The Band Camino, based in Memphis, TN, sold out Marathon Music Works on September 5th for what was the band’s biggest show to date. Six months ago, they were playing shows that maxed out at around 500 people, and now they have more than doubled their audience in only half of a year. The band was so emotional the moment they walked on stage, opening up the set with “Break Me,” from their new EP “Tryhard,” released on August 23rd. My live experience of the band, already an all-time high, was once again elevated during “See Through,” also from the EP, as it marked the first moment in the night when all 1,700 voices in the crowd became audible at the same time.
The crowd swelled with howls less than three seconds into “Less Than I Do.” “Berenstein” followed, where the crowd shrieked with excitement. By the time “Fool of Myself” started playing, the crowd’s passion was impossible to ignore. The band seamlessly matched the crowd’s energy and even brought a jazzy improvisational element to the bridge of the song- adding a unique break from the song’s traditional structure. Songs like “Farsighted,” “Honest,” and “Hush Hush” made it impossible for the crowd to stand still. While other songs like “I Spend Too much Time in My Room” and “My Thoughts on You,” had the crowd introspective and quietly singing along. You could feel the emotion in the room radiating from each individual person “caught in their feels,” signing their hearts out.
Lead guitarist, Spencer, kicked off the encore by singing, “Black and White,” an emotional, heartstring-tugging song. His vocal contradicts, yet compliments the lead vocalist, Jeffrey, in the following song “What I Want.” They conclude the encore with their hit “Daphne Blue,” ending the night on a high note, right where it started. The entire live experience of The Band Camino was a full circle of emotions and left everyone in that room feeling like they just experienced something really special.
Give them a listen (good luck trying to stop):
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6d4jrmreCmsenscuieJERc?si=Jzfvd1GaRha2I7G6oPxvPA
Keep up with their journey:
https://instagram.com/thebandcamino
https://twitter.com/thebandcamino
https://www.facebook.com/thebandcamino
Photo by Jimmy Fontaine
