"they'll tell me I'm a philistine / or just this sudden tease of what you mean / but when you turn your head / I turn to song..."
The rustic fire branded Americana politico rock of "Sons and Daughters" by singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, creative, renaissance man Cameron Keiber (The Beatings, Eldridge Rodriguez), feels at once intimate and cavernous, the kind of song for community resistance and buried time capsules to exist forever. Keiber possesses a vocal countenance full of fist fights (figurative or not), splinters from protest signs, winces at government oversteps and derisive hope. I love the guitar sound, part Springsteen / part Kevin Shields and the beat poetry of his lyrics that have, at their core, the passion and drama of busker punk. There is also something, almost imperceptible that feels like Celtic folk bubbling through, not sure if I am only imagining it (I do that sometime) but suffice it to say that I would bet that Keiber has one acoustic guitar hung on the wall with an Orkney tuning (CGDGCD).
"Sons and Daughter" is from Cameron Keiber's upcoming offering "Nurser" released on March 14th via Keiber's own label (with his brother) Midriff Records -
About the song, Keiber shares:
["Sons and Daughters" was a song written over a decade ago that finally found its footing and was recorded for Nurser. Its a condemnation of conservative attacks on LGBTQ+ and other marginalized groups.. It couldn't be more clear how when deconstructed their argument falls apart.]
The seeds of the song, the political statement are no more relevant than now, now that we have somehow elected Donald President (R.R.G*) as an American President for the second time. It is still hard for me to fathom. Maybe our phones have reprogrammed our brains or infested us all with a brain eating worm like RFK Jr, a worm that eats the grey matter that is responsible for reasoning and empathy.
I hope you love "Sons and Daughters" and I look forward the the album coming out. Listen intently and you keep up the good fight as well. You will find all you need and should know about Cameron Keiber along with social links beneath THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM. It is a great read.
* Racist, Rapist, Grifter
-Robb Donker Curtius
https://www.instagram.com/cameron_keiber
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJEZz9R62nQ
NURSER is the first proper solo album by Cameron Keiber in his 30 plus year career.
Keiber was born in Raleigh North Carolina. Almost immediately after birth he underwent life saving surgery that left him with deep scars across his body, scars he was horribly self conscious of and contributed to a feeling of being an outsider that followed him through adulthood. When he was a child his family moved to New Jersey and then New York, under an hour from NYC. He grew up taking the bus into the city in the ‘80s and ‘90s where he was exposed to the NYC art, music and theater scene of the era. He played in bands in high school and after high school he attended The University of Massachusetts at Amherst where he started his first club band, opening for the likes of Helium, Polvo, Kustomized, J Mascis, The Unband and a bevy of Western Massachusetts luminaries at places like The Bay State Cabaret and Pearl Street. Upon graduating college Keiber fled to Boston and soon started noise pop heroes, The Beatings. That band was heralded by everyone from the Village Voice, Mojo, LA Weekly, The NYT, Magnet, The Washington Post (who’s editors picked the bands debut album, “Italiano” as there 5th best release that year), the Boston Globe, A/V Club and on and on. The Beatings did 7 national tours playing with acts as varied as The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, The Hold Steady, the National, Wesley Willis, Harmar Superstar, Black Helicopter (a show Thurston Moore had on his end of the year list as a fav) and so many others. The Band appeared as a talking head in the Mission of Burma documentary “Not a Photograph” along side the likes of Moby and Moore. The Beatings played there final show in May 2019 at beloved Boston institution, Great Scott.
In the years that The Beatings were waining Keiber began recording and playing out under the Eldridge Rodriguez moniker. What began as a solo effort with personnel coming in and out eventually to a permanent form with the release of The Castrati Menace album, making brothers David and Dennis Grabowski and Clayton Keiber and later Bridget Nault members. Eldridge Rodriguez has released 9 albums and Eps and multiple singles. They have become fixtures in the New England music scene and been praised by outlets like Stereogum, CoS, Under the Radar, The Big Takeover, Earmilk, Various Small Flames and more. They released their latest full length, Atrophy, in 2023 and have been headlining shows since to promote it.
NURSER is a slight departure for Keiber. Not only because it dabbles in loops and beats but it may be his most focused and direct lyrically. There are themes he’s explored in the past like religion (“Release”) and depression and death (“Forever 25”) but extremely personal journeys as well like calling out the tragic and possibly preventable death of his father, writer/artist Robert John Keiber (“Black Bear”) or telling conservatives to fuck off in defense of the LGBTQ+ community (“Sons and Daughters”).
Some people write songs that are left up to listeners interpretation, but that isn’t the case here. There are explicit points, thoughts and points of view across NURSER. Such as the treatment of women in the U.S. (“Beach Party Iran 1970”) or Conservative radicalization (“Deadloop”). The instrumentation plays with aspects of folk, rock, trap and noise. Its equal parts Neil Young and LCD Soundsystem. It has the playfulness of the Violent Femmes and word play of David Berman. Its got bits of The Fall as well as Sebadoh (Keiber opened for Lou Barlow a few years ago). The intention was to create an album that you put on late at night after being out. “After the Gold Rush” or John Cale’s “Fear”. Pleasant enough, but thoughtful. Emotional but not overwrought and unpalatable.
Cameron Keiber has been operating Midriff Records with his brother Clayton out of Boston and Brooklyn for decades.
