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Camper Van Beethoven
Band Performance Courtesy of Clinton Steeds
Background information
Origin	California, United States
Genres	Alternative rock
Years active	1983–1990, 1999–present
Labels	I.R.S. Records Vanguard Virgin Records Pitch-A-Tent Records Rough Trade Records
Associated acts	Cracker, Monks of Doom, Counting Crows, Eugene Chadbourne
Website	Official website
Members
David Lowery Frank Funaro Victor Krummenacher Greg Lisher Jonathan Segel

Camper Van Beethoven is an American alternative rock group. An eclectic band even by the standards of 1980s underground music, Camper Van Beethoven mixed elements of pop, ska, world music, punk rock, folk, alternative country, and acid rock.

History

Early years (1983–1985)

Camper Van Beethoven formed in 1983 in Redlands, California. They grew out of several related garage bands, including Sitting Duck, Box O'Laffs and the Estonian Gauchos (the latter featuring future Cracker guitarist Johnny Hickman). Initially called Camper Van Beethoven and the Border Patrol, the group featured bassist/vocalist David Lowery, guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Chris Molla, drummer Bill McDonald, and several other musicians at various points. Although the band began in the punk rock scene, the members disliked its purism, and were fond of confusing hardcore audiences^{[citation needed]} by playing countrified versions of punk classics and ska-inflected instrumentals with Eastern European and Mexican melodies.

They relocated to Santa Cruz, California in 1984, and began to take more permanent shape in terms of membership with the early additions of bassist Victor Krummenacher (moving Lowery to rhythm guitar) and violinist, keyboardist and guitarist Jonathan Segel.^[1] Segel was a trained musician^{[citation needed]} who fit in with the band's diverse musical experimentation, yet was also able to embrace Camper's irreverent, non-purist approach to world music. Richie West also joined at this time, replacing McDonald.

First three albums (1985–1987)

In 1985, the band reduced its name to Camper Van Beethoven, replaced West with Anthony Guess, and recorded their debut album, Telephone Free Landslide Victory. The record featured their first successful single, "Take the Skinheads Bowling", the lesser hit "The Day That Lassie Went to the Moon", a wealth of gleeful college rock-cum-world music experiments, and an obtuse Black Flag cover. Shortly after this record was released, Guess departed, lead guitarist Greg Lisher permanently joined the group, and Lowery and Molla briefly took turns swapping drumming duties. This incarnation is featured on their second album, II and III, recorded immediately before long-term drummer Chris Pedersen was added in 1986.

The group's trademark violin-coated melodies and ironic, Frank Zappa-influenced^{[citation needed]} lyrics progressed from the absurdist novelty tunes of their debut to experimental music with the intricate, psychedelic pop meanderings of their self-titled third album, which featured guest membership from experimental banjo player Eugene Chadbourne. The song "Good Guys and Bad Guys" from this record also enjoyed some underground college radio play.

Molla left after touring for the third album, leaving the band as a five-piece with Lowery, Krummenacher, Segel, Lisher, and Pedersen — the longest-standing lineup in their initial career. Released in 1987, the EP Vampire Can Mating Oven foreshadowed the group's move away from the dense psychedelia of their third album back towards eclectic indie pop-rock.

Virgin Records years (1987–1990)

In 1987, the band relocated to San Francisco, California, and signed to Virgin Records. They then released their most accessible LP, Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart, which enjoyed larger record sales and MTV attention. This was followed by extensive touring.

Due to internal tensions, Segel left the band during rehearsals for their fifth full-length record. Written mostly as a four-piece, the resultant LP, Key Lime Pie, heavily featured the violin playing of Don Lax before the more permanent replacement of violinist Morgan Fichter (of the Bay Area band Harm Farm) was found. Their darkest work, the album reflected a significant mood shift. They scored a minor hit with a cover of the Status Quo song "Pictures of Matchstick Men", their highest-charting single.

