Canada's hip, ear-to-the-ground music magazine ExCLAiM! reviews our EP:
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

Mysterious, ubiquitous music scenester Lonely Vagabond had this to blog:
"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."

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:
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

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"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

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We opened for the very hilarious Wet Spots at Revival last Valentines Day, and some blogTO blogger said:
"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.

Jaymz Bee took his Jazz Safari to our recent gig at Parkdale's Mitzi's Sister, and had this to say:
"...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

Band Members:

Fred Spek plays tenor sax and sings. Formerly with The Mood Swingers, Inner City Fanatics, Braino, Dub Enforcement Agency, Blank Crowd, Jason Clark's Bug Nite and many others. He has shared the stage with the likes of Mary Margaret O'Hara (who blew bubbles while he crooned the standard "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles"), performs regularly with Richard Underhill in street band The Kensington Horns, Michael Louis Johnson's Rambuctious and has sat in with Jake Chisholm, Kevin Quain, Big Rude Jake and many more. He also sang tenor in The Bloor St. Gospel Choir, and busks on the streets and subways of Toronto for fun & profit. His list of original tunes for CaMp CoMbO continues to grow.

Great Bob Scott! is on the drum set. He's the wild & crazy naked drummer in 90's act Look People (with Jaymz Bee!). Oh yea, and he wasn't always naked, he sometimes wore diapers! He's in great demand as a session drummer, and also works with Kevin Hearn's band Thin Buckle, Chris Bottemly's Brain Fudge and Jaymz Bee's Royal Jelly Orchestra to name just a few.

Nichol S. Robertson was born and raised. He plays banjo, guitar and other people's feelings. Currently Nichol runs his own band The Honkytonk Boogaloo Boys, and also enjoys selling his soul to such musical acts as Friendly Rich & The Lollipop People, Leon Knight & The Neon Lights, Victor Bateman's Another Country, Heather Morgan and others. In the future, he hopes to sell his soul to much more lucrative acts (i.e. Metallica, Lawrence Welk or the people who do the music for Saturday morning Christian channel shows).

Rachel Melas is our excellent contra bass player. She stars in such acts as Swamperella, Sisters of Sheyneville, Women Ah Run Tings and many more. Boy, this girl gets around!

Other excellent musicians that we've been lucky to have on the bandstand are the great drummers Mike Rosenthal, Nick Fraser, Sly Juhas, Dave Clarke, Daniel Stadnicki, Joe Poole, Jake Oelrichs, Blake Howard, Brodie West, Mark Westberg and Eric Bouchard.

Micheal "Blitz" Kaler has given a lot of time and energy as bassist, as has our current string bass player, the talented Rachel Melas (Swamparella). Chris Banks has joined us on the upright bass, and so has JUNO winner Brandi Disterheft, living legend Victor Bateman, Mike Herring, Brian Kobayakawa, Jon Meyer and Mike Bann, and one special night Ka-Cheong Liu blew bass lines on his tuba!

Distinguished organists include long time members Benjamin Mueller-Heaslip and Waylen Miki, guests Marcel Aucoin, Cindy Fairbank, Ryan Driver, Dafydd Hughes, Meher Steinberg, Peter Hill, Michael Boguski, Tania Gill, and Jason Kenemy. Guitarists Jason Crawford and Tom Juhas have also played with the band. Trumpet blower Brian Cram and trombonist Scott Good have blown their horns with us, and whatta blast it was!

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Contact:

We play nightclub dates, special events, parties, weddings, fundraisers in a variety of combos. We know many jazz standards.

email: fredspekATgmail.com

Yes, we have a CaMp CoMbO fan page on Facebook. We'd rather keep in touch with friends of the band through direct email.

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Past gigs & places we've played around Toronto Ontario

Mezzrow's in Parkdale
Mitzi's Sister
The Silver Dollar with band The Old Soul.
Tranzac - Oz veterans' hall gone public.
Grafitti's - Kensington Market...
Marcel Aucoin's "Strange Folk" night at Holy Joe's
Teranga with Montreal's Nutsak
Chicago's Diner (sadly missed...)
Cameron Public House
Roncesvales Ave's The Local
Cadillac Lounge
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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