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Jay Simonson’s prediction for Friday’s show: “It’s going to be loud, and I’m going to climb on stuff.” It’s one of the few straightforward answers Simonson, lead singer of the Minneapolis garage-rock band France Camp, was willing to give over the phone, where he was joined by drummer Dylan Rosebringeth and a mysterious woman in the background who laughed at each of his answers.
“We’re four big northern winter hairy boys, but We’re ready to wax if that’s what you guys want.”
How did the four members of France Camp meet?
“We all lived in the same house — four guys in a small town in Minnesota who shared the same mother.”
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What made you guys start France Camp?
“We wanted to sleep together in the same bed. Now we get to. Four guys, one hotel room.”
What can people going to your show expect?
“Our live shows have always been noise and dirty, old, bald men. We might bring raw fish and throw that. We’ll probably order a meat-lover’s pizza onstage.”
Some internet sleuthing reveals France Camp’s true origins: The band formed in 2013 with Simonson and Rosebringeth, who were later joined by guitarist James Wolfeatens and bassist Kyle Kimm. Yeah, not as cool as the whole Minnesota/one-bed spiel.
In May 2015, France Camp released the album Purge, which consists of ten mostly excellent tracks that are amalgamations of surf and garage. Simonson had enough pride in that LP that he almost got serious for a moment. “We wanted it to be closer to our live show. The record came through in a period of hate and pain. We wanted to purge that all out in one recording, thus the name.”
Now they have plans to create another record in 2016, which Simonson said follows a Midwestern musical tradition. “We’re going to hibernate this winter. That’s what you do as a Minnesota band. You spend the summer hanging out and the winter writing music. We have these things called blizzards. Have you heard of them?”
We haven’t.
But first, before the new album and after the comedy routine, France Camp is excited about the warm weather of a January Florida tour and playing on the same bill as local Miami faves Plastic Pinks. “We got to play with them in Minnesota. They influenced us, but they warned us in Miami you have to wear short shorts to play down there. We’re four big northern winter hairy boys, but we’re ready to wax if that’s what you guys want.”
France Camp with Plastic Pinks, Veiny Hands, and Fat Sun. 6 p.m. Friday, January 8, at Gramps, 176 NW 24th St., Miami; 305-699-2669; gramps.com. Admission is $5. Ages 21 and up.
