Kamchatka are a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
power trio
A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit (drums and cymbals), leaving out a second rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quart ...
highly influenced by late 1960s and early 1970s blues rock bands. Their sound combines elements of
blues rock,
stoner rock
Stoner rock, also known as stoner metal or stoner doom, is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Sleep ...
and
psychedelic rock.
Kamchatka took their name from the
volcanically active
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
n
Kamchatka Peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula (russian: полуостров Камчатка, Poluostrov Kamchatka, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and w ...
that divides the
Okhotsk
Okhotsk ( rus, Охотск, p=ɐˈxotsk) is an urban locality (a work settlement) and the administrative center of Okhotsky District of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, located at the mouth of the Okhota River on the Sea of Okhotsk. Population:
...
and the
Bering Sea.
Biography
In 2005 Kamchatka released their self-titled debut ''
Kamchatka
The Kamchatka Peninsula (russian: полуостров Камчатка, Poluostrov Kamchatka, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and west ...
'', a 14-track album containing 3 covers: "I Love Everybody" originally written by blues-rocker
Johnny Winter
John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...
. The 2 other songs, "Auto Mowdown" and "Spacegirl Blues" were written by
Gerald V. Casale of
new wave band
Devo (from compilation
Hardcore Devo: Volume One). The album was recorded at Shrimpmonkey studios by Nicolas Elgstrand.
In 2007, Before Kamchatka's second album ''
Volume II'' was released, guitarist Thomas Andersson collaborated on a project called
King Hobo with
Opeth keyboardist
Per Wiberg
Per Jonas Wiberg (born 8 June 1968) is the former keyboardist of Swedish progressive death metal band Opeth, and a member of Michael Amott's stoner metal band Spiritual Beggars.
Wiberg was born in Borlänge. He toured with Opeth from the 200 ...
and
Clutch drummer
Jean-Paul Gaster
Jean-Paul Gaster (born June 19, 1971) is the drummer for American rock band Clutch.
Style and influences
Jean-Paul Gaster learned to play drums by playing along to 1960s and 1970s heavy rock bands like Jimi Hendrix, Cream, ZZ Top and Black ...
, amongst others.
Kamchatka's third album ''
Volume III'' was released in March 2009. An 11-track album containing a cover of
The Allman Brothers
The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guitar ...
' song Whipping Post featuring
Clutch drummer Jean Paul Gaster.
The fourth album ''
Bury Your Roots'', an album of 12 original tracks, was released on GMR September 5, 2011.
The fifth Kamchatka album ''
The Search Goes On'', was released on Despotz Records on February 21, 2014.
Musical style and influences
Kamchatka have been influenced by several genres including
blues,
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...
,
stoner rock
Stoner rock, also known as stoner metal or stoner doom, is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Sleep ...
and
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
and by artists such as
Devo,
Ali Farka Touré,
Cactus
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Gree ...
,
King Crimson
King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
,
Kyuss
Kyuss ( ) was an American rock band, formed in Palm Desert, California, in 1987. The band disbanded in 1995, and since then, members of Kyuss have gone on to form or play in several notable bands including Queens of the Stone Age, Fu Manchu, ...
,
Sarah Vaughan and
Chet Baker.
Thomas Andersson's guitar playing is mainly
riff
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...
based and is considered highly inspired by
Jimi Hendrix and
Robin Trower
Robin Leonard Trower (born 9 March 1945) is an English rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum throughout 1967–1971, and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio known as the Robin Trower Band.
Biography
Robin Trowe ...
, therefore Kamchatka are often compared to heavy blues-rock bands active in the late 1960s and early 1970s like
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
,
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
and
Cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...
. The band has been labeled hard rock, stoner rock,
jam band
A jam band is a musical group whose concerts (and live albums) are characterized by lengthy improvisational " jams." These include extended musical improvisation over rhythmic grooves and chord patterns, and long sets of music which often ...
,
power trio
A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit (drums and cymbals), leaving out a second rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quart ...
and blues-rock.
Touring
In early 2007, Kamchatka did a tour in Sweden opening for
blues influenced band
Clutch on three occasions.
In April/May 2008 Kamchatka did a US Tour opening for
Clutch on 21 occasions.
In 2009, they continued this affiliation with Clutch by joining them on a November tour of the EU.
Members
;Current Members
*
Thomas "Juneor" Andersson - guitar & vocals (2001–present)
*
Tobias Strandvik - drums (2001–present)
*
Per Wiberg
Per Jonas Wiberg (born 8 June 1968) is the former keyboardist of Swedish progressive death metal band Opeth, and a member of Michael Amott's stoner metal band Spiritual Beggars.
Wiberg was born in Borlänge. He toured with Opeth from the 200 ...
- bass & vocals (2015–present)
;Past Members
*
Roger Ojersson - bass & vocals (2001 - 2015)
File:2016 Kamchatka - by 2eight - DSC3282.jpg, Thomas "Juneor" Andersson
File:2016 Kamchatka - by 2eight - DSC3276.jpg, Tobias Strandvik
File:2016 Kamchatka - by 2eight - DSC3181.jpg, Per Wiberg
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Kamchatka
The Kamchatka Peninsula (russian: полуостров Камчатка, Poluostrov Kamchatka, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and west ...
'' (2005)
*''
Volume II'' (2007)
*''
Volume III'' (2009)
*''
Bury Your Roots'' (2011)
*''
The Search Goes On'' (2014)
*''
Long Road Made of Gold'' (2015)
*''
Hoodoo Lightning'' (2019)
Singles
*"Tango Decadence" (2013)
*"Doorknocker Blues" (2014)
*"Somedays" (2014)
*"Ain't Fallin'" (2014)
*"Get Your Game On" (2015)
*"To You" (2015)
*"Human Dynamo" (2015)
*"Devil Dance" (2016)
*"No One That Can Tell" (2016)
*"Stone Cold Shaky Bones" (2018)
*"Rainbow Bridge" (2019)
*"Fool" (2019)
References
External links
Official websiteOfficial MySpaceGMR
{{Authority control
Blues rock groups
Swedish rock music groups
Swedish stoner rock musical groups
Blues musical groups