Kamchatka are a Swedish rock band highly influenced by late 1960s and early 1970s blues rock bands. Their sound combines elements of

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre, genre and form of rock music, rock and blues music that relies on the chords/scales and instrumental improvisation of blues. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electri ...

stoner rock Stoner rock, also known as stoner metal or stoner doom, is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Sl ...

and

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

. Kamchatka took their name from the volcanically active Russian

Kamchatka Peninsula The Kamchatka Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and western coastlines, respectively. Immediately offshore along the Pacific ...

that divides the

Okhotsk Okhotsk ( rus, Охотск, p=ɐˈxotsk) is an urban locality (a work settlement) and the administrative center of Okhotsky District of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, located at the mouth of the Okhota River on the Sea of Okhotsk. Population: ...

and the

Bering Sea The Bering Sea ( , ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre, p=ˈbʲerʲɪnɡəvə ˈmorʲe) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasse ...

Biography

In 2005 Kamchatka released their self-titled debut ''

Kamchatka The Kamchatka Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and western coastlines, respectively. Immediately offshore along the Pacific ...

'', a 14-track album containing 3 covers: "I Love Everybody" originally written by blues-rocker

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums, live performances, and slide guitar playing from the late 1 ...

. The 2 other songs, "Auto Mowdown" and "Spacegirl Blues" were written by Gerald V. Casale of new wave band

Devo Devo is an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs ( Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 ...

(from compilation Hardcore Devo: Volume One). The album was recorded at Shrimpmonkey studios by Nicolas Elgstrand. In 2007, Before Kamchatka's second album '' Volume II'' was released, guitarist Thomas Andersson collaborated on a project called King Hobo with

Opeth Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. The band incorporates folk music, folk, blues, classical music, classical, and jazz elements into its usually lengthy compositions, as well as strong influences from deat ...

keyboardist

Per Wiberg Per Jonas Wiberg (born 8 June 1968) is a Swedes, Swedish musician who has been a member of the bands Spiritual Beggars (1998-) as a keyboardist, ''King Hobo'' (2007-) as a keyboardist, guitarist, and vocalist, and Kamchatka (band), Kamchatka (2 ...

and

Clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that allows an output shaft to be disconnected from a rotating input shaft. The clutch's input shaft is typically attached to a motor, while the clutch's output shaft is connected to the mechanism that does th ...

drummer

Jean-Paul Gaster Jean-Paul Gaster (born June 19, 1971) is an American musician who is the drummer for the rock band Clutch. Style and influences Gaster learned to play drums by playing along to 1960s and 1970s heavy rock bands like Jimi Hendrix, Cream, ZZ To ...

, amongst others. Kamchatka's third album '' Volume III'' was released in March 2009. An 11-track album containing a cover of

The Allman Brothers The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969. Its founding members were brothers Duane Allman (slide guitar, lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guitar, ...

' song Whipping Post featuring

drummer Jean Paul Gaster. The fourth album '' Bury Your Roots'', an album of 12 original tracks, was released on GMR 5 September 2011. The fifth Kamchatka album ''The Search Goes On'', was released on Despotz Records on 21 February 2014.

Musical style and influences

Kamchatka have been influenced by several genres including

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and by artists such as

Ali Farka Touré Ali Ibrahim "Ali Farka" Touré (31 October 1939 – 6 March 2006) was a Malian singer and multi-instrumentalist, and one of the African continent's most internationally renowned musicians. His music blends traditional Malian music and its deriv ...

Cactus A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...

Kyuss Kyuss ( ) was an American stoner rock band formed in Palm Desert, California, in 1987, and considered one of the pioneers of the genre. After disbanding in 1995, a number of band members have gone on to form or play in several notable bands in ...

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (, March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "List of nicknames of jazz musicians, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

and

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

. Thomas Andersson's guitar playing is mainly

riff A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based ...

based and is considered highly inspired by

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

and

Robin Trower Robin Leonard Trower (born 9 March 1945) is an English rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum throughout 1967–1971 and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio known as the Robin Trower Band. Biography Robin Trower ...

, therefore Kamchatka are often compared to heavy blues-rock bands active in the late 1960s and early 1970s like

The Jimi Hendrix Experience James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

and

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...

. The band has been labeled hard rock, stoner rock,

jam band A jam band is a musical group whose concerts and live albums substantially feature improvisational "jam session, jamming". Typically, jam bands will play variations of pre-existing songs, extending them to musical improvisation, improvise ove ...

power trio A power trio is a rock band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit, leaving out a dedicated vocalist or an additional rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quart ...

and blues-rock.

Touring

In early 2007, Kamchatka did a tour in Sweden opening for

influenced band

on three occasions. In April/May 2008 Kamchatka did a US Tour opening for

on 21 occasions. In 2009, they continued this affiliation with Clutch by joining them on a November tour of the EU.

Members

;Current Members *Thomas "Juneor" Andersson – guitar, vocals (2001–present) *Tobias Strandvik – drums (2001–present) *

– bass, vocals, keyboards (2015–present) ;Past Members * Roger Ojersson – bass & vocals (2001–2015) File:2016 Kamchatka - by 2eight - DSC3282.jpg, Thomas "Juneor" Andersson File:2016 Kamchatka - by 2eight - DSC3276.jpg, Tobias Strandvik File:2016 Kamchatka - by 2eight - DSC3181.jpg, Per Wiberg

Discography

Studio albums

*''

'' (2005) *'' Volume II'' (2007) *'' Volume III'' (2009) *'' Bury Your Roots'' (2011) *''The Search Goes On'' (2014) *''Long Road Made of Gold'' (2015) *''Hoodoo Lightning'' (2019)

Singles

*"Tango Decadence" (2013) *"Doorknocker Blues" (2014) *"Somedays" (2014) *"Ain't Fallin'" (2014) *"Get Your Game On" (2015) *"To You" (2015) *"Human Dynamo" (2015) *"Devil Dance" (2016) *"No One That Can Tell" (2016) *"Stone Cold Shaky Bones" (2018) *"Rainbow Bridge" (2019) *"Fool" (2019)

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial MySpaceGMR
{{Authority control Blues rock groups Swedish rock music groups Swedish stoner rock musical groups Blues musical groups Musical groups from Halland County Varberg