Steel guitarist/guitarist/mandolinist David Immerglück (of the Ophelias) joined in 1990 for touring behind the record. Although Key Lime Pie ended up being their most commercially successful album, tensions within the band were growing, and they broke up in April 1990 after a show in Örebro, Sweden.^{[citation needed]}

Period of inactivity (1990–1999)

Camper Vantiquities, an album's worth of outtakes, demos and rarities (including the whole of the Vampire Can Mating Oven EP), was compiled by several members and released in 1993.

After disbanding, Lowery and Hickman formed Cracker with bassist Davey Faragher. Krummenacher, Lisher, Immerglück and Pedersen intensified their activities in Monks of Doom, a side project that had begun in 1986. These members also collaborated with Chadbourne on a number of records under the name Camper Van Chadbourne. Immerglück later joined Counting Crows. Segel played with Dieselhed, Sparklehorse, and fronted his own bands Hieronymus Firebrain and Jack & Jill, later playing under his own name. (He has also more recently been involved in experimental and electronic music, including collaborations with Fred Frith and Joelle Leandre, and an electro-acoustic duo with Dina Emerson called Chaos Butterfly.) Krummenacher began a solo career, making several solo albums of Americana- and blues-tinged rock music with such notable guests as Dave Alvin. Krummenacher and Segel also ran their own record label, the currently extant Magnetic Motorworks. Pedersen moved to Australia in 1998.

Reunion; Tusk (1999–2004)

In 1999, Lowery, Segel, Krummenacher and Lisher regrouped in the studio to assemble the experimental rarity set Camper Van Beethoven is Dead; Long Live Camper Van Beethoven. The latter three also joined Cracker for a tour, featuring set lists fortified with Camper Van Beethoven material.

In 2002, the group played its first proper live shows in 12 years. With Lowery, Segel, Krummenacher and Lisher forming the core of the reunited lineup, two New York dates also featured Immerglück, drummer Frank Funaro and keyboardist Kenny Margolis; three California dates omitted these latter three musicians and saw Pedersen return to the kit. Also in 2002, they released the double-CD Tusk, a re-recording of the entire Fleetwood Mac album of the same name. Although allegedly a rediscovery of 1987 demos, the album was in fact recorded in 2001 as an experiment to see if the members could now work together peacefully.^[2] Extensive touring (mostly with Margolis and Funaro) followed.

The group next released Cigarettes & Carrot Juice: The Santa Cruz Years, a five-disc box set compiling their first three (pre-Virgin) albums, Camper Vantiquities, and a live recording from 1990 they called Greatest Hits Played Faster. The latter recording featured live versions of several unreleased songs. Shortly thereafter, the band released "director's cut" versions of the first three records and Camper Vantiquities, whose deviations from the original versions included remastering, re-sequencing and additional demo and B-side tracks.

New Roman Times; subsequent activity (2004–present)

In 2004, the band released New Roman Times, their first studio album of original material in 15 years, which was well-received by critics and fans. A concept album, the record detailed the rise and fall of an idealistic Texan whose disenchantment following a stint with the American military redirected him towards organized terrorism. The album featured contributions by many Camper Van Beethoven associates, including Pedersen, Immerglück, Molla, and Hickman.

A limited-edition live concert disc was also released, In the Mouth of the Crocodile, capturing a 2004 performance in Seattle. Segments of a 2004 performance in Chicago were released the following year as Discotheque CVB: Live in Chicago. In 2005, the group began consistently performing as a five-piece with Funaro on drums, although Pedersen, Immerglück and even Molla occasionally reappear as guests.

The band frequently tours with Cracker (whom Krummenacher even joined for a time), and in 2005 the two groups started an annual three-night "Campout" at Pappy and Harriet's Pioneertown Palace in Pioneertown, CA, close to where David and Johnny met, in which they and several other bands perform. The Campout has seen appearances by Built to Spill and John Doe, among others.

