Camper Van Beethoven - Chicago, IL

The best things about reunion comebacks are discovering a band for the first time and being able to see them live. I was seven years old when Camper Van Beethoven released their first album Telephone Free Landslide Victory in 1985. My musical memories from that time were limited to rainy day recesses when the assistant principal at Patrick Henry grade school opened up the auditorium to play poor quality VHS taped videos of "The Super Bowl Shuffle," and "Thriller," to keep the children entertained. I don't remember him ever playing "Take The Skinheads Bowling."

So when Camper Van Beethoven called it a comeback in 2004 with New Roman Times I couldn't help but be a little intrigued and a little curious to find out who they were and what I had missed during my youth of backyard Whiffle Ball and Nintendo playing. It's 2006 now and I work in an office and listen to music up to twelve hours a day and am always looking for something new or some band that I missed. With the music being readily available these days I fell upon Camper Van Beethoven, discovering songs like "O Death," "Vampire Club," "Cowboys from Hollywood," "(We're A) Bad Trip," "Eye of Fatima," and "Wasted."

This being the era of the reunion with bands like the Pixies and Gang of Four making windfall comebacks, Camper Van Beethoven's return fell under the radar but was the most seamless in return to form and artistic vision.

Even without constant festival touring or any major hits from New Roman Times, Camper Van Beethoven was able to draw a healthy crowd to the Abbey Pub. A white sheet taped to the wall behind the band served as a multimedia screen playing a slideshow of current event avatars of Phil Spector, Arnold Schwarzenegger, pyramids, and flying saucers; a goofy collage reminiscent of their musical structure and song themes.

The words, "Hello Chicago. Are you ready to rock?" silently appeared on the multimedia screen as CVB came out to play an instrumental theme. They dazzled the crowd with a multitude of song styles from each of their recordings, from REM-style jangle-pop/college rock, to surfboarder ska punk and psychedelia, to Celtic violin world songs, and campy goof-rock anthems like "Take The Skinheads Bowling." Camper Van Beethoven's sound is difficult to nail down to one specific genre.

Surprisingly some of the show highlights came from the newer material. One of them early on was "The Long Plastic Hallway." "Lalalalala cigarettes and carrot juice, marijuana and lots of booze" sing-a-long from the new album. Also, "That Gum You Like Is Back In Style," seemed to transcend the crowd with it's slow groove melody and charm.

Not content to entirely focus on the new record, CBV also excelled with their pre-reunion material "Eye of Fatima," the ska-bopping "One Of These Days," and the minor hit "Pictures of Matchstick Men."

Camper Van Beethoven has enough cult status to fill Abbey Pub-sized rooms. They might have started twenty years ago when I was seven years old, and I would have probably listened to them if I was in college in 1985, but now it's twenty years later and I'm an adult (filled in a room of adults reminiscing about the band that they grew up with or have just discovered.) It's twenty years later and I've stopped growing, but I haven't stopped discovering. Consider me a fan.