“We can set soft vacation vibes while you eat dinner or melt your face when you’re six beers into happy hour.”
That’s how guitarist and vocalist Chris Campbell describes the sound of Abstract Radio, a premier option for live entertainment in Marathon and the Upper Keys.
Under the original name of Misery Loves Company, the former four-piece band paired Chris and his twin brother David with fellow Marathon High School Class of 2014 graduates Brendon Miller and Steven O’Toole.
The group cut their teeth at the Marathon United Methodist Church’s Jam program under the guidance of Duane Shelton before playing weekly gigs at Salty’s Waterfront Grill.
“When we all came together, nobody wanted to sing. Everybody wanted to play their instrument and hide behind it,” said Chris. “Duane really pushed us and made it so all four of us started singing. We were one of the only bands down here that were doing three- and four-part harmonies.”
Upon graduation, the foursome moved to Tallahassee and eventually saw the departure of Miller and O’Toole for Los Angeles and Chicago, respectively. After earning their bachelor’s degrees, the Campbell brothers returned to the Keys and met the band’s third member, Miami-based drummer Angel Romero, at an open mic night.
Today, the band puts their own flavor on rock, funk and pop covers, drawing influences from musicians such as Rush’s Alex Lifeson, the Foo Fighters and John Mayer.
“The market down here wants cover bands, and honestly, we’re happy to do that,” said Chris. “There’s creative space in those songs in the way that we play them.”
And believe it or not, the band plays virtually all of its new songs live without any prior practice. With Chris based in Marathon, David in Islamorada, and Angel on the mainland, the group will decide on a song to learn, practice their parts independently, and debut their work in the middle of a live set. But a familiarity cultivated by hundreds of hours on stage together, as well as each musician’s adaptability, allow even new songs to come together seamlessly.
“This lineup has never spent one minute together in a rehearsal space,” said Chris. “Every single new song that we learn is rehearsing live in front of people. If it’s a new song and we’re not feeling confident about it, we try to sneak those in there on a slow night.”
Once a song is officially in the band’s repertoire, the experimentation begins. “If it’s a difficult song, we’ll try to do it like a studio version at first and get it so we’re locked in with each other, and afterwards we’ll make it our own and adapt it to the best way to play it as a three-piece band,” Chris explained. “David will put two sounds on his keyboard and play a bass with his left hand and a horn with his right or something like that. Angel is so versatile because he was a house drummer for open mic nights, so he’s well-equipped to adapt.
“The other part of our creative freedom is that we hardly ever play the written solos in a song, unless it’s one where people know what the solo sounds like. It’s never even the same between two gigs.”
The trio’s love for their craft is evidenced by the amount of music they pack into each set. In a three- or four-hour gig, they only take a single break, frequently stringing together sets of more than two hours.
“We’re there because we want to play,” said Chris.
Are there any songs you love to play, or refuse to play? That’s easy. We will never play Jimmy Buffett. I will not compromise there. And whenever we get anybody anywhere who asks us to play something by Rush, we’re like, “Okay, you’re getting what you want.”
What drove the name switch from Misery Loves Company to Abstract Radio? When we moved up to Tallahassee, we just thought it was time to let that one go. Two venues we played at burned down right after we played there. Our name literally melted off the marquee at one of them. It was kind of gnarly. (Editor’s note: the band now “brings down the house” in a manner more palatable to insurance companies.)
What are your pre-show rituals? We don’t really have any as a band. When we start setting up before a gig, we’re having a good time because it’s what we all love to do, but we’re all business. We’re like a NASCAR pit crew. As for me, my ritual is a shot of Jack and a Yuengling.
Any instrument brand loyalties in the band? For 10 years I played exclusively on my Gibson Les Paul, and it’s in the shop right now getting some repairs. I purchased my first Fender Stratocaster in November of last year, and I’ve played nothing but the Stratocaster since I bought it. I’m definitely deeply in love with it right now. David plays on a Hammond organ; that’s his pride and joy. And Angel is the most brandless, non-picky dude I’ve ever met.
Catch Abstract Radio on Fridays at Sparky’s Landing and many other venues throughout the Middle and Upper Keys. For a full schedule, follow the band’s Facebook and Instagram pages at @AbstractRadioband or call 305-340-9126 for bookings.
