The Campbell Brothers Play at Java
One thing that I really appreciate about St. Lawrence University and its liberal arts atmosphere is the work put into musical settings. Not only does St. Lawrence grant our student artists the ability to perform through the Underground or Java Barn, but there is also networking in place to bring in outsiders to come and bless us with their musical talents.
This previous week, Java Barn hosted The Campbell Brothers on Wednesday to perform from 7-8:30 p.m. There was also a music workshop on Thursday. The Campbell Brothers is a group of talented black male musicians from Rush, N.Y, and is composed of three brothers one son and the accompanied singer Denise Brown. The ensemble began at the House of God Keith Dominion congregation. One feature of The Campbell brothers is their prominent pedal steel guitar.
The performance was dominated by up-tempo tunes following blues that made the audience move in response to the performer’s energy. They would play a lot in A, G and E major, following the blues riffs and cadences 1-4-5-1 scale progressions. They shared the love a lot when it came to the spacing of the songs letting everyone have solos, but the premiere soloist was mainly Chuck Cambell, the steel guitar player.
After being able to attend both performances I gathered the three main things about this gospel band. The first thing I noticed was the strength and unity in family and brotherhood. This is seen in other areas in the music industry, such as The Temptations and The Jackson 5. Secondly, it’s important as a musician to notice how each type of audience shows their energy. While some are going to naturally move, others will stay quiet and still the whole time to really appreciate the music. And finally, their ties to faith and music are prominent in their performance. Many people debate if gospel or blues came first since they have similar musical qualities. In reality, the genres were made in relation to one another since a lot of blue players decided to play at clubs on Saturdays to earn money, then they would serve the lord with their blessed talents on Sundays for the churches.
In conclusion, I’m glad I was able to witness this band perform for the school, and I feel St. Lawrence hosting The Campbell Brothers helps promote the significance of art and the possibility for students to network for themselves afterward. k