This week’s guest talks about his acclaimed new album and performs with his band on a show that also featured the debut of tracks by hi-ker, Dori, Andy Baker, Bruce Matthews, Charles the Osprey and Talismans.
‘Looking Into the Phenomenon of Fear’: Cameron Blake (Photo/Local Spins)
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“Fear Not” may be the perfect title for singer-songwriter Cameron Blake’s latest album.
Cameron Blake’s “Fear Not”
After all, Blake tackles all facets of the thorny subject of fear – physical, global, spiritual, personal — throughout this exquisitely produced recording.
Not only that, but for his third album recorded in West Michigan, he plunged courageously into an elaborate, genre-encompassing project that involved nearly 50 guest musicians, from versatile young jazz players to members of the Grand Rapids Symphony to the Debra Perry & Majestic Praise gospel choir to the Rockford High School Chamber Singers.
It was a dramatic change from his last album, 2015’s “Alone on the World Stage,” which was “completely solo,” featuring Blake on acoustic guitar and piano.
“I started writing songs that demanded more energy, demanded bigger instrumentation,” said Blake, a classically trained violinist who turned to folk “as a survival of sorts” years ago before moving to the Grand Rapids area.
In Studio X: Joe Vasquez and Jordan Otta performing with Blake for Local Spins on WYCE.
“That’s where this new project … emerged. You’re going from some acoustic guitar folk singer to this massive sort of orchestrated sound.
“It’s taken two-and-a-half years to complete it. It actually feels quite natural to me having been in classical music with these giant structures and dealing with theory and composition classes. … The songs demanded it,” he added. “The songs required the layering.”
The material – from the pensive, piano-driven title track to the upbeat, gospel-fired “Queen Bee” to the guitar rock of “The Only Diamond” – also demanded a stylistic approach that’s “all over the place,” Blake said, noting the mix of folk, rock, jazz, gospel, country and classical elements.
“The thing that kind of ties the whole record together is its theme and looking into the phenomenon of fear as part of our daily lives, both our personal fears and our collective fears – how fear disfigures, inspires, impacts our lives and relationships,” Blake said. “So, all of those songs have that theme interwoven, and so you can listen to the whole thing start to finish and just feel like it’s one completely body rather than like a greatest hits records.”
Blake and members of his band – bassist Joe Vasquez, guitarist Travis Swanson and drummer Jordan Otto – showcased two of the new songs during this week’s edition of Local Spins on WYCE, performing “The Only Diamond” and “Sandtown.” Check out the video for “The Only Diamond,” with the full podcast below.
VIDEO: Cameron Blake, “The Only Diamond” (Local Spins on WYCE)
Released in mid-November, “Fear Not” already has received a fair amount of national praise, with reviews and kudos from Cashbox Magazine, Huffington Post and No Depression. Blake also recently signed with a record label in the Netherlands, Continental Song City, and hopes to tour Europe next spring.
Travis Swanson
“I’m hoping to ramp things up in the new year,” he said. “I honestly just view myself as a human being and a writer first and foremost and I just kind of throw it out there to the wind. If it sticks, it sticks. So far, it’s been resonating really well and it’s been taking over some college radio and getting some fantastic reviews. I’m just so grateful for any of that.”
Check out the Local Spins review of “Fear Not” here: Michigan Album Reviews: Bob Seger, Moses, Cameron Blake, Blushing Monk, Venson Dix, Wicker Basket
Blake’s appearance was just part of the Dec. 8 edition of Local Spins on WYCE, which also featured the debut of new tracks by regional artists hi-ker, Andy Baker, Dori, Charles the Osprey, Bruce Matthews and Talismans, as well as music from Blushing Monk (this week’s musician’s pick). Listen to the entire podcast here. (You can sign up for all Local Spins podcasts via iTunes and never miss a show.)
PODCAST: Local Spins on WYCE (Dec. 8, 2017)
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