Growing up
I grew up in your standard loving family. My parents never pushed me into anything in particular. If I enjoyed something they allowed me to run with it and see where it took me. I played footy for the local footy team, did horse-riding, and we had a boat so I loved wakeboarding most weekends. Absolutely love the snow so most winters we spent a lot of time at the mountains snowboarding. We lived on a farm and had a motorbike that I rode nearly every day. Music for me growing up was important but I didn’t play a lot at all. My childhood music highlight would have to be when I was about ten years old. My parents took me to see a Richard Clayderman concert and I was given the chance to go onstage and play his piano after the show. That was cool.
Inspirations
There are many musicians I admire. However, there are three whom I find incredibly inspirational. Keith Urban is an amazing performer and his guitar work is truly unbelievable. Ed Sheeran inspired me to use the loop pedal the way I do, and Xavier Rudd was the reason for me to play the variety of instruments that I do.
Your band
As a soloist I enjoy the freedom it gives me to perform exactly the way I want to. If I am feeling a certain way I usually play the songs that reflect that feeling.
The music you make
I currently have out an album called The Good Times and a new release EP No Frills. The sounds that you hear on both the album and EP are exactly the way my live shows are. When I record, it is done with the vision of I want my listeners to hear me at my shows and be able to take that sound home with them. I write all my own lyrics and music. Many of my songs are based on my life experiences, love, lust, anger, and sadness.
Music, right here, right now
For me the most important thing is to enjoy what you do and believe in yourself. I truly love performing. The music scene is not easy at all to break into, and there is an enormous amount of talent out there. I think it is important to try and offer new things for listeners. I honestly believe that the “live music scene” is damn tough. Music is getting more computerised, which I find annoying. I think live music can’t be beat. Thank you for reading this and I hope that you can make it to one of my shows. Please come up and say hi.
CAMERON OATES plays Drunken Poet on Saturday August 23 and The Wesley Anne on Sunday August 30. Check out cameronoatesmusic.com for full regional dates.
