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NINI
Nini Camps has crossed this country several times over the
past few years, and it’s on those journeys that she usually discovers
something about herself. Like the fact that she packs a
mean suitcase. And she loves meeting new people. Or that,
according to her latest journal entry on her website, the pilot of
her airplane should be more focused on flying the aircraft than
rattling of flight altitudes to a cabin full of people who could probably
care less.
After moving to New York City to go to school, Nini fell in love with
the Big Apple, and decided that that was where she needed to
be. Immersing herself in NYC’s undeniable music community,
Nini soon found herself fronting Lovepie, an ensemble of musicians
that focused on the craft of songwriting and musicianship.
Lovepie, Nini’s debut cd, was released in 1999, and she began
playing more and more shows outside of New York. Nini’s sound
evolved over the years into a unique blend of folk, roots rock, and
pop. Her Cuban heritage often plays a large roll in her music
with tribal rhythms and beats, and some of her most well known
songs are sung in Spanish.
So Long is the latest release from Nini Camps, and it finds her
developing her signature style of acoustic and slide guitar to
create a potent blend of Americana folk rock. Nini spoke to Rag
Magazine via email before she left on a nationwide tour promoting
the new album.
Rag: Your bio says you are a native of Miami. Did you perform
here (either solo or band)? Why did you decide to move to
New York City?
Nini: I never performed in Miami while I was living there. It was
38 • APRIL 2004 • RAG MAGAZINE
Story: Juliett Rowe
CAMPS
never even much of a possibility. Miami is a weird town. Musically,
it is rich with Cuban and Hispanic cultures, but outside of
that realm there is very little to be had. When I was old enough to
hang out at the music clubs, there were very few places to go for
original music and even less for acoustic singer-songwriter type
stuff. I remember going to this tiny little place on south beach to
watch Raul Malo (way before The Mavericks) play to 15 people.
Despite his incredible talent, at that time there was no-one
around to appreciate it. My move to NY came after college (I went
to school in Long Island - Hofstra University). When graduation
came, there was never a doubt in my mind that NYC was where
I wanted to be.
Rag: Tell me about your latest cd So Long. In your bio you talk
about finding your sound for this album. How much of a struggle
was that for you?
Nini: Figuring out what this record was going to sound like was
a slow process. I had grown accustomed to a full band sound
but found myself touring more and more as a solo artist. Many of
the songs had never been (or very seldom been) performed by
the band. So, whenever the idea of recording came along, I
could never decide if I wanted to keep it simple and acoustic -
which is how I had been touring - or go ahead with a produced,
multi-layered approach to the songs. In my personal relationship
with music, I want a live performance to show me something
new, to expose the songs in a different way - perhaps get a
glimmer into the performer/writer/singer in a way I hadn’t before.
I can listen and love a record at home; I don’t want a note for note
reproduction of it at a live show. The live show should breathe
and emote in a way that the recording doesn’t. So, with that in
mind, the full band approach won. I figured that I may as well
make the recording something special (with these GREAT mu-