Virtual Campfire is a
group of musicians who are committed to having fun and making music. Their music is infectious, joyful and darkly
funny. The spirit of the band is that of
street buskers, but all the members (Brian, Mark and Ben Karmelich, Steve
Goldstein and Chris Newton) are accomplished musicians and it shows. The new film S’mores Across America captures
the spirit of the band and their music very nicely as it documents their West
Coast tour of 2012; which started right here in Portland.
The tour began at the miniscule Jade Lounge in southeast
Portland, where just getting the band on stage filled the building. The band travels down the coast to ever
larger venues and more enthusiastic audiences as they get closer to their home
in Southern California. Along the way we
experience the band’s inclusive “campfire” style music. We also get a glimpse
into the complicated relationships of the band members and a bit of history on
the original Karmelich band Sauce: a band that has been rightfully described as
“too clever for its own good.”
S’mores Across America evokes all of the rock-and-roll
documentaries you have ever seen, as well as most of the great road
movies. The greatest tribute, though, is
the homage to Christopher Guest as the band members explain the origins and
history of Campfire music; which unfortunately does not exist as a category for
the Grammy awards. According to the band
Campfire music is possibly the oldest form of music. They had to invent fire just so they could
have campfires to go along with the music.
If you attended any of the shows in the S’mores Across
America Tour then you owe it to yourself to see this film and remember the dark
days of 2012 as well as the voice of hope that came to us from out of
California. If you’ve never seen the
band then you owe it to yourself to see it and learn about this entertaining
band.
Well, I can't seem to embed the video, but here is a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43eF-BtO54I
