BERINGTON VAN CAMPEN - 6- & 12-String Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Bass, Vocals, Keyboards, Mellotron, Percussion, & the occasional Cat.
LIVE: VARIOUS OTHER MUSICIANS - on guitars, bass, keyboards, drums & percussion, backing vocals, depending on the venue and music performed.
Influences
The Beatles (of course!), particularly George Harrison for his tasteful, exquisite guitar work, his unique writing & his SOUL, & Paul McCartney - truly one of the finest bassists EVER, & a poignant & AMAZING writer, too; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; YES - particularly Steve Howe (guitars), Rick Wakeman (a GENIUS on Mellotrons, Piano & Synths), & Chris Squire (bass, Whew!); King Crimson (Robert Fripp, Guitars; Greg Lake, Bass; Ian McDonald, Mellotrons & woods); Genesis; Pink Floyd; Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane); Ted Nugent (no, really!); Various Film Score Composers; Gustav Holst ("The Planets"); Paul Dukas ("The Sorcerer's Apprentice"); Ferde Grofé ("The Grand Canyon Suite"); Sergey Prokofiev ("Alexander Nevsky") and more. Influences, truly, wouldn't be complete without mentioning my 3 older sisters, who showed me the beauty and unbridled power of pianos & pipe organs (Marianne Decker), the flowing delicacy of the oboe (Karen Jansson), and the sometimes dark, often whimsical sounds of the clarinet (Lynn Van Campen [Northrop]). Above all, I'd have to credit my mother, Mary Van Campen, who has ALWAYS encouraged our creativity, and in her own way, as an award-winning actress, director and drama instructor and musician in her own right, encouraged me to "Get on out there!" reminding me that "They're looking for entertainment, NOT to criticize your every note!" She STILL does that, bless her heart! And my dad, BVC, Sr., who had been for some time a big-band drummer! He and my mother gave me my first band instruments (trombone & baritone horn), and then my first guitars, both acoustic AND electric, 1st two amps and all... and my integrity. Many would curse him, tho', for showing me the value of "humor" - admittedly I've taken it to much deeper depths than he'd have done. Hmmmm...
Sounds Like
TRY to sound like no one but meself, but I'm sure that influences of various above artists might be heard...
BERINGTON VAN CAMPEN is a 44-year veteran of the guitar, with a variety of influences like the Beatles, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Yes and others, as well as a lifetime of listening to classical and show music. The result has been a mixture of both acoustic and electric music, infused with unique style and integrity. Songwriting since 14, Berington’s been involved in many band situations, mostly in the Western Pennsylvania area from which he hails, but there’s always been a portion of every concert or club show featuring just him alone on acoustic guitar. He became well-known there for his solo acoustic work, playing venues from coffee houses and clubs to major festivals throughout several states in the northeast, and as a frequent performer on Pittsburgh television shows.
~~~~~~ In 1977, having moved to Los Angeles, his use of various types of guitars, bass, piano, synthesizers, Mellotron and percussion led to a well-received turn into feature film, television and commercial music scoring, as well as session work and producing other artists, which continues to this day. Some of his credits include the original music for the 1988 “Glory of Easter” Pageant at Orange County’s Crystal Cathedral, starring Carol Lawrence, and the official U.S.O.C. films for both the 1984 Sarajevo and Los Angeles Olympics. Additionally, he has scored feature films, books-on-tape, commercials, corporate logo themes, and numerous series and specials for The Discovery Channel, A&E, ABC and others. As an avid scuba diver, Berington has at times created not only the music, but also shot innumerable hours of underwater video with dolphins, whales, sharks, shipwrecks and other subjects, for both The Discovery Channel and A&E.
~~~~~~ Perhaps the biggest feature of Berington’s music, no matter what form it takes, is the honest presence of “lots of heart.” The bottom line for him is that music should be FUN, and “real.” From more orchestrated material on recordings, to live solo and ensemble work with the rich textures of his often-used 12-string acoustic, Berington has established himself as an engaging performer who catches and keeps the attention of an audience, and leaves them wanting more. He plays regularly at “Kulak’s Woodshed” in North Hollywood, CA, often upon request, accompanying others on guitar or bass as well, and hosts a music improvisation “Jam Night” there every Wednesday. (Visit kulakswoodshed.com for details.) ~~~~~~ Currently writing a batch of new songs, he is now in production on a new CD, and collaborating with selected other writers on various recording and concert performances, performing with several bands on either guitars, bass, or both. The latest project (12-07) is Lead Guitar & Vocalist with Beatles "B-SIDE!", a unique 5-pc. Beatles tribute band that's garnering lots of serious attention, playing faithful, accurate-as-possible reproductions of some of the finest music ever written! As well, Berington currently teaches Beginning and Advanced Guitar Technique and Electric Bass.
heyyy I am most definetly going to try to come to as many shows as possible this summer. I really wanna go back to Kulaks. I love the atmosphere. =] oo and finals went well =]]] keep in touch =]
Heidley Hey B-Man! I should be in Los Angeles July 22-26 so I'm gonna do my best to catch your gig at the Steel Pit on the 24th. If I can make it I'll bring the v64 for you to noodle on for a set or two. Toodley Doo!
omg heyyy haha Kulaks was amazing. no joke ima go back there as much as possible over summer. and the horses... yupp iv been at it most of my life =] and im never gonna let the music outa my life =]]] i wish i couldv come today to listen but i have to study for finals... whatever. maybe another time =] <3
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Well heck, that sort of just happens when you come back from dropping off the face of the Earth...everyone's just surprised that I'm still alive. And believe me if I knew I was going to live this long I'd of taken better care of myself! (-' Thanks so much for the comments. Very gracious of you. Good luck with the Beatunes...wish I could catch a show. Hey but, Tomorrow Never Knows...
