We don’t often cross the pond (virtually) for our interviews, so we’re particularly thrilled to introduce you to The Camel City Blackouts!

RECORD WEEKLY’S INTERVIEW WITH THE CAMEL CITY BLACKOUTS

Hiya guys, how are you?

We’re great — hope you are too!

All good here thank you! Tell us all about The Camel City Blackouts.

The short answer? We’re a punk/pop-punk band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. We’ve been playing together for about six or seven years and have released multiple albums and EPs. But if you’re after the longer answer, the band’s made up of just the two of us: Ryan Sizemore and Derek Gilreath. In late 2019, we released our debut album ‘Possession’, which tackles topics ranging from drug addiction to falling for someone. Ryan accurately put it as “Valentine’s Day meets Halloween”.

What a combo, eh?

This year, we’ve been back to work and since released a new EP, ’13’, which showcases our influences and DIY record-making mentality. We’re consistently writing new material and producing our own music videos to support each release.

Which bands and artists have influenced your sound the most?

Ryan: My personal influences are Alkaline Trio, Matt Skiba, Rancid and Blink-182.

Derek: I’ve got Rancid in the mix as well, but I’m also really into NOFX and Anti-Flag.

I haven’t had the chance to speak to many American bands — what’s the vibe of the music scene where you are? What are the top venues?

Around here, there are jam bands, southern rock bands and country bands. We’re kinda the odd man out for the local scene, but I guess that makes us unique. I’m not sure what I would say the vibe is since everything here is just starting to reopen really.

The top venues in North Carolina are The RamKat (formerly Ziggy’s), The Blind Tiger, Cat’s Cradle and The Orange Peel. I’m sure I’ve missed a few but those are the big ones I can recall. I do want to shout out one venue, Monstercade, as they’ve had us play multiple times and the people behind it are great.

What’s in the pipeline for 2021 for the band, given all that’s going on with the pandemic? Have you got any gigs or festivals booked?

We plan on releasing multiple EPs and shooting lots of music videos. We’re recording another new EP at the beginning of May. Right now, we haven’t booked any gigs but after recording, we plan on scheduling as many shows as we can. We’re calling this year “The Year of the Camel”.

Yes guys! It’s going to be BIG.

Ready to get hooked on their explosively exciting tracks? Whizz straight over to Spotify now, and you can follow them on Facebook and Instagram while you’re at it.