Freshman year, I met the Band Camino. I had no clue who they were.
One school night, some of my friends and I decided to go to Memphis just for kicks and giggles. We ate, we laughed and we took some photos. We were about to call it a night and head home when we ran into a little-known band from around town. They were so kind and easy to talk to. I complimented one of them on their shirt, and he returned the compliment by harping on how he liked my hat. Off to the side they had a little table set up with a few of their band shirts and CDs for sale. My friend actually knew who they were, so after purchasing a shirt, we snapped a pic with them and went home.
A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending a Band Camino concert at the famed Minglewood Hall in Memphis. The general population surrounding me in line included people of my kind- broke college students. Albeit, most of them certainly were not broke based on the brands that adorned them. All that aside, each and every one of us in attendance were a part of a sold-out crowd at Minglewood. This was Band Camino’s hometown show, so that was no surprise. The Band Camino has become a group of hometown heroes who are making their city oh so proud.
I jockeyed for position in the front as my friends piled into the space I had worked to box out for us. We anxiously waited for the opener, Valley, to kick the show off.
After about an hour of snapping pictures on old digital cameras and talking about plenty of random things, Valley filed out onto the stage and absolutely blew us all away. The four members were hardly older than myself, which made it all the more engaging. As each song passed, I tried to keep a list of my favorites in my head (I would’ve used my phone, but I had a funeral for it earlier that evening). The stand-out track of the night for them had to be “Swim,” which was apparently the first song they had ever released. Not only that, but one of the guitarists had a dope outfit that I wanted to buy straight off of him.
Valley finished their last song, thanked the crowd once more and made their way off stage. After a quick change-over, the lights dimmed, and I saw The Band Camino slowly walk out and take their places on stage. Voices screamed in unison, losing their minds over the pure excitement for what was about to happen. Spencer Stewart, one of the two lead singers, started off the show with the opening lines of “Break Me,” and the rest was history.
Following the first song, Jeffery Jordan, the other lead singer and guitarist, proceeded to voice his sheer joy and pride for being home and playing in front of a sold-out crowd. He promised a great show, and boy, did they deliver.
They played songs that made one want to cry and slide into their feels such as “The Black and White” and “Haunted,” while also playing upbeat anthems like “See Through.” To cap off the show, the band came back out for an encore and performed my favorite song, “Daphne Blue.” I probably sounded like a teenage girl with the amount of screaming and jumping around I did, but I did not care one bit.
Based on that night, I know The Band Camino is a band for the people because they know they are just people themselves. The show was even better for me, solely based on the fact that I had met them and knew that they were real. They aren’t some haughty, B-list celebrity, but they love being who they are and love the people that love them for it. Not only that, but they know how to make a bop about relationships. Give them a listen!
Photo courtesy of Isaac Elliott