Camper Van Beethoven
Once upon a time, there was band. A band of men who traveled
the USA playing their rock and roll, inspiring the kids and terrifying
the adults ("I hope my son don't turn out like that.")... They opened
for REM... They slept on people's couches (if you caught one of their
shows back then, they may have slept on yours)... They heckled
unsatisfied audiences right back... They played kitchen, bars, malls...
They ate bagels and drank gourmet coffee... And they wanted to be
the Beatles. But they weren't.
They were Camper Van Beethoven.
During the 1980s the college rock band Camper Van Beethoven became an underground favorite with their unusual psychedelic rock/country/ska/polka/European folk hybrid sound and surreal, quirky lyrics. Formed in the Santa Cruz, Calif. area in 1983 by members of the local band Box O'Laffs and the Estonian Gauchos, Camper Van Beethoven quickly gained a reputation in their area for their bizarre folk version of hardcore songs. By 1985 their debut album, Telephone Free Landslide Victory, was out on IRS Records and soon became a college radio staple with singles like "Take the Skinheads Bowling" and a cover of Black Flag's "Wasted." The following year II & III and Camper Van Beethoven continued the sextet's streak of critically acclaimed releases, leading to a deal with Virgin Records.
Camper's major-label debut, 1988's Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweeheart, though more serious than past albums, continued to please the band's cult fan base. While the music kept coming, by the late 1980s the band was fragmenting; guitarist Chris Molla and guitarist/violinist Jonathan Segel left in 1987 and 1988, respectively, while several other members formed a side-project called Monks of Doom in 1985. Therefore it came as no surprise when Camper Van Beethoven broke up while on tour of Europe in 1990 supporting their last album, 1989's Key Lime Pie. Frontman David Lowery went on to form the successful alternative rock band Cracker, while other members continued performing -- often together -- in a succession of groups, most of which sound similar to Camper, or at least are as weird.
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