I almost didn't make it to see my favorite band in concert yesterday! I had the date wrong, then there was a nasty storm with tornado warnings, and when I finally did arrive, I forgot the tickets! But once I got there, everything was perfect (I landed early, left my friends behind in the back and stood in the front row, like the ultimate geeky fan!). The highlight for me was Books Written for Girls. Performed live, it is absolutely stunning.
Prior to the concert, I did lots of reading about the band. All of the members seem incredibly humble, sort of in denial about their talent and quite unwilling to toot their own horn. Although Camera Obscura has been around for over a decade, it was only in the last few months that some of the members were able to quit their day jobs! And, Traceyanne (lead singer) has only recently overcome her horrible stage fright.
The latest album, My Maudlin Career, is a collection of songs Traceyanne wrote during an awful break up. She puts it all out there and doesn't deny that it's based on her personal life, like so often musicians do. In this little documentary, Camera Obscura's music is described as "both melancholy and blissful." I think that's exactly why I like it!
P.S. Excuse the ramblings but I find behind-the scenes stories of artists, etc.. to be incredibly inspiring and for some reason I felt like sharing these little tidbits! If Camera Obscura pops into your town, be sure to catch a show!
I saw them when they came to Auckland a couple of years ago. Love love love!
I adore Camera Obscura too-finally got to see them live for the first time a couple of months ago. My teenage years were spent up in my room with them on repeat so I have a lot of fondness for them. Seem like lovely people too.
Razzle Dazzle Rose.
oh! they were JUST in minneapolis last weekend and they were on my calendar for weeks and then at the last minute i just couldn’t make it–in the middle of moving and about a million other exhausting things. my heart is broken a little bit as a result. i’m so sorry to have missed them, that new album sure is something else.
i love all of your music recommendations!
So, so good to hear 🙂 I would love to see them in concert. I need to do some listening and reading up now 🙂
i love camera obscura! 🙂
oh sounds like so much fun, so glad you made it!
What a story, sounds like you had a good time!
I’d never heard of them before, thanks for the tip! I love music recommendations 🙂
I LOVE Camera Obscura!
I had planned to go see them in Seattle, but it’s a nine hour drive for me and I had a lot of friends visiting so it was hard to get away.
I love love love camera obscura. they are in my top 5 favorites of all time. along with: boy least likely to, vampire weekend, kings of convenience, and the cardigans.
just saw them this week in salt lake city! i love them to pieces, and i agree. finally hearing their music live makes it all that more beautiful. lalalove!
i heart camera obscura!! so exciting they came out with a new album! i would love to see them live someday. you lucky girl!
Thanks for the recommendation, I vaguely remember hearing about them but hadn’t heard their music. I just loaded up their Pandora station…sounds good so far!
Woah- it seems like fate tried really hard to not allow you to see Camera Obscura! So glad you made it!
And, thank you for all the wonderful links. Just watched the video on their site, and I loved what the main guy said about them- so point on.
Also- I had NO idea that Traceyanne had stage fright! I could tell something was wrong with her at the show- hoping it wasn’t Diva-ish behavior, but as soon as they started playing, I didn’t care, she sounded amazing! Anyhow, I could go on and on and on… but, I’m done. Glad you enjoyed the show!
a friend of mine recently took me to their concert…AMAZING!! totally addicted.