals

Chloe Treacher – cello

Will Harvey – violin and viola

Niko Scharfnoske – double bass

Malte Schiller – trombone

Johannes Böhmer – trumpet

Ian Tripp – drums

What music or artists inspired you?
Leonard Cohen, The Magnetic Fields, The Smiths, to name a few…

How did you get started?
I started writing songs when I was 15, when I fell in love with a boy at school. Originally the songs were like love letters: they were very private and only directed at the subjects of the songs. I’d only performed the songs a couple of times, solo, with just my guitar. Jamie Irrepressible encouraged me to share them with a broader audience, and flesh them out with a band, and his own arrangements.

How would you best describe your live show?
Very intimate and quite emotional.

What shows do you have coming up?

Will be doing a EP launch show in London soon, and eventually in Italy, France, and the Netherlands.

Tell us about your latest release:

About a Boy is an EP comprised of seven songs – some songs from my youth, as well as more recent songs. Most of the songs are reflections on the past and past relationships, dealing in particular with the unrequited love of straight men.

A lot of the songs on the EP were written at the same time, as I was painting portraits of these guys who I was infatuated with. The songs are like portraits of different boys, varying  in style according to the ‘model’ in front of me, but sung from the isolated perspective of the same secret admirer.

Where can I get your music?

My music is available on iTunes and Amazon and many other online portals. You can also order the CD (with lyrics and original artwork) from http://joncampbellmusic.bigcartel.com/.

Listen to ‘Stumbled Upon’ on AU Radio , Mondays at 8:30PM, Thursdays at 3PM and Sundays at 10AM (AEDT).

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