Great Bob Scott - Fred Spek - Nichol Robertson - Rachel Melas
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Fred Spek's CaMp CoMbO is a wacky alt-jazz hybrid!
"Jimmy Durante meets Frank Zappa", says Will Wall!
Band News & Upcoming Gigs:
Wed March 10 - Wombat Wednesdays - Tranzac (292 Brunswick) * 8:30pm-12 * $7
Thurs Mar 18 - Teranga- 159 Augusta - with Montreal weirdo jazz/rock act Nutsak
Thurs April 15 - Dominion on Queen (500 Queen E. at Sumach) * 9pm-12 * $10
Sat May 1 - May Day and we take our labour of love to The Tranzac - 292 Brunswick
- Recent past:
SUN DEC 13 - The Painted Lady 218 Ossington
SAT OCT 31 10pm - Mitzi's Sister - with The Flying Bordelos and Catl - We were not afraid to be goofs!
TUESDAYS in September - The Cadillac LoungeWhat enthusiastic audiences! Beverly Taft sang "I'm An Old Cowhand" Guests during our series include the very comical Roger Clown, JUNO winning bassist Brandi Disterheft, and organist extrodinaire Marcel Aucoin.
TUES Aug 11 9pm - 12
What a blast at Mysterion's East End Burlesque Riot! Dominion on Queen 500 Queen E
TUESDAY Aug 4 10pm - 12
We had an excellent EP release party for our latest 5-song disc "Roughin' It" at Mitzi's Sister
Hear MP3 versions in the player below
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Great Bob -- Nichol -- Rachel -- Fred
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Music: Our most recent recording is a 5 song EP of original tunes by Fred Spek. 2 are instrumentals, Fred sings on the others! Send your email address for free MP3s or to order a CD. Fred will send it to ya, personally! Hear it now via the MP3 player below.
- New EP "Roughin' It" - Graphics-Kneil Spek
...and once you've installed it you'll have an audio player here instead
of this message when you refresh your browser.
- Rock Paper Scissors - Graphics-Kneil SpekTracks from the 4-song EP 'ROCK PAPER SCISSORS' can be heard with the MP3 player below. Our friend Brian Cram plays trumpet and Tereasa Levasseur, accordion. Glen Hall of Exclaim magazine liked it. Read his review below. If you want a CD copy, email me $10 and I'll send it. Better yet, come to a gig and pick one up. We'll talk! We never talk.
...and once you've installed it you'll have an audio player here instead of this message when you refresh your browser.
- Beans 'n Wieners - Graphics-Kneil SpekStreaming MP3s from the 7-song CD "Beans 'n Wieners" are below. Order the CD from CD Baby. Hear CaMp CoMbO versions of those old chestnuts "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" and "Happy Days Are Here Again".
...and once you've installed it you'll have an audio player here instead
of this message when you refresh your browser.
Wanna download MP3s There's help for you, but for now send us an email address, or go to iTunes and other reputable digital download sites. (CD Baby set that up for us. Whatta guy, that Derek Sivers!)
You can also pick CDs up (in Toronto) at Soundscapes on College St, Frantic City (Ossington Ave) and Criminal Records on Queen W (near Spadina). No, it's not a cop shop!