Hi Berington! Haven't seen you in a while! I moved to Silverlake, but I need to get back up to Kulak's, fer sure! Just thought I'd let you know I'll be in Burbank at Romancing the Bean tonight to practice some new stuff at the open mic. Got a big show on Sunday, and I wanna be ready. Anyway, join me for either or both! Sunday's details are on the poster below. Just a click away! Cheers, Rachael
Tix are $99 for 1 day or $269 for a 3 day pass. They aren't giving out the stage time for Paul, of course. Let me know if you can make it so I can send you my address etc.
The setup on the 360-12 is supposed to be Parallel Mono outputs (both pickups to both jacks) but according to Rickenbacker, anything is possible. Production was so slow for so long they suddenly decided to crank out as many guitars as possible, so some went out mono.. some went out stereo.. some went mono with a ric-o-sound nameplate etc etc. They say the only way to be sure is to take it apart and look at it. If you prefer stereo they say its super easy to convert and only involves snipping a couple wires at the jacks.
I added some more guitars and a few mandolins to photobucket if you want to have another peek.
(Yaya.. don't ask what I was thinking when I bought that Buck Owens thing). I'll take some of the other guitars and mandolins and post em for ya shortly. The 325 is gone... only because I was able to sell it back to Norman for pretty much what I paid for it along with the promise that he would get me a really good deal on a 325 v59 in Maple Glo.. just haven't taken him up on it yet.
I mentioned the J3012 was a practical joke only because you have to have hands like Fezzik to play it. The neck is frikkin HUGE. On the other hand.. (? lol) the ES335-12 is swee-hee-heet. The Rick speaks for itself.. Can things get any MORE bitchin? Maybe.. wait till you see what I post next!
Hey!.. Sir Paul is coming to town next month and as you may have figured, I live about 10 miles from the Polo Grounds. If you're planning on going, you and your entourage are more than welcome to crash here at my place. For real, bruddah! I'll grill up some whale-burgers special! LOL!! Just let me know.. the door is always open.
Anyone that would own a 12 string deserves to tune it. LOL Na j/k.. Berington has impeccable taste in selecting instruments. I have 3 (so that's like what? 36 Strings?) A Rick 360-12 v64, Gibson ES335/12 and a Guild JF3012. The Gibson is by far the most playable. The Guild is like some kind of practical joke and the Rick is just plain cool.. Maybe not as cool as Berington's 360 though.. now THATS cool.
Hi Berington, Actually, I had just gotten myself a 12 string, after playing yours! The action was way too high on my new one, but I was having so much fun playing it that I overdid it. But the left hand injury didn't really catch up with me until that Wednesday jam on uke, when my hand just froze into a claw! :>) Better now, fortunately! Cheers, Rick.
Hiya Berington! How's life at Kulak's these days? I actually got a sudden, severe case of arthritis, (which I'd never had before or since), from playing my little ukulele too loud in one of those Wednesday night jams. (Serves me right! :>) My left hand just froze up in mid-song, and took about a year to thaw out! Weird. It's fine now, but I've been reluctant to do that again. So did Kulak's manage to ward off the porn star and stay open? Hope so. Great place! Just stoppin' by to drop off some BurroSpam from Road Apple Records.... My old friend King Gully was the first Rasta surfer on the wild North Shore of Barbados. This song is based on his true story. It's been described as a cross between "I Shot The Sheriff" and "Puff The Magic Dragon". :>) And there's ukulele under all those dang gitarz! I think you'll like it, as well as the shots of great surfing and amazing waves, all from Barbados! Aloha, Rick Novak. Enjoy....
It was wonderful meeting you and Lynne. I will see you tomorrow at Kulaks. i should definitely try to get you to play with me on bass sometime. I heard you are great! Or even improv on your guitar while I play lead guitar and sing. :)
Happy New Year! Thanks for being our friend. Please accept our comment so you can educate your visitors! If any of your friends want to help educate their community about hepatitis C have them send us a message.
Hep C Aware - ARE YOU?
Hepatitis C is a systemic blood borne virus that primarily attacks the liver. It is spread by blood to blood contact 1 in 50 Americans have HCV - 2 out of 3 do not know it. THERE IS NO VACCINE FOR HEPATITIS C
Risk factors! Have you: >received blood, blood products, or an organ transplant prior to 1992? >ever shared drug paraphernalia? injecting or snorting >ever been stuck by a used blood needle? >been on kidney dialysis? >had a tattoo or body piercing? >had sexual activity that involves contact with blood? >shared personal cars items(razors, toothbrushes, etc.) with other people? >been incarcerated >been in combat (especially vietnam veterans)
If you answered YES to any of these questions, you may have been exposed to the Hepatitis C virus GET TESTED!
PLEASE VISIT THESE WEBSITES FOR INFO AND SUPPORT www. HepCChallenge. org www. HepCAdvocate. org
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I wish you a GREAT new year 2009, full of health, joy and every possible happiness for you and your loved ones, as well as much music, much inspiration and much colour in your life !
I hope that 2009 will illuminate and warm the hearts of all of us, and make us realize the true meaning of life - show our love to all living creatures, humans, animals, plants, so as not to let another year of our short lives to be useless for us and indifferent to those around us.
All the best !!! Thank you very much for your wonderful comments! Many kisses XXX Antigoni
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