Shooter Jennings plays country the hard way—with fire ’n’ brimstone rock and roll energy. And when he does, Ted Russell Kamp is right behind him, pumping his Gibson Les Paul and Epiphone Jack Casady basses.
But a quiet highlight of Jennings’ concerts is a mid-show acoustic mini-set. And that’s when Kamp really shares the spotlight with the son of the legendary Waylon Jennings, playing either the Epiphone MM50 mandolin he endorses, banjo, accordion, keyboard, or 12-string guitar.
“I’m the multi-instrumentalist in the band,” Kamp says. “So whatever’s needed, I’ll play it. It’s that simple.”
Recently Kamp took the spotlight alone, releasing the fine solo albums Divisadero and Nashville Fineline. Both discs showcase his singing and songwriting, and up his instrumental ante with lap steel, bouzouki, percussion, trumpet, and trombone tracks.
“Making two new albums gave me a wonderful opportunity to record 25 really good songs that I had written, and to show both sides of what I do as a writer,” the native New York Stater explains.
“Nashville Fineline is really about writing and co-writing songs that other artists might record. It walks the fine line between being personal and commercially viable. Divisadero is more personal. It tells the story of who I am, a musician making his way in the world, with maybe a little more humor and experimentation.” The latter was number 34 in the Top 100 Americana albums of 2007.
Both albums (available via tedrussellkamp.com) showcase the L.A. resident’s appealingly dusty storyteller’s voice and a style minted by the influence of pioneering alternative-rock groups like R.E.M. and Hüsker Dü and the clear eyed roots-based songwriting of Dylan and Kris Kristofferson.
Kamp’s arsenal of Gibsons also includes Thunderbird and Grabber basses, as well as a 2004 TV Yellow Melody Maker. “It great for recording,” he says. “Really versatile.” He also owns an acoustic Gibson Nick Lucas model.
Many those axes were also employed for his next album, a soul inflected CD that’s already in the can and was inspired in part by Tony Joe White. If you see him solo, however, chances are it’ll be with his mandolin alone.
“I play a lot of acoustic solo gigs, and because of my schedule with Shooter I might have to fly off to one of my own shows straight from one of his and then hurry back for another Shooter gig,” Kamp explains.
“My mandolin saves my life in those situations. I can put it in its case and jump right on a plane without checking anything, and be ready to play a gig.
“It’s all I need,” he says. “My MM50 rings loud and clear, and I love coming up with cool little parts that carry the song. I don’t play super fast like a flat-picking bluegrass guy. I play fairly chordal, like a songwriter does, and it works.”