The Cambiata gets theatrical
When the stage lit up, the sound commenced and the crowd fell still and silent.By Jaye Drew, freelance writer
Thursday, July 24, 2008
I don't know why it took me so long to come around to The Cambiata.Ê The Indi-Rock outfit has had Portland buzzing since they banded together in 2006. Their debut album 'Into The Night' went home with the 2007 Portland Phoenix Best of Music Poll Award for best album and their sophomore release 'To Heal' did it again in 2008. They are currently in the studio with producer/engineer Jon Wyman preparing to release their self-titled third album.
I first witnessed The Cambiata performing at SPACE Gallery on Congress street where I ran into WCYY disc jockey and Portland Music Association board member, Mark Curdo. He described them as young guys with a surprising array of eclectic influences from a wide palate of genres and summed up vocalist Chris Moulton as "just incredible." At that point I was primed with high expectations.
The entire performance is less of a rock show and more of a hypnotism. It is an award winning performance - The Cambiata took home both 2007 and 2008 Portland Phoenix Best of Music Poll Awards for Best Live Act as well as Best Album.
The Cambiata consists of Chris Moulton's rabid velveteen pipes, Dan Capaldi hittin' the skins, Stan Dzengelewski manning the low end, Miguel Barajas brandishing the guitar and Sean Morin juggling guitar and keys. The players all sway and sweat, singing along and getting caught up in the current of the music while Moulton writhes around possessed.
The product is almost theatrical. All members collaborate in creating the material, which has been an experimental and sometimes emotional process. Anticipating the release of their third self-titled album, drummer Dan Capaldi describes the acclaimed 'To Heal' as a "pre-record" paling in comparison to it's successor. Capaldi is a Berklee graduate and a composer. Besides providing beats and writing music for The Cambiata, he works on film scores; Just one example of the colorful backgrounds feeding the musical fire of The Cambiata.
"(To Heal) was kind of a chance for us to really establish our role composition-wise...now we're off doing what we really need to be doing."
'To Heal' has joined the ranks of albums in rotation in my iPod next to Prince's Musicology and The White Album. I have no doubt it has done the same on the playlists of the band's healthy underground fan base. I know Dan well enough to know he ain' trippin' and I can only come to one conclusion - 'The Cambiata' is about to release a monster.
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