Camping in Alaska
Camping in Alaska | |
---|---|
Origin | Huntsville, Alabama, US |
Genres | Emo |
Years active | 2012–present |
Labels | |
Members |
|
Past members |
|
Website | campinginalaska |
Camping in Alaska is an American
History
Band members Austin Davis and Jacob Stewart met when they were 11 at a
Cape left shortly after the release of Please Be Nice and the band put out their sophomore album – Bathe (stylized with all caps) – in 2014; the album was picked up by Broken World Media shortly thereafter and it was re-released on cassette with the label in 2015.[3] In 2016, the band released Welcome Home Son (also stylized with all caps), which took a darker and more serious tone than previous releases;[3] the album is primarily concerned with the themes of addiction, homelessness, and loss,[1][3][7] as all of the band members have experiences battling addiction.[8][9] The darker tone contrasts with Please Be Nice, which focuses on themes of skating, being in high school, and hanging out in parking lots.[3][2]
A hiatus caused by the band's drug use followed the release of Welcome Home Son,[10] but in 2022 – with the addition of Dani Fandre, Davis' partner – the band released Lost and Found, a collection of acoustic demos recorded between 2017 and 2018.[3][2][11] In 2023, the band released Hollow Eyes (again stylized with all caps) which was followed by a tenth-anniversary tour for Please Be Nice.[3][1] The band announced their upcoming album will be titled Eggbeater Jesus, after a local landmark mural on a church in Huntsville; the name was chosen because, during his bout with homelessness, Davis had slept outside of the church in below-freezing weather.[2]
Influence
Camping in Alaska has been considered influential to
Members
- Austin Davis – lead vocals and rhythm guitar (2012–present)
- Jacob Stewart – drums (2012–present)
- Jacob Hill – rhythm guitar and bass (2012–present)
- Eli Long – bass and lead guitar (2012–present)[a]
- Dani Fandre – bass (2022–present)
- Ben Cape – guitar and vocals (2013)
- Robin – drums (?[b])
Discography
- please be nice (2013)
- BATHE (2014)
- WELCOME HOME SON (2016)
- Lost and Found (2022)
- HOLLOW EYES (2023)
- Eggbeater Jesus (TBA)
References
Notes
- ^ Long no longer plays bass for the band; he is now one of the band's guitarists.[2]
- ^ In Cortés 2023, Davis recounts that the band's name was chosen by "[o]ur old drummer, Robin". The last name is not mentioned, nor is the time frame in which they were in the band.
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g Cortés 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Wake 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k The Masquerade 2024.
- ^
- ^ Wake 2023: "Davis: Well, something that everybody online who digs into us knows is that we hate that song. [Laughs]"
- ^ Wake 2023: "But that song, when we were 17, we had bought $900 worth of studio time to do our first album. We had extra time after everything, because it went smoother than we thought. And so we had like half a day left and we’re like, OK, well, let’s not waste it. So I wrote a song in two hours on a notebook and then we jammed it out."
- ^ Jamar 2024.
- ^ Cortés 2023: "A lot happened between age 17 and age 28. We're all in recovery from addiction, so a lot of our newer stuff is definitely colored by that. I would say most of our new songs are about dealing with addiction and homelessness, stuff like that. Our old stuff I guess I still relate to in the way that when people hear it, it makes them feel like they're 15 again. That’s the best I think you can get out of it."
- ^ Wake 2023: "A lot of us in the band have dealt with bad drug addiction in the past"
- ^ Wake 2023: "During their original run, Camping in Alaska released three albums, before disintegrating due to drug use."
- ^ Frawley 2022.
- ^
- Cortés 2023
- Wake 2023
- Jamar 2024: "The album became an unexpected online cult favorite, marking Camping in Alaska as young vanguards of Midwest emo [...]"
- IDIOTEQ 2022: "In September 2013, Camping In Alaska released their debut, please be nice, and would play a few shows. Over the years, the record has become a relic on youtube and r/emo, becoming a cult classic."
- ^ Camping in Alaska 2013.
Sources
- Cortés, Sofía (October 17, 2023). "Q&A: Camping in Alaska". Marquette Wire. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- Frawley, Chris (October 30, 2022). "Camping in Alaska Gives Us Something to Chew On With "Lost and Found"". DOORS AT SEVEN. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
- Jamar, Madison (February 9, 2024). "Bandcamp Picks: Camping in Alaska & Viva Belgrado". Merry-Go-Round Magazine. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
- Wake, Matt (June 13, 2023). "Camping in Alaska: Millions of YouTube views, but they're still unknowns in their hometown". AL.com. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
- "Camping In Alaska". The Masquerade. March 21, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- "Midwest Emo pioneers CAMPING IN ALASKA share top 10 influentian albums, new acoustic EP streaming". IDIOTEQ.com. October 31, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
- "please be nice, by Camping in Alaska". Bandcamp. September 10, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2024.