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B.C. Camplight

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BC Camplight
BC Camplight performing in 2016
BC Camplight performing in 2016
Background information
Birth nameBrian James Christinzio[1]
Born (1979-05-31) 31 May 1979 (age 45)
New Jersey, United States
GenresIndie rock, lo-fi
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician
Years active2002-present
LabelsOne Little Indian, Bella Union
Websitebccamplight.co.uk

BC Camplight (born Brian James Christinzio on May 31, 1979) is an England-based American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

His 2005 album Hide, Run Away was released by One Little Indian and featured Cynthia G. Mason on vocals.[2] Camplight's follow-up, Blink of a Nihilist, was released in 2007, and his third album came out in January 2015 on Bella Union. Christinzio's later lyrics regularly explore his personal life and self-destructive tendencies, including struggles with depression and alcohol.[3]

Biography

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Originally from Wenonah, New Jersey,[4] Christinzio relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, in 2003. He soon signed a record deal with One Little Indian and established himself on the city's live music scene. He played live with members of The War on Drugs and appeared as a session piano player on Sharon Van Etten's 2011 album Epic, among other collaborations.

Under the One Little Indian record label, Christinzio released two albums, one in 2005 and another in 2007. Although they garnered critical acclaim, the albums did not achieve commercial success. He was dropped by the label and nearly quit music altogether while struggling with mental health issues, drugs and alcohol.[5][6]

Christinzio relocated to Manchester, England in 2012, following the advice of a fan on social media.[7] There he recuperated and returned to writing and performing.[8][5] In October 2014 Bella Union announced it would be releasing BC Camplight's already-recorded third album, How to Die in the North, in January 2015.[9]

However, in early 2015 Christinzio overstayed his visa permissions due to a severe leg injury and was made to leave the UK, resulting in the cancellation of his band's summer tour which was to include performances at the Green Man and End of the Road festivals and an appearance on Later... with Jools Holland. Gigs in other countries went ahead as planned, including a debut tour in the US. Christinzio temporarily resided in Paris and Philadelphia.[5][10] In the spring of 2016, he toured the West Coast of America for the first time. He then re-settled in Manchester with an Italian passport, care of his grandparents,[11] and has since been granted a permanent Settled status.

In 2017 Christinzio recorded a new album, Deportation Blues, released on Bella Union in summer 2018. Some of the album chronicled his experience with the UK immigration system. His most successful at the time, the release was nonetheless followed by another difficult personal period, including the sudden loss of Christinzio's father.[12]

In April 2020 BC Camplight released his fifth album, Shortly After Takeoff, again on Bella Union. It marked the completion of his so-called "'Manchester Trilogy", which also includes his previous two albums released on the same label. It became Christinzio's most commercial and critically-successful record to date, with The Guardian calling it "a masterpiece".[13]

Up to 2021, the BC live band consisted of Christinzio (piano/vocals), Luke Barton (vocals/synth/guitar), Stephen Mutch (bass), Thom Bellini (guitar), Adam Dawson (drums) and Francesca Pidgeon (vocals/synth/percussion/saxophone).

In May 2023, Christinzio released The Last Rotation of Earth, an album written after the breakup of his long-term relationship.[14] The album peaked at number 31 on the UK Albums Chart.[15] The release of the album was followed by both solo and full-band tours, with the band consisting of longtime members Adam Dawson, Luke Barton, Francesca Pidgeon and Thom Bellini, with the new addition of multi-instrumentalist Jolan Lewis.

Discography

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Hide, Run Away (One Little Indian, 2005)

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  1. "Couldn't You Tell" 3:24
  2. "Blood and Peanut Butter" 3:54
  3. "Emily's Dead to Me" 1:57
  4. "Hide Runaway" 5:19
  5. "Wouldn't Mind the Sunshine" 4:28
  6. "Parapaleejo" 3:17
  7. "Oranges in Winter" 4:36
  8. "If You Think I Don't Mean It" 2:01
  9. "La La La" 4:38
  10. "Richard Dawson" 3:26
  11. "Sleep with Your Lights On" 4:23
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  1. "Suffer for Two" 2:57
  2. "Lord, I've Been on Fire" 3:45
  3. "Werewolf Waltz" 1:22
  4. "Forget About Your Bones" 2:57
  5. "Say Tonto!" 4:06
  6. "The Hip and the Homeless" 3:45
  7. "The 22 Skidoo" 3:34
  8. "Officer Down" 3:44
  9. "Grey Young Amelia" 5:20
  10. "I've Got a Bad Cold" 2:04
  11. "Scare Me Sweetly" 4:46

