Halifax Singer-Songwriter Begins Making Waves
Darrel Cameron Has Been Releasing One Song A Month On His MySpace
Oct 5, 2009
Creativity is such a high thing to strive for.
And it is a task Haligonian singer-songwriter Darrel Cameron isn’t afraid to work towards.
The 26-year-old musician recently made time for Suite 101 to discuss his approach to the music business.
After spending a great deal of time immersed in this man’s music, it is unmistakably clear he isn’t afraid to delve into profound poetic territory. Even the casual listener can pick up the lyrical maturity stemming from this man. Armed with an acoustic guitar and the proverbial world as his playground, he truly has mastered his craft.
Cameron's Idea of Success
“My idea of success would be to be actually doing music: continuing to write, record and perform music and hopefully to get better and better at it… to keep exploring the process, reassembling the elements, and be surprised,” he says. “I am continually challenged by the goal.”
To meet that goal, Cameron has been writing one song a month for the past year. He plans to release a full-length album later this year.
When describing his past and influences, Cameron shares a very personal and descriptive narrative.
“My father played guitar when I was very young. He had a guitar that was handmade by a man who lived in our town, and I remember distinctly the look, sound and smell of that guitar. The case was lined with bright orange fuzzy material and I used to climb right inside it and listen to my Dad pick out these classic bluegrass runs and country gospel tunes,” he says.
“I also remember being fascinated by the little compartment in the case that held a variety of picks, tuning forks, extra strings, an elastic capo a pitch pipe and other associated paraphernalia. It was like finding treasure. I remember my parents singing songs for my brother and me in harmony,” he says, adding, “My grandfather played harmonica and sang in barbershop quartets.”
It was those early experiences that shaped his interest in music and ultimately, the guitar, which he started playing in 1996.
Cameron recounts, “I had taped the American Music Awards on VHS so I could watch the performances. I had been listening to country music at that time and I always fast-forwarded anything else. One day when no one was home I decided to let the video run through, and I saw the Smashing Pumpkins perform 1979. I thought they looked like zombies, but it was a strange feeling. I started taking the guitar out of the closet when no one was home and tried to play like they did on the video, but for some reason I didn’t want anyone to find out, so I always hid the guitar before anyone came home. Eventually I decided it was okay for people to know that I wanted to learn to play guitar.
Cameron comes from self-taught culture
Cameron says he emerged out of the ‘self-taught’ culture of learning from friends, listening to records and looking up tabs/chords on the Internet.
When Cameron turned fifteen, a man from his then church invited him to perform contemporary music for the congregation. It was here where he started to play and sing in front of people.
“I began writing songs in high school. I spent a lot of time recording things in my bedroom, and I used to compile cassette tapes of my songs and sell them to my friends for a dollar or for free if they had their own cassette tape. I probably sold about 20 of those,” he says.
After years of continuous writing, he arrived at a level where he wants to move beyond amateur status. A change occurred in his writing method.
“I’d really like to start doing something with the songs and get out there and see what happens,” he admits. “I feel like I’m starting to get to a place where I’m more comfortable with the songs and that some of what I make is worth sharing,” he says.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the process of music and making records and by people who are involved in that process.”
Cameron finds inspiration for melody and lyric in many facets of life, from other musicians to the work of contemporary poets. His process for conjuring up something new begins with a phrase humming around in his mind.
Cameron's songwriting process
“I usually go to the guitar and try to strum out the chords, and then move into a lyric writing stage – singing some stuff until it comes out as words. Nowadays I’m spending more time on lyrics, and I’m also finding it more difficult to write lyrics. I have never been good at rewriting or editing what I’ve put down, but I’ve been making a conscious effort to do that more.”
Cameron helps himself to the stream of lyrical talent from artists such as Josh Ritter, Sufjan Stevens, Wintersleep and many local Halifax musicians to further his process.
“This year I’ve been reading more poetry; Rainer Maria Rilke, as well as some Canadian contemporaries like Jacob Schrier, Heather Pyrcsz, Lesley Choyce, and my favourite, though most challenging, Don Domanski from Halifax. His images are unbelievable, and I have no clue what it means, but there is something on some level that keeps moving me in his work.”
Themes throughout his catalog consist of family, relationships, health and illness, death, spirituality, looking for meaning, nature, frustration with city life, storytelling, and the inner emotional landscape. started.
If Cameron's efforts inspire you to start writing songs on your own, several experienced Suite 101 writers have penned articles aimed at helping you get started.
 |
