Jesse Camp
The legendary MTV VJ Jesse Camp now becomes a true rock star himself. His debut CD capture Jesse's personality in a turbocharged environment, combining the raw
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Long before he was catapulted to fame barely one year ago, Jesse Camp had always been a rockeran adrenalized kid performing in numerous bands and writing dozens of songs, utterly devoted to ferocious guitars and buzzsaw tuneage.
Then in 1998 he innocently entered MTV’s "I Wanna Be A VJ" contest. He outshined thousands of other hopefuls with his uniquely scruffy charisma a seemingly impossible mixture of streetwise innocence and down-to-earth spaceyness; tongue-in-cheek humor and bombshell bluntness. Jesse instantly became a hit with millions of MTV viewers, and his VJ stint, initially scheduled to last just a few weeks, was expanded into a year-long reign.
Amid all the changes in Jesse’s life, one thing remains unaltered: his faith in the gnarly, redemptive power of rock ‘n’ roll. Jesse & The 8th Street Kidz, Camp’s debut album on Hollywood Records, tells the whole outlandish story as seen through the eyes of a 19-year-old.
"I feel like Forest Gump in a lot of ways," he laughs. "I’ve been taken off the streets and given opportunities to do all this crazy stuff. That’s what this record is about: having fun, bumming around the country, going through hard times and good times. I’m just being me, whether it’s in front of millions of people on MTV, hanging with my friends, or making music."
The 14 songs on Jesse & The 8th Street Kids produced by 1998 Producer of the Year Grammy Award winner Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Goo Goo Dolls, Alanis Morissette) and Julian Raymond (Fastball), and mixed by Bob Clearmountain capture Jesse’s personality in a turbocharged environment, combining the raw immediacy of punk with the sonic punch of hard rock. Debut single/video "See You Around" introduces an album’s worth of mania, ranging from pogo-inducing pop (e.g. "Break It," "Let’s Get It On," and "Crazy For You") to jangling rock ("Summertime Squatters," "So Down") to sheer catharsis ("Hey, Hey, Hey," "Wasted Youth," and the howitzer-class "Griftin").
Several notable guests contribute to the fireworks. Steve Hunter (best known for his work with Alice Cooper and Lou Reed) plays guitar throughout, and Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen joins the fray on five songs.
Of special note, Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks duets with Jesse on the standout track "My Little Saviour." With its acoustic guitar and harmonium, the ballad’s fragile beauty offers a major departure from the album’s ballsy tone. "I wrote that song while riding alone on a bus when I was 15," says Camp. "It’s about living through hard times with people you love, and how painful it is when you lose them. It was just an unbelievable feeling to hear Steve Nicks singing, and she really brought out the feeling behind the song."
Throughout the writing and creation of Jesse & The 8th Street Kids, Camp’s adventurous, freewheeling attitude established the mood for everyone involved. "We had the best time makin’ the record, cranking tunes every night after work at MTV," says Camp, "and I really bonded with all the guys. In the recording studio, we tried to make it a party sceneinstead of a just one dude singing into a microphone."
Musical camaraderie has been a key facet of Jesse’s life since childhood. As a kid, Camp never quite fit in with the rest of Granby, Connecticut, a conservative town of small size and narrow minds. Rock ‘n’ roll offered him solace and an emotional outlet, even at a very young age. "When I was a little kid I broke my grandmother’s vacuum cleaner by pretending it was a microphone and dancing on it. I was jumping up and down, and somebody plugged it in and turned it on. It started sparking up real bad. That was the first concert I ever gave," he laughs, "and I’d like everyone to know that it had full pyro."
His earliest influence was Kiss, soon to be followed by Alice Cooper, Guns n’ Roses, Metallica, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, and AC/DC. Later Jesse immersed himself in punk groups such as Fugazi, Minor Threat, New York Dolls, and Dead Boys.
While still in junior high school Camp began playing in bands as a drummer, guitarist, and vocalist. Easy Action his last band before his MTV adventure was admittedly a pivotal point in the growth process, and confirmed Camp’s love for touring and performing. "I’m like the ultimate space child, and I live for going from town to town and gigging. I did that before the record, and I’ll keep doing it."
Amid its prevailing rowdy vibe, Jesse & The 8th Street Kidz also touches on a serious theme. "Music has been my salvation," Camp admits, "and I’m trying to use music as a way of reaching kids who are going through the same feelings of alienation that I did. I’ve always been a free spirit, but you get a lot of s*** for that, and it’s tough growing up in a town where you don’t fit in. I just want to tell those kids ‘Hey, you’re not alone. You’re not a freak. You’re not all the horrible things that your parents and teachers say you are. You’re a f***ing beautiful person.’ Instead of running away from your problems and getting caught up in addictions and chemicals, you need to seek other people’s love, and love those people in return."
Even as he looks ahead to the future, Camp puts his whirlwind past into perspective. "Becoming a VJ was the best accident that has ever happened to me, but it really was an accident. I’ve tried to make the most of it, while still staying true to myself. There have been a lot of growing pains, but I’m more comfortable being myself than ever before. You know what’s funny? All the things I thought were wrong about me stuff that made me an outcast when I was a kid I found out that those are the best things about me."Contact
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Damn you guys sound good. come check out our music. and be sure to check out our website. has lots of pics. be sure 2 sign the guestbook and let us know u stopped by. thanks industry elevyn
JESSE CAMP'S a schmuck!!!
Definitely not punk either....
and the Cretins need to shut the hell up and get off it....
Jessee is haveing things to say. Makeing msuic good for shur. I likeing music. Music I liking beeing Ivan Superfunrock Town also Jessee. Were not for music I beeing inside cow of Sergei.