A compilation of greatest hits titled Popular Songs of Great Enduring Strength and Beauty was released by Cooking Vinyl Records in June 2008. As band relations with Virgin Records were poor, they were not granted access to any material from the two Virgin LPs for this compilation. (Cracker had run into similar problems with Virgin a few years earlier.) Thus, the band re-recorded five songs from these albums to include on the collection. These were the first Camper Van Beethoven studio tracks to include Funaro.

Cover versions

In 1993, the band Sublime's singer and songwriter Bradley Nowell covered the Camper Van Beethoven song entitled "Eye of Fatima." The chord progression of this song was also used in the Sublime song entitled "What Happened." Sublime frequently covered other Camper Van Beethoven songs live, and Camper Van Beethoven eventually returned the favor by covering the Sublime song "Garden Grove" for the 2005 Sublime tribute album Look at All the Love We Found.

Teenage Fanclub's cover of Camper Van Beethoven's 1985 staple "Take the Skinheads Bowling" was used as the title track for the 2002 Michael Moore film Bowling for Columbine. A portion of the original Camper Van Beethoven recording can be heard as an introduction to the DVD release of the film. The song has also been covered by the Manic Street Preachers, released as a B-side to their 1996 single Australia and later included on the B-sides album Lipstick Traces. Tempe alt-rock band Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers have covered both "Take the Skinheads Bowling" and "Eye of Fatima."

Band Members

Present

• David Lowery – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums (1983–1990, 1999–present)
• Victor Krummenacher – bass, backup vocals (1984–1990, 1999–present)
• Jonathan Segel – violin, guitar, keyboards, mandolin, vocals (1984–1989, 1999–present)
• Greg Lisher – lead guitar (1985–1990, 1999–present)
• Frank Funaro – drums (2000–2004 as guest, 2004–present)

Part-time members:

• David Immerglück – guitar, lap steel guitar, backup vocals (1990; 2000–present part-time)
• Chris Molla – guitar, vocals, keyboards, drums (1983–1986; 2002–present part-time)
• Chris Pedersen – drums (1986–1990, 2004; 2002–present part-time)

Former

• Daniel Blume – violin (1984)
• Eugene Chadbourne – guitar, banjo (1986, studio sessions only)
• Morgan Fichter – violin, vocals (1989–1990)
• Anthony Guess – drums (1985)
• Don Lax – violin (1989)
• Stephoni Lowery – unknown (listed as former member on original vinyl press of Telephone Free Landslide Victory)
• Kenny Margolis – keyboards, accordion (2000–2006 as guest)
• David McDaniel – guitar (1983–1984)^[3]
• Bill McDonald – drums (1983–1984)
• Richie West – drums (1984)
• Mike Zorn – harmonica (1983–1984)

Discography

Studio albums

• Telephone Free Landslide Victory (1985)
• II & III (1986)
• Camper Van Beethoven (1986)
• Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart (1988)
• Key Lime Pie (1989)
• Tusk (2002)
• New Roman Times (2004)

EPs

• Take The Skinheads Bowling (1986)
• Vampire Can Mating Oven (1987)
• Turquoise Jewelry (1988)
• Pictures of Matchstick Men (1990)
• The History of Utah (live) (2004) – split single with Calexico

Live albums and compilations

• Camper Vantiquities (1993) – rarities compilation
• Camper Van Beethoven Is Dead. Long Live Camper Van Beethoven (2000) – rarities compilation
• Cigarettes & Carrot Juice: The Santa Cruz Years (2002) – box set
• In the Mouth of the Crocodile - Live in Seattle (2004) – live album
• Discotheque CVB: Live In Chicago (2005) – live ep
• Popular Songs of Great Enduring Strength and Beauty (2008) – greatest hits compilation

Various artist compilations

• Look at All the Love We Found (2005) – Sublime tribute album

References

External links

• Official web page
• Camper Van Beethoven collection on the Internet Archive's live music archive
• Krummenacher and Segel's label, Magnetic
• Interview with Crawdaddy!