BY VICTORIA MIDDLETON // “Its time for Alex Cameron,” said Alex Cameron himself. The self-described “entertainer,” “showman,” and “shaman” will be performing at Songbyrd Music House on Monday.
Cameron’s first album Jumping the Shark was released under Secretly Canadian in 2016. The synthy, eight track collection follows Cameron’s alter ego, a desperate, failed performer. Cameron’s lyricism is both depressing and hilarious, showing a unique comedic sensibility. With greased shoulder length hair and a signature outfit consisting of a white tank, jeans, and leather jacket, Cameron knows how to stay on brand.
A relatively new face to the scene, Cameron came to the attention of the indie rock duo Oxygen while performing at David Lynch’s Parisian club Silencio and has since toured with Mac Demarco, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and Kevin Morby. Cameron is usually accompanied by his “business partner,” saxophonist Roy Malloy.
Cameron returned to his failed performer persona this month on his new album Forced Witness, an exploration of toxic masculinity. Many of the album’s lyrics conjure images of the American South West, so it is only fitting that the single, “Runnin’ Outta Luck,” was co-written by Brandon Flowers of the iconic Vegas band, The Killers. Other stand out tracks include “Candy May,” a machismo love ballad, and “Stranger’s Kiss,” a duet with singer-songwriter Angel Olson. Tracks such as “Studmuffin69,” which boasts of an online encounter with a seventeen year old girl, and “Marlon Brando,” which documents the psyche of the alpha male, invite the listener to laugh, cringe, and evaluate the impact of the toxically masculine.
If Cameron’s music videos are any indication, Monday’s show will feature plenty of groovy moves. Like much of his repertoire, Cameron’s dancing is too idiosyncratic for description. To see for yourself, buy tickets here: http://www.songbyrddc.com/shows/2017-10-02-alex-cameron
Watch the music video for “Runnin’ Outta Luck” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmlEM–lmdo