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Media mentions:
"Camp Combo play a fun and somewhat bizarre blend of pop, swing, jazz and polka music, comparable to the off-beat wackiness of Spike Jones or Esquivel. They've just finished their brand-new EP "Roughin' It"... Daniel Woodhead - blogTO Canada's hip, ear-to-the-ground music magazine ExCLAiM! reviews our EP:
Mysterious, ubiquitous music scenester Lonely Vagabond had this to blog: Stanley Fefferman of The Live
Music Report when we opened for T.O.F.U., "...and you would love to dig the
opening band, Fred Spek's Neo Swing band Camp Combo playing tunes like the theme
from "Secret Agent Man", and "Animal Crackers in My Soup". And commuter rag DOSE gave us a plug:
"thanks to Fred Spek and his gang, even vegetarians should now take "Beans
and Wieners" camping...this CD is so much fun, it puts the Kamp in camp." -
Jaymz Bee JAZZ FM
We opened for the very hilarious Wet Spots at Revival last Valentines Day, and some blogTO blogger said:
Jaymz Bee took his Jazz Safari to our recent gig at Parkdale's Mitzi's Sister, and had this to say:
Fred Spek's Camp Combo - Rock, Paper, Scissors
By Glen Hall
After a long winter hibernating you may be thinking, "I need something to raise my spirits, something to give me an emotional spring cleaning." Look no further. Fred Spek and his cheerful bunch of summer music campers have got the antidote for anybody's case of the grumpies. With good-spirited humour and exuberant playing, Rock, Paper, Scissors takes a vaudevillian view of life and love. Delivered in a declamatory style reminiscent of Frank Zappa on Freak Out, Spek belts out lyrics like, "I'll never forget my blunder/Until you're six feet under" that will bring a wry smile to even the most sullen of listeners. The four-song EP keeps its rib-tickling focus throughout, including on the raucous reading of the 1895 pop tune "And the Band Played On." Camp Combo also provide food for thought, painting a vivid picture of God and Satan playing rock, paper, scissors to determine some hapless human's fate. This is a fun disc that's appropriate for pleasant social gatherings with friends and family.(Independent)
Direct link to Exclaim's review
"That was a great set at The Gladstone. Fred Spek is a modern day Al Jolson-meets-Benny Goodman, part entertainer, part bandleader. The music is a bouncy carousel seamlessly blending jazz, swing, and ragtime. Offbeat characters capturing that sparkle of a Mardi Gras procession. A throwback, spattering of minstrelism and rousing musicianship, in the heart of Torontopia. A cuddly heart. With the spirit to match."
Friday Sept 2 - "Great
jazz doesn't always have to come from dark and tortured souls. Take Fred Spek's
Camp Combo, for example. This quartet delivers goofy jazz and novelties. Just
don't let any Billie Holiday fans know. There may be a riot, with jazz hands
flying." Christine Clarke
"The opening act, Fred Spek's Camp Combo, featured all of the elements essential for a novelty act: mad-paced, frenetic music that careened wildly between lounge and jazz, the all-important banjo and a singer sporting..." To read the rest, click here my friend.
"...we went to Mitzi's Sister to enjoy Camp Combo. It was quirky music that featured raspy sax solos and some daring vocals from Fred Spek. One Safari-ite observed; "These guys are much better musicians than they are letting on!" while another said "It's nice to see these young boys having so much fun, they're really odd!" It was a memorable and wacky way to end our first Jazz Safari of the season.
Read more of Jaymz's diaries at JazzFM
He also hosts a JazzFM show on Saturdays 6-8pm.
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Nichol - Great Bob Scott! - Fred - Jon Meyer
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Upcoming > Music > Bio > Members > Links > Media > Past > Pix |
We'll play your nightclub dates, special events, parties, weddings, fundraisers in a variety of combos. We know lots of jazz standards.
Send
an email to: fredspekATgmail.com
OK, if you insist, we also have a CaMp CoMbO fan page on Facebook.
Or, send your email
address via the form below, and receive free music MP3s of all the CaMp CoMbO recordings you want, CaMp CoMbO news and brief gig announcements. Your address will
not be shared with anyone. Promise!
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Past gigs & places we've played around Toronto Ontario
Mezzrow's in Parkdale
Mitzi's Sister - Parkdale's hotspot getting
hotter!...
The Silver Dollar with The Old Soul and we asked surfers The Carizians to join us on a date
Tranzac - Oz veterans' hall gone public...
Grafitti's -
Kensington Market...
Marcel Aucoin's "Strange Folk" night at Holy Joe's
Chicago's Diner
Cameron Public House
Cadillac Lounge
The Ancient (now Paddy Murphy's)
Good friend Jola Sobolak's
fantastic birthday party at Stone's Place
Gravy Boy's "Avant Vardeville" cabaret at The Theatre
Centre
The Rivoli & The Gladstone Hotel - Promoter Gary Topp had us open for
T.O.F.U.
The Gladstone Hotel - Melody Room matinee performances
The Horseshoe Tavern - Dave Boookman's Nu Music Nite, with "Hexes & Ohs".
The Press Club at 850 Dundas West
Sneaky Dees' Wednesday night EYE Weekly series
The Rex Hotel
Revival on College, opening for The Wet Spots.
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Upcoming > Music > Bio > Members > Links > Media > Past > Contact > Pix |