|
photo by Julie Schuchard
|
Over the years I've collected a pile of regrets that torment my every waking hour. For example, failing to get up in time for Spencer Tunick's photo shoot of thousands of naked people at Burning Man. Or not going to Timbuktu when I lived in Senegal for a year and a half.
Why can't I get my priorities straight and seize the opportunities that life presents me? It's with great sadness that I share the most recent addition to my big list of regrets.
I first stumbled across Brian Campeau at the Excelsior Hotel in Surry Hills, where he was filling in for Peregrine. Brian had agreed to do the show at the last minute, and Sue Telfer (the booker) looked a little uncomfortable as she waited for an unknown quantity to smooth over the gap left by the much-loved Peregrine. Luckily for Sue, Brian turned out to be dazzling. He blew us away with his wild and wonderful stylings — his music was intricate, erratic, intense, and playful. We stood in the back looking like caricatures of people in shock, mouths wide-open in awe. What a treat!
Brian Campeau |
Since then, Brian's played around town quite a bit, and he's attracting attention from indie radio and street press. He released a double CD, Two Faces, which inspired this delicious review:
"CD One makes me feel warm and fuzzy. CD Two makes me question the possibility of a human eating his or her own head, then writing a thesis on whether you can or can't, giving reasons why and/or instructions."
– Leigh Boland
After the CD launch, Brian did what any self-respecting progressive folk-jazz artist would do. He gathered some friends together to attempt to break the world record for the longest gig ever. The current record in Guinness World Records is 48 hours. So Brian and friends set up at the Sydney Uni's Manning bar and played music for 50 hours straight.
Audience at Brian Campeau's
World Record gig attempt |
They started on a Monday at around 8:00 a.m. To break the record, at least ten conscious audience members had to be present at all times. Maintaining an audience would be tricky during the wee hours, so I planned to camp out on Tuesday night to help boost the numbers (and because I was pretty sure it'd be highly amusing). But I made the fatal mistake of watching one little episode of Lost, and next thing you know, I crashed out. Argg!
I didn't miss the gig entirely. I woke up at 6:00 a.m. Wednesday morning to catch the last three hours, but I know I missed a lot of the magic moments that only hardcore attendees were lucky enough to experience.
3hrs to go... |
After two days and nights of nonstop rock (and pop, and jazz, and country, and hiphop, and meandering improv) they were still surprisingly entertaining. I arrived to a mash-up of "Red, Red Wine," "Land Down Under," and "Centerfold." Songs tumbled deliriously from one into another. No genre or era was left untouched.
But trawling through a lifetime of songs isn't without its dangers! Snippets of Toto, Dido, and Rick Astley may slip out unwittingly. The drummer's mastery of Vanilla Ice lyrics may raise hairy questions. There might come a point when the previously rock-solid ban on Abba finally crumbles. These risks come with the territory. Band and fans need to be prepared for these situations.
Brian Campeau and friends |
As the 49th hour approached, the band members were in a lot of pain. The percussionist alternated between a vegetative state and wild desperation as the final minutes dragged past. But when it came to crunch time, they managed to pull some magic out of their weary bag of tricks.
The finale was a sensational audio collage of cheesy ’80s dance hits. Only the very best: "Pump Up the Jam," "Push It," "Everybody Dance Now." And the record for world’s longest gig was broken to the big party favourite, "Groove Is In the Heart." I was in heaven! It was like my dear old party CD 100% Dance in fast-forward, only played live by the world's most exhausted band. It doesn't get much better than that!
I'm glad I caught a few hours of the madness, but I can't shake a vague feeling of disappointment in myself. Next time I consider piking on a major event I will think of Brian Campeau and friends belting out Macy Gray's "Do Something":
Don't let the days of your life pass you by
You got to get up, get out
And do somethin'
How will you make it if you never even try?
– Macy Gray, "Do Something" from On How Life Is
Posted October 2006
Send to del.icio.us |
|