Midriff Records, est. 2000
Cameron Keiber- vocals, guitar, bass, harmonica, bow, theremin, keyboards, piano, percussion, noise, programming
Additional programming and guitar by David Grabowski at Bluestone Studio
Additional piano by Mel Lederman on “A Newer Year” and “Jane Fonda with a Bow”
Recorded by David Grabowski at Bluetone Studio in Somerville MA and by Cameron Keiber at his home in Boston MA
Engineered by David Grabowski.
Mastered by Jeff Lipton and Costanza Tinti at Peerless Mastering, Newton MA
Produced by David Grabowski and Cameron Keiber
Album Artwork by Cameron Keiber.
Design by Riley Howland
Special thanks to Clayton Keiber
Midriff Records is owned and operated by Clayton Keiber and Cameron Keiber out of Brooklyn and Boston. DIY for over 20 years, Independent forever.
facebook | instagram
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.instagram.com/cameron_keiber
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJEZz9R62nQ
Keiber was born in Raleigh North Carolina. Almost immediately after birth he underwent life saving surgery that left him with deep scars across his body, scars he was horribly self conscious of and contributed to a feeling of being an outsider that followed him through adulthood. When he was a child his family moved to New Jersey and then New York, under an hour from NYC. He grew up taking the bus into the city in the ‘80s and ‘90s where he was exposed to the NYC art, music and theater scene of the era. He played in bands in high school and after high school he attended The University of Massachusetts at Amherst where he started his first club band, opening for the likes of Helium, Polvo, Kustomized, J Mascis, The Unband and a bevy of Western Massachusetts luminaries at places like The Bay State Cabaret and Pearl Street. Upon graduating college Keiber fled to Boston and soon started noise pop heroes, The Beatings. That band was heralded by everyone from the Village Voice, Mojo, LA Weekly, The NYT, Magnet, The Washington Post (who’s editors picked the bands debut album, “Italiano” as there 5th best release that year), the Boston Globe, A/V Club and on and on. The Beatings did 7 national tours playing with acts as varied as The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, The Hold Steady, the National, Wesley Willis, Harmar Superstar, Black Helicopter (a show Thurston Moore had on his end of the year list as a fav) and so many others. The Band appeared as a talking head in the Mission of Burma documentary “Not a Photograph” along side the likes of Moby and Moore. The Beatings played there final show in May 2019 at beloved Boston institution, Great Scott.
In the years that The Beatings were waining Keiber began recording and playing out under the Eldridge Rodriguez moniker. What began as a solo effort with personnel coming in and out eventually to a permanent form with the release of The Castrati Menace album, making brothers David and Dennis Grabowski and Clayton Keiber and later Bridget Nault members. Eldridge Rodriguez has released 9 albums and Eps and multiple singles. They have become fixtures in the New England music scene and been praised by outlets like Stereogum, CoS, Under the Radar, The Big Takeover, Earmilk, Various Small Flames and more. They released their latest full length, Atrophy, in 2023 and have been headlining shows since to promote it.
NURSER is a slight departure for Keiber. Not only because it dabbles in loops and beats but it may be his most focused and direct lyrically. There are themes he’s explored in the past like religion (“Release”) and depression and death (“Forever 25”) but extremely personal journeys as well like calling out the tragic and possibly preventable death of his father, writer/artist Robert John Keiber (“Black Bear”) or telling conservatives to fuck off in defense of the LGBTQ+ community (“Sons and Daughters”).
Some people write songs that are left up to listeners interpretation, but that isn’t the case here. There are explicit points, thoughts and points of view across NURSER. Such as the treatment of women in the U.S. (“Beach Party Iran 1970”) or Conservative radicalization (“Deadloop”). The instrumentation plays with aspects of folk, rock, trap and noise. Its equal parts Neil Young and LCD Soundsystem. It has the playfulness of the Violent Femmes and word play of David Berman. Its got bits of The Fall as well as Sebadoh (Keiber opened for Lou Barlow a few years ago). The intention was to create an album that you put on late at night after being out. “After the Gold Rush” or John Cale’s “Fear”. Pleasant enough, but thoughtful. Emotional but not overwrought and unpalatable.
Cameron Keiber has been operating Midriff Records with his brother Clayton out of Boston and Brooklyn for decades.
Midriff Records, est. 2000
Cameron Keiber- vocals, guitar, bass, harmonica, bow, theremin, keyboards, piano, percussion, noise, programming
Additional programming and guitar by David Grabowski at Bluestone Studio
Additional piano by Mel Lederman on “A Newer Year” and “Jane Fonda with a Bow”
Recorded by David Grabowski at Bluetone Studio in Somerville MA and by Cameron Keiber at his home in Boston MA
Engineered by David Grabowski.
Mastered by Jeff Lipton and Costanza Tinti at Peerless Mastering, Newton MA
Produced by David Grabowski and Cameron Keiber
Album Artwork by Cameron Keiber.
Design by Riley Howland
Special thanks to Clayton Keiber
Midriff Records is owned and operated by Clayton Keiber and Cameron Keiber out of Brooklyn and Boston. DIY for over 20 years, Independent forever.
facebook | instagram
Cameron Keiber, Cameron Keiber, singer songwriter, vast multi-instrumentalist, politico rock, folk rock, indie rock, alt rock, noise rock, (The Beatings, Eldridge Rodriguez), "Sons and Daughters", upcoming album "Nurser",
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