Photo by Michael Faulkner
Cameron Blake: Baby Come Home (Live Version)
[audio:http://whatweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/10-Baby-Come-Home.mp3]
On Monday, December 20th Cameron Blake, accompanied by an ensemble of brilliant musicians, debuted his two newest albums ‘Hide and Go Seek’ and ‘Cameron Blake With Strings: Live!’ at An Die Musik. The setting was intimate and filled to capacity as the house lights dimmed and the performers walked onto a stage reserved only for those who, for lack of a better phrase, BRING IT.
Photo by Michael Faulkner, story by Matt Kelley.
Photo by Michael Faulkner
Gaberielle Finck
Opening with an instrumental and parlaying into his song “Hudson Line,” Cameron Blake and company led all those willing to follow away from the inherent angst and stress of the coming week. The troupe gently led them to a place where the classical tenor of Peabody and the grit and poetry of Americana Folk converged to create music that presently stands alone in Baltimore.
Photo by Michael Faulkner, story by Matt Kelley.
Photo by Michael Faulkner
Cameron Blake and Caleb Stine.
At one point in the evening Cameron invited Caleb Stine and Val Nebbia to the
stage for a sing along of “This land is your land” completing the transition from
quiet and contemplative to carrying and jovial.
Photo by Michael Faulkner, story by Matt Kelley.
Photo by Michael Faulkner
Ruby Fulton
One of the best ways to achieve greatness in your work is to surround yourself with other great people. Cameron must have taken this notion and ran with
it like a two-strike corner boy caught riding dirty by a Baltimore undercover,
because every single person on stage could have easily stood alone with their
instrument and delivered spellbinding music. But the laws of physics and all of their rigidity restricts one person from playing all the parts and instruments that go into a full and
rich performance such as this. One can only assume that this is one of the reasons Cameron asked Ruby Fulton, a Baltimore-based composer, to be a part of his ensemble.
Photo by Michael Faulkner, story by Matt Kelley.
Photo by Michael Faulkner
Cameron Blake: Every Hundred Miles
As the set progressed Cameron Blake and company played a set of songs that warranted the use of adjectives like beautiful, delicate and uplifting. “The Love Song Never Dies” was most encompassing of such descriptions and was further re-enforced by the captivation of the audience as the strings and percussion arrangements danced around Cameron’s voice and keys.
Photo by Michael Faulkner, story by Matt Kelley.
Photo by Michael Faulkner
Geoff Knorr
If Cameron Blake were Paul Simon, Geoff Knorr would be his Art Garfunkel. He
is responsible for a substantial amount of compositions and accompaniments that
exist within Cameron’s repertoire. Geoff has been performing with him for the past
four years.
Photo by Michael Faulkner, story by Matt Kelley.
Photo by Michael Faulkner
Photo by Michael Faulkner, story by Matt Kelley.
Photo by Michael Faulkner
Being a songwriter, the matter of what makes an amazing artist has been the
topic of discussion during innumerable fat chewing sessions between myself
and several other creatives in Baltimore. The one recurring theory (short of
a sick ass light show) is that passion is the one element you cannot do without if
you intend to be an artist worth remembering. Passion can mean the difference
between filling a house and clearing one out. It cannot be taught or imitated but
was visible on the faces of everyone on stage.
Photo by Michael Faulkner, story by Matt Kelley.
Photo by Michael Faulkner
Virginia Geckler and Clark Valery
Photo by Michael Faulkner, story by Matt Kelley.
Photo by Michael Faulkner
Dan Cohan and Alex Champagne
Although the majority of the night’s work was done by the musicians,
much of the beauty and nuances the music could have been lost had it not been
for the audio work by Alex Champagne (Right), seen here with Dan Cohan
(left) of The Water. Alex’s expertise with sound can be heard across Baltimore in venues such as the Golden West and the Windup Space to name a few.
Photo by Michael Faulkner, story by Matt Kelley.
Photo by Michael Faulkner
Dave Hadley
Both of Cameron’s albums are currently available on his website. If you’re the type of person that likes to sit down at the end of the day, pour yourself a drink and get lost in the melodies, harmonies and subtle hooks. I recommend adding one if not both of these albums to your collection.
Photo by Michael Faulkner, story by Matt Kelley.
