Q&A + Debut: S.C.A.B.
NEW BEGINNINGS CAN BE TOUGH BUT WHEN THEY EVOLVE THEY'RE ALWAYS WORTH IT - and S.C.A.B. is a testament to that. Created by musician Sean Camargo, the band started as a way for Camargo to develop his music and push himself to create more. After bringing in friends Cory Best, Alec Alabado and Brandon Hafetz, S.C.A.B. began to take its form. The band is reading to hit the ground running with the release of their debut single "Chartreuse" today and plans for their debut EP Beauty and Balance in early 2020. Read on to hear more about the story of S.C.A.B. and what lays ahead for the band.
LUNA: Since S.C.A.B. is a new project, can you introduce yourself and how the band came together?
CAMARGO: Hi! My name is Sean Camargo. Over the past two years I have been working on finding my own voice and writing songs that I am proud of. At first I was ready to record “Beauty and Balance” by myself over at Big Nice Studio with the incredible Brad Krieger. I was super excited and very nervous but I knew it was something that I really wanted to do so I pushed myself to manifest this project. I then showed some songs to Cory Best (ex Twen, Quarrels, Hit Home.) He played a giant force in inspiring me to finish writing and offered to help me in any way he could. He now plays guitar in the band.
The band slowly came together after this. I recruited Alec Alabado on bass (Western Den) and Brandon Heifetz (Hayfitz, Oh Malo). Alec actually helped me write some songs on guitar way back when I first started writing so I knew I wanted him in the band even though he’s never played bass before. Brandon, my roommate, missed being in a “rock band” so much he basically forced himself into the band even though he hasn’t played drums in over 5 years. He thoroughly impressed all of us and we knew we had a band finally.
This all came together very last minute and we basically had a month to rehearse before we went into the studio. We kind of winged it but trusted each other to get it done. I am very lucky to be in a band with my best friends, it doesn’t happen often.
LUNA: You mentioned some influences include Women, Palm, Preoccupations & Deeper, are there any artists of a different genre that have influenced you (but maybe not in a directly sonic way)?
CAMARGO: Most definitely! I listen to tons and tons of old jazz, bossa nova, and doo-wop. I’ll go through periods where all I consume is music from that period. I love Julie London, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Astrud Gilberto etc... I don’t know how I got so into it but I love the sad sultry quality of these recordings. I always find myself going back to these recordings and referencing them in modern music.
One of my favorite albums is Billy Holiday’s “Lady in Satin.” The first time I picked up this LP at a record store in Boston and listened to it I cried. I think that’s when I knew I needed more of this kind of music. I find it extremely gratifying when I stumble on an old LP with beautiful artwork that has incredible songs strung together by a theme or mood. When every song is another breath of fresh air and it feels as if you’re turning a page in a book that you wished would never end. Sounds over-romanticized, I know, but not to me.
LUNA: Your upcoming album Beauty and Balance centers around some personal turmoil - can you talk a bit more about how that was able to translate into your creative process?
CAMARGO: Well this is an album dedicated to my father who passed away from cancer on July 9th 2019. He was always my biggest fan and supporter of every single piece of music I have ever worked on. During the process of writing this album I saw my father struggle with this awful disease. The songs pretty much go in chronological order of how I wrote them. Towards the front end of the album I am more focused inward but I eventually get to a place where all I can write about is him. I view the album as a sort of long letter to my father. There are many things I was dealing with that I wanted to communicate with him but had a hard time in doing so. We didn’t have the best relationship but were working towards getting to a place where we could communicate intimately. In this album I give him a window into my struggles with alcohol abuse, struggles with the idea of love, letting myself down, healthy friendships, and how I was trying to deal with his diagnosis.
The title “Beauty and Balance” has so many meanings to me but the one that links this whole album together is my father’s idea of balance. He would constantly try and teach me ideas of balancing acts in daily life. He would say “everything is okay in moderation” “money comes and goes” “you have to work hard if you really want to enjoy life and relax” trying to explain the push and pull of life. There is so much beauty around us. There is beauty in the balance of my raw emotions, in how I deal, how I move on, how I fixate, how I want to appreciate beauty but sometimes can’t. I think it took me a long time to understand this but I am glad I got to explore these themes across the album. Unfortunately he never got to listen to the entire album but he knew I was finishing it for us and I think he would have been proud of the honest art I made.
LUNA: Lyrically, do you find yourself often writing around a common theme?
CAMARGO: Typically lyrics are kind of difficult for me. Sometimes I’ll get lucky and write a small set of words I like and put them to music but most of the time I just sit in my room and spew out random words until I find meaning in a song. When I write this way I end up talking to myself and writing about myself a LOT because of my tendency to struggle internally. It ends up feeling super selfish and self centered of me but I find that it really helps me process what’s going on around me. I have to sit and write about this one moment or feeling which allows me to be more microscopic in the grand gestures that are thrown constantly thrown at me. I also write a lot of different kind of love songs but I try not to!
LUNA: What's the story behind your debut single "Chartreuse"?
CAMARGO: “Chartreuse” is a song about drinking too much. I got lost in the bartending culture of NYC and used alcohol as a way to escape depression over and over again until my body eventually gave out. The hangovers were getting so bad and I would find myself feeling infinitely worse the next day. It just felt like drinking wasn’t worth this at all. I would have entire weeks that just felt gray and dreary due to this endless cycle of feeling shitty then drinking to deal with it. In this haze I would ask myself “Is this all that happens to me?” Like this is strange right? This shouldn’t be happening over and over again it’s just not normal or healthy but I wouldn’t be able to stop. It’s something that I still struggle with as a bartender but I am proud to say that I am so much better than I used to be. I think I continue to move forward and try to deal with myself in healthier patterns every day.
LUNA: What do you want people to take away from this project and your upcoming music?
CAMARGO: I was scared to talk about the concept of this album because I didn’t want to receive pity from anyone. I also don’t feel like this is a traditional concept album. When I thought about it some more I wanted people to know that yeah I was going through a real hard time but making this art for myself allowed me to deal with everything that was going on around me in an honest, healthy, and transparent way. If you’re out there dealing with difficult things get out there and create. Allow yourself to think and feel what you need to in order to stay afloat no matter the quality or kind of art you decide to make.
I am extremely lucky to have such a beautiful family and friends who believe in me and support me but if I didn’t have this creative outlet I don’t know where I would be. It sounds so cheesy but there is magic in creating art. There is an essence to art that you can’t put your finger on. It isn’t justified in the language we try and communicate. Sorry for the romantic rant and the heavy topics but if I have this chance to explain myself then I will be honest with myself and anyone who takes the time to read this.
Thank you all for reading. Thank you Luna Collective for giving us this beautiful platform. Stay tuned and feel free to reach out to us if you enjoy the music or have any questions!
