Brandon Campbell crafts a unique style that is rooted in the music of Gypsy Swing guitarist Django Reinhardt, yet explores a slightly darker path—one that is beautiful and passionate, yet flirts with mystery and occasional humor. This unique take stems from his previous life in the L.A. music scene, where his rockabilly-punk band The Graveyard Farmers shared stages with legends like The Stray Cats, Link Wray, Exene Cervenka, and The Damned. He now channels that raw energy and DIY attitude from his sordid past into his original compositions and solo albums. His third and latest release, Swinging from the Chandeliers, was recorded at his home studio in Bend, Oregon, featuring Brian Hickey on upright bass and Mark Evans on tenor guitar.
Mark Evans provides the driving rhythm guitar sound that makes The Brandon Campbell Trio's live performances so propulsive. Evans honed his signature swing groove over years of touring the West Coast, previously anchoring alt-rock acts such as the Murder Girls, Five Cattle Butt, and the influential post-punk group Spore. The latter made regular appearances at the infamous Gilman Street Project in Berkeley, CA. Evans' tight, compelling rhythm style is always likely to get audiences out onto the dance floor.
Brian Hickey is the thunderous heartbeat of the trio, a role he initially forged through grit and unconventional ingenuity. He spent the first few years in the band anchoring the low end on a homemade cardboard bass strung with weed whacker line—a testament to the raw, DIY spirit that defines the group. A musical journeyman, originally from Massachusetts, Hickey spent years as a traveling busker before working fifteen years honing his craft in Eugene’s eclectic music scene. Now a veteran of the Bend scene, with acts like Familiar Souls, Stones Throw, and Keez & Co, Hickey has traded in the cardboard for a proper doghouse bass, providing the deep, resonant foundation essential to the dark, swinging grooves of the trio’s sound.