Grumpy, The - June 2009

Interview with

Cameron Carbrey (vocalist/songwriter/guitarist) of The Grumpy

THE GRUMPY has achieved numerous recognitions for their musical abilities both in playing and composing their music. Front man vocalist/songwriter/guitarist Cameron Carbrey took his skills into his own hands and thus created THE GRUMPY and has never looked back. When he created and played the original music score for ‘Van Gogh: How Can We Make Our Pictures Speak’ (Doniel Soto), a modern take with the impression of the painter's life and wound up going off Broadway with the project. After work shopping the show at California's University to which he was still in high school.

But that's not all he had accomplished he also knew how to play several instruments at the time being a mastermind at hand. Since then, Cameron has played in a handful of bands including The Outlaw Josie Wales Band, hip-hop group Hurchu among many others. Leading him down a musical career lane he can cherish until the end of time. He has grasped a hold of all of THE GRUMPY's performances taken place over the North and South terrains of California and been featured upon the most popular publications in the reading world. In close THE GRUMPY has done it all and doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon.

Reflections of Darkness (RoD): How, when, and why did you form?
Cameron Carbrey (Cameron): Well, JW and I have been lifelong friends and played in a ton of bands together from death metal to country. I knew he had the desire to play music without binding himself to genre. I had written some material around 1999 and asked JW to play drums and he jumped right on in. Several years later, when we finally found our bassist Justin and we heard for the first time something we'd wanted since the beginning: a unifying voice. Our next release is going to bring more of our diversity to the table from this utopian marriage of soul and chops. It's exciting to hear how we're really coming into ourselves with this line-up.

RoD: Who do you consider your major influences?
Cameron: I try to listen to an ever changing stream of music. The ones that stay anchored by me are artists like Pink Floyd and Bela Fleck. I have quite a sweet tooth for some Sepultura now and then, coupled with a profound love of Motown. I listen to a lot of hip-hop and try to bring what I can from it, but it's a delicate line I want to tastefully walk. Rza is a pretty big influence from that genre. World music and instruments are fascinating to me, too.

RoD: How would you describe your sound?
Cameron: Honestly, that seems to be the hardest question to answer. We don't set boundaries in our writing. We have so many songs from so many genres. We write anything that strikes us, no matter if it is death metal or country. We generally stay in the middle on rock, but we have some punk, folk, reggae, pop ballads, jazz and blues in our original catalogue. Rather than limit ourselves to genre, we just limit ourselves to being tasteful in whatever we decide to play. I guess I'd describe it as diverse and honest.

RoD: What are a majority of your songs about? Is there an underlying theme?
Cameron: I usually write about things that I have gone through, or things close friends have gone through. Things that happen to all of us or things that are happening to all of us. There are a lot of things to write about in today's world climate, but I like to write in retrospect, if possible. Ultimately, I try to make sure there's a positive message behind it or a solution to the problem.  Many of the songs deal with triumph over challenges. There's a spirituality I'm hoping to pass on to the listener in a very subtle way. I don't want to tell anyone how to think, I just want to encourage them to think for themselves. You'll seldom see or hear cursing in the lyrics.  I believe that if words have value, they don't need "enhancements". Some songs are just random snapshots of time or places that have touched me in some way. The origin of each song is unique in its inception. Throes of Contemplation is largely about righting internal moral wrongs and taking a stand for yourself. Loving yourself and getting to better places by intentional effort. With the exception of the closing track, which is a cautionary tale about the other side of the same coin. I aim to tell both sides of any story whenever possible.

RoD: What are your immediate music career goals?
Cameron: Our immediate goals are to get our music published and reach as many people as possible.  Each time someone tells me how a song has touched them, it makes me want to get the music out and bring other people that kind of peace. As many people as possible. We are currently getting situated with a company based out of L.A. to secure some publishing for our latest recording, but it's still in infancy. The last couple years have been heavy trench work for us. It was time to pay dues.

RoD: What are your long-term music goals?
Cameron: I plan on continuing to write, record and perform until my fingers won't wiggle. I am constantly reinventing the writing style I use to stumble on new ideas and perspectives. I hope to have had a prolific career that is diverse, unique and artistic by the time I close the guitar case for the last time. I hope to have changed lives, even if only a few.

RoD: What kinds of instruments do you guys prefer?
Cameron: I play over a dozen different instruments, but I primarily stick to guitar and piano.  As a guitarist, I use mostly Minarik guitars. I do pull out the occasional Gibson SG or Fender Tele, but you'll almost always see me playing Minarik through my Mesa/Boogie. JW has been on a Tama drum set since he was a kid. He's always been a Zildjian guy as far as cymbals go.  Justin has the strangest bass rig known to man. He's playing a Schecter bass at the moment, through a Hammond amp that he pulled out of an organ that's powering my 1972 2x15 Fender Bassman cabinet. It's got a great tone, but it looks very Frankenstein to me. It's a good thing ears don't have eyes.

RoD: Explain your ideas of an ideal show?
Cameron: I'd say our show at the Viper Room in Hollywood last July was pretty ideal.  There were times during the set that the crowd was singing along to our originals so loud, I couldn't hear my own voice through the monitors.  When you finish a song and the sonic boom of the crowd hits you so hard that your ears flat line on you, that's a good show.