How to Die in the North (Bella Union, 2015)

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  1. "You Should've Gone to School" 4:29
  2. "Love Isn't Anybody's Fault" 3:09
  3. "Just Because I Love You" 5:13
  4. "Grim Cinema" 3:55
  5. "Good Morning Headache" 5:31
  6. "Thieves in Antigua" 4:07
  7. "Atom Bomb" 4:47
  8. "Lay Me on the Floor" 5:52
  9. "Why Doesn't Anybody Fall in Love Anymore" 3:32

Deportation Blues (Bella Union, 2018)

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  1. "Deportation Blues" 4:44
  2. "I'm in a Weird Place Now" 4:32
  3. "Hell or Pennsylvania" 4:29
  4. "I'm Desperate" 4:09
  5. "When I Think of My Dog" 4:12
  6. "Am I Dead Yet?" 5:26
  7. "Midnight Ease" 4:58
  8. "Fire in England" 3:44
  9. "Until You Kiss Me" 3:03

Shortly After Takeoff (Bella Union, 2020)

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  1. "I Only Drink When I'm Drunk" 3:44
  2. "Ghosthunting" 5:33
  3. "Back to Work" 4:11
  4. "Cemetery Lifestyle" 3:42
  5. "I Want to Be in the Mafia" 4:37
  6. "Shortly After Takeoff" 3:31
  7. "Arm Around Your Sadness" 3:34
  8. "Born to Cruise" 3:35
  9. "Angelo" 1:32

The Last Rotation of Earth (Bella Union, 2023)

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  1. "The Last Rotation of Earth" 4:09
  2. "The Movie" 5:10
  3. "It Never Rains in Manchester" 4:49
  4. "Kicking Up a Fuss" 4:16
  5. "She's Gone Cold" 3:59
  6. "Fear Life in a Dozen Years" 4:23
  7. "Going Out on a Low Note" 4:15
  8. "I'm Ugly" 3:09
  9. "The Mourning" 2:05

References

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  1. ^ "AM I DEAD YET". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  2. ^ Michael Berick. "Review: Hide, Run Away". Allmusic. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  3. ^ Simon Jay Catling (9 January 2015). "Heart of a Wrestler: BC Camplight Interviewed". The Skinny.
  4. ^ Dan DeLuca. "BC Camplight: Back in Philly with a new album and outlook", The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 7, 2015. Accessed October 8, 2020. "Christinzio grew up in nearby Wenonah, and, for now, he's hunkered down in Gloucester County."
  5. ^ a b c Tim Jonze (18 May 2015). "BC Camplight: 'I can't overstate how bad my life had gotten'". The Guardian.
  6. ^ "NewsTalk Podcasts - The Tom Dunne Show - Interview BC Camplight". Newstalk.com. 12 October 2015.[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ John Freeman (10 February 2015). "The Homecoming King: An Interview With BC Camplight". The Quietus.
  8. ^ David Sue (5 April 2013). "Brian Christinzio: Manchester saved my life". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015.
  9. ^ DeLuca, Dan (29 April 2014). "Philadelphia's BC Camplight makes it in Manchester, new album 'How To Die In The North' on the way". Philly.com. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  10. ^ Patrick Rapa (3 June 2015). "On the verge of a comeback, Manchester rocker B.C. Camplight found himself stuck in Philly once again". Philadelphia Citypaper. Archived from the original on 2015-10-03.
  11. ^ "BC Camplight". Bella Union. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  12. ^ Max Pilley (April 22, 2020). "In Conversation: BC Camplight". Clash.
  13. ^ Michael Hann (April 24, 2020). "BC Camplight: Shortly After Takeoff review – a tumultuous pop masterpiece". The Guardian.
  14. ^ Max Pilley (May 10, 2023). "BC Camplight on new album The Last Rotation of Earth". The Skinny.
  15. ^ "the last rotation of earth | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". OfficialCharts. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
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