MP3 Jeff Humphrey Trio - No Fun Camp

Homegrown, low/mid fi, indie rock, sometimes sad, sometimes quirky, always catchy. Clever lyrics about all sorts of characters.

30 MP3 Songs
POP: Quirky, POP: British Pop



Details:
Official Bio

Jeff has been writing and recording songs for 15+ years. Dave is the best bassist in US and England. Scott provides a rock solid foundation. He also writes, sings, and plays guitar, keys, and echoplex. The original Trio hit the scene in 1994 and by the end of 1995 released 4 independent records. After pursuing other projects and interests for the better part of a decade the Trio is back and ready to rock...

My JHT Experience

My first memory of the Jeff Humphrey Trio was a black cassette tape that was being passed around. It contained these amazing low fi indie songs that just captured the spirit of the times. There was a depth to the material and it definitely made us all want to start a band. Songs like 'Clip' and 'Black Webbers Sister' just barely reaching two minutes seemed like epics. Songs like 'Alcohol' and 'Smashing Bloke' were stories any one of us could have told.

In mainstream music, the fashionable pop was being replaced by grunge alternative and we would all cram into basements to see our favorite bands play. JHT was one of those must see performances. We all wore Doc Martins and tattered flannels and would buy sub-pop records just because they were sub-pop. The scene and the music seemed indestructible. Fast forward two years...

I was asked to join the JHT in the winter of 94/95. It was a cold, cold winter. Hope and youth were slowly being replaced by anger and sadness. Substances had taken its toll on all of us. We tried our best to keep the ball rolling but over time the fragmented parts just split again. A year after joining, the JHT I was apart of had fallen apart.

The JHT has had many lineups, all which have contributed their own spin on the songs. The one constant, of course, is Jeff himself, who throughout his entire musical journey has always pushed himself to deliver more truth in his work than anyone I have ever known. Always looking at the minor details that we just take for granted. I purchased my first four track because I wanted to write songs like Jeff. I even bought his drum machine off of him to make the same sounding demos. After my tenure with the JHT was up, we really never kept in touch. I was playing in bands and trying to construct some sort of life, Jeff was forming a far greater band with his family.

In late 2004, I was asked to join The Sans Alabaster Group and play a show in Jersey City at the now defunct Uncle Joe's Bar. One of the bands playing that evening was The Mercy Jar. I had no idea that Jeff was playing in that band. It was great to meet up again and catch up on old times. It had been almost ten years since we last talked. Some of my favorite memories of Jeff include hanging out at his old apartment listening to music. Jeff introduced me to Syd Barrett and Guided by Voices. At that show, we immediately connected again with our love and respect for good music. We exchange contact info and left it at that.

A few weeks later we decide to hang out and jam on some songs in his basement. Like riding a bike, it all came back. Old songs that have not been played in years start coming out of the vault and sound really amazing. Is this what the public craves? Is this what everyone has forgotten about? Like a time machine we are transported back to a time when things were simple and music meant something to each of us. We wanted to keep the spirit alive and were reintroduced to what is most important to us, having fun and making good music. Jeff tracked down The Captain and before long; JHT was up and running again with new energy and purpose.

What is the destiny? Where will JHT surface for its debut show? Only time will tell. Not all great bands have to tour to support music that speaks for itself. We have been recording new material as well as old material. With age comes experience. We have all the tools and equipment necessary to maintain stability and turn out quality recordings without having to mess with the whole nasty music industry if we choose. So keep an ear out and stay in touch because there is more to come...

STB