BRIAN CAMPEAU is to a guitar what a Thai stripper is to a ping pong ball, both utilising their 'instruments' in the most unconventional ways. It's impossible to divert your attention from the performance on stage, fascinated by an act you never thought humanly possible. One might be forgiven for thinking Brian has confused his guitar with a piano, or a typewriter, or a cheese grater, or maybe a Thai stripper. But you won't hear anyone correcting him. His style lends itself to an intriguing, unconventional sound that turns your average song upside down and around into a masterpiece.

He's like a one man supergroup. Throughout his live show we see glimpses of Zach Rogue's hopeful orchestral pop, strokes of Jose Gonzales' delicacy, shards of Thom York's solemn genius, and flashes of Ben Folds' musicianship, thrown in with servings of jazz, folk, acappella, African Himbo Humbo and fuck knows what else.

But you can't pigeon-hole this man. His dabbling in various genres acts as a statement that says "see, I can do all that, so get off my back and let me play whatever the fuck I want". So he does. And people can't help but listen. We see so many bands these days desperate to try something new, only to end up reverting back to the sound of either a wet fart, or a band from 30 years ago. Brian however, is a musician forging his own eclectic brand of music, in his own unique style. And he's pulling it off.

A message to all aspiring guitarists/singers: if you are the dour 'glass half empty' type, then Brian's performance may reveal that mystical peak of unattainabilty, confronting you with the realisation that your own music is a mere drop, like any other, in a very big ocean. You'll go home, strum your guitar, then smash it over your housemates head, frustrated with the likes of Brian Campeau for raising the bar way too fucking high to ever come close.
But for the more shrewd who prefer to see the glass half full, then Brian's music will encourage you to assess the aesthetic potential of everyday sounds. It will offer hope that there is still music out there yet to be discovered, and it will give you the confidence to explore and push those boundaries.

Im guessing Brian has had his fair share of people telling him to write pop music, and Im sure his guitar, voice and song writing abilities could have made him alot of money doing so. But that's not why he's a musician. He realises that satisfaction accounts for so much more than money and fame. And you can tell Brian is a satisfied musician, doing exactly what he loves. And that's why his reach extends beyond the musically minded, inspiring us all to use our talents exactly how we want to, how we feel we should, rather than how other people tell us we should. And THAT will give us the best chance of attaining true satisfaction.

mp3's:
Brian Campeau - Montreal
Brian Campeau - Like A Girl
Brian Campeau - Lake George version 2
Brian Campeau - It's Just The End Of The World

Buy Brian's new masterpiece Two Faces, here.
visit his myspace
also grab some earlier tunes from his website

Labels: Brian Campeau, Sydney, Tom