The Inside Connection: Articles: The Buzz

     To anyone reading this who's ever picked up a musical instrument and/or been in a band, a question: What stage were you at while in your mid-teens? Odds are, if you were in a band, you were likely setting your sights upon learning as many popular cover songs as your tastes and abilities allowed for. Quite likely, the notion of writing and performing your own songs never even entered your mind.
    Not so in Matthew Bair's case. This 15-year-old is the leader of Bandcamp, a young original rock band with an impressive debut CD and an ever-growing roster of professional achievements to their credit. It's a remarkable story made ever more so by the fact that Matthew is already an old hand at this game.
    The son of well-known Long Island-based independent recording artist Gerald Bair, Matthew's musical journey may have been preordained at birth with the help of some paternal DNA. By age 6, he was already performing at community functions. At age 10, he earned a Billboard Songwriter's Award for an original composition, "One More Chance," which caught the ear of Sony/Works recording artist Dan Bern, who then paved the way for an appearance at famed NYC nightspot The Bottom Line. Club owner Allan Pepper congratulated Matthew for being the club's youngest performer, and invited him back for future shows.
    After a duet with Atlantic Records artist Jill Sobule at Maxwell's in Hoboken, N.J., Matthew was a featured guest on WNYC's "Kids Radio," performing a couple of original songs and responding station call-ins. Another live gig with Jill Sobule-this time at the Bowery Ballroom-caught the ear of Sony Entertainment's senior vice president, Peter Asher.
    A period followed where Matthew assumed the bass guitar duties in a now-defunct band that included his brother Kris on drums. In addition to receiving solid support from WLIR's "Tri-State Sound" show, the band was chosen to open for the John Entwistle band at their Vanderbilt concert. Not too shabby so far, eh? Wait it gets better.
    Matthew and Kris decided to form a new band focused on Matthew's original songs. With Matthew on guitar and vocals, Mike Schwartz was recruited as bassist … and Bandcamp was born. It's been a nonstop ride since then, and the momentum is picking up.
    Numerous promotional appearances for Radio Disney kept Bandcamp busy this past summer, with shows throughout the tri-state region. Radio support continues from WLIR, featuring the band on its "Tri-State Sound" and "One Step Beyond" shows, and WBAB, on its "Homegrown" segment.

Showcasing an astonishingly mature writing style, Matthew's songs belie his relative youth, both lyrically and musically.

     Most recent updates include a well-attended industry showcase at CBGB, an outdoor concert in Manhattan with Simple Plan, plus another opening slot at the Vanderbilt, this time for a November 4 Tri-State Sound Show by Finch, Something Corporate and Stage. Bandcamp is making their presence felt on the Web too, recently being chosen as AOL's Artist of the Week (for the week of October 4.)
    With his father handling Bandcamp's business/management aspects, Matthew remains completely free to focus on his music.
    I hope Matthew realizes just how fortunate he is; I've known Gerald Bair for nearly 10 years, and cannot think of another local independent artist who is as sincerely attentive to the "people-skills" aspect of his career as he is to his art.
    Bandcamp's debut CD was recorded at home, produced by Tomas Costanza of the Hollywood Records band Diffuser. Showcasing an astonishingly mature writing style, Matthew's songs belie his relative youth, both lyrically and musically. Matthew's brother Kris is-bluntly-one kick-ass drummer, creating a powerhouse rhythm section along with bassist Mike Schwartz. A full review follows in next month's issue……Visit Bandcamp's Web site at www.bandcampmusic.com.