Camden

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Camden, IT’S BEEN AWHILE SINCE OUR LAST INTERVIEW AND WE’RE HAPPY TO HAVE YOU BACK FOR ANOTHER. Tell us what you have been up to?

Carpazine  - When and how did you first become interested in music? How long have you been playing music?

Camden - My parents were very young when they had me. Still in high school, even. They were very into punk and metal; traveling between New York and Baltimore to see The Ramones, Iggy Pop, and Slayer. So these records were always around! I remember studying these covers as a kid, absorbing the look and sound.  My first true love was KISS, as much as I liked the Ramones and Iron Maiden, the imagery of KISS drew me in! I started playing drums in elementary school for the concert band and continued through the 10th grade, when I traded in the sticks for a Fender Stratocaster.

Carpazine - What's the most fun part of being a musician? 

Camden - The best part to me is performing live. I write high energy songs and being able to accompany the music with just as energetic a live show is very exciting to me.

Carpazine - What is the hardest part? 

Camden - The hardest part is writing songs that not only sound good to myself in my house, but that will also sound good live and get people into the show. I can write a song that sounds great to me when I'm alone in front of my amp- then go to play it live and have an entire room looking at me as if I shit my pants.

Carpazine - Who would you say were your early influences - who inspired you to be a musician? 

Camden - Earliest influence was absolutely the Ramones. They brought a tough guy image with memorable songs that has stuck with me to this day.

Carpazine - Best place you have ever played? 

Camden - My favorite place I ever played was a skate park in Thurmont, Maryland. I always saw skateboarding and punk rock as one in the same, and to be able to play my mosh pit music with kids going off on a half-pipe with incredibly awesome.

Carpazine - What are some of the bands you're listening to and enjoying right now?

Camden - I listen to every kind of music. So at this very moment I am going back and forth between Baroness, and early era Metallic...tomorrow… maybe Yelawolf and Bad Religion's Christmas album!

Carpazine - How did the punk lifestyle change for you when you became a dad?

Camden - Personally, I found punk to be the outlet to be yourself, while bettering your life without sacrificing who you are. I love big hair, ripped jeans, and loud guitars...today… I don`t have the hair, but everything else is there. The lifestyle no longer means getting wasted, sleeping on floors, and playing house shows every night. Now it means using my talents to ensure my children have what they need.

Carpazine - How do you balance your music with other obligations: mate, children, job…?

Camden - Being a hairstylist allows me the flexibility to work as much or as little as I need to. As long as the insurance is there, the house is there, and the food is there for my family. Playing music takes more scheduling these days, but isn't as difficult as I initially thought. I could very easily write music for commercials, or a record label to use for some branding band, but then that means sacrificing my love for music, and turning it into a "job"' for music, and in most cases, those songs have no true soul or meaning. It wouldn't come from the same place of passion and honesty.

Carpazine - If I was to turn on your iPod right now, what five artists/songs would I see on your recently played list?

Camden - Here's the thing, my iPod is quirky. When plugged into the auxiliary, it automatically gets set to "shuffle"....therefore you would most likely find The Boogers, a Ramones inspired Children’s band, Frozen the soundtrack, the misfits , SixxAm, and Discharge. We're all over the place here!

Carpazine - Any plans to work on a CD? 

Camden - My new band, Charged Minds, is working on material for a 2016 release. Fast punk a la Motörhead, Ramones, Monster Squad, Rancid, pretty much picking up where Group36 left off.

Carpazine - What's your favorite food? 

Camden - My favorite food is tuna fish on a tortilla. I take this to work everyday and it freaks my coworkers out. Haha!

Carpazine - What is the first record you bought?  

Camden - The first record I ever bought was Iron Maiden's Somewhere in Time. I went to a record and tape traders convention with my dad. Later that year I also acquired a Georgia Satellites’ cassette and the 1989 Batman soundtrack.

Carpazine - What makes you angry?

Camden - I find the thing that is most upsetting is the world’s total absorption into social media. We are no longer free thinking and living. We have allowed ourselves to compare our relationships to memes on Facebook and are too worried with building an Internet life instead of a real one. We have become too obsessed with how many "likes" we get on a repost of an article we didn't even truly read; instead of living our lives.

Carpazine - Is there a town or place in the world you consider inspiring?

Camden - The most inspiring town in the world has got to be Barcelona. The women know how to dress, the men aren't afraid of being emotional and pouring into their art. I love it.

Carpazine - Anything you’d like to add?

Camden - Thank you my friend, for years of support, and hopefully for many more to come.