CAMPO BRAVO

Bio:

The record setting heat wave that crashed Tucson, AZ's summer of 2003 provided ample inspiration to head for the indoors and hit the fans, sync up the old Tascams and make use of the red buttons and battered Music Man amplifiers. With heat stroked back drop, Mark Matos' early song crumbs, and rhythm section provided by the wonderous Golden Boots, The Campo Bravo Family was born a celebratory, if premature, birth.

Mark Matos' first demos, packaged as 'Electric Jumping Horses', began circulating the cozy confines of Tucson's adobe abodes in 2004 and soon he was gathering a rotating collective of sympathetic freaks and art rockers and opening for the likes of M. ward, Smog, Akron/Family, and Okkervil River. Eventually headlining capacity shows at Tucson's best venues and traversing America's fractured landscape in the kind of vans that had mechanic's cringing, all the while willing to take our meager road funds for services exchaged.

By 2006, uder the Campo Bravo moniker, Matos had released an EP and a full length on KEEP Recordings and was touring nationally with Darla Records' The Lowlights and Side Cho's Charlamagne. In Madison Wisconsin doses of LSD were administered and time was stopped, matters considered. In a fit of barefooted vision, MM pulled the plug on the Tucson model of Campo Bravo, packed his suitcase and headed home to San Francisco to reform the band in it's spiritual and musical home on the edge of the continent.

Mark Matos now performs with his band, Mark Matos & Os Beaches which includes contributions from Matt Adams (Blank Tapes), Ben Reisdorph, Joe Miller, Joe Lewis, Dave Mihaly, Kacey Johansing, Jeremy Hootin', Steve Spar, Aaron Keirbal, Tom Heyman (Court & Spark), and others of the CB Family. They have a new record, "Words Of The Knife" due out Oct. 6th on Porto Franco Records.

Member Since:

November 09, 2004

Members:

Mark Matos

Ben Reisdorph

Anthony Orion

Steven Spar

Charles Gonzalez

Smoking Joe Lewis

Matt Adams

Dave Mihaly

Aaron Keirbal

Influences:

WHO WE'VE PLAYED WITH:

M. Ward, Okkervil River, Akron/Family, Howe Gelb, Smog, Lambchop, The Black Heart Proccssion, Autumn Defense (members of Wilco), Little Wings, Richard Buckner, Nik Frietas, Lowlights, Charlamagne, Golden Boots, Kimya Dawson, Brett Dennon, The Cairo Gang, Haley Bonner, Norfolk & Western, Laura Viers, Karl Blau, Neko Case, Mendoza Line, Scout Niblet, Holly Throsby, Danny Barnes (Bad Livers), +many others.

Sounds Like:

STUFF PEOPLE SAY:

" exhilarating."
-San Francisco Chronicle

" Clever and perfect ."
-Smother Magazine

" a small epic."
-Slightly Confusing To A Stranger

" deft wordplay"
-2005 TAMMIES Best New Band Runner-Up (Critics Choice)



"Equal parts Neil Young, Giant Sand and Will Oldham... Laid back, thoughtful, sad and heartbreakingly beautiful." ..

"'fabulous word play... genius. Comprised of beautiful melodies and laid-back grooves saturated by affecting, poignant poetry -'Songs' is a must-have."
-Jamie Manser, Downtown Tucsonan

"Highly entertaining.... gorgeous."
-aznightbuzz.com



"A fine songwriter who... invoked the cracked tones of Will Oldham. Highlights were many "
- Stephen Siegel, Tucson Weekly

Record Label:

BRAVE SCARECROW (USA)-AWFUL BLISS (Europe)

Label Type:

Indie