There was a huge crowd recently at the downtown Dallas nightclub Liquid Lounge. The fans were screaming and impatient. But the entertainment wasn’t one of Dallas’ regular local bands.
The band was The Campaign, and it was only their seventh show.
Together for only six months, The Campaign already has a following of nearly 4,000 fans. In any business this is considered a triumph, but it’s especially true in the music business, which is based solely on judgment and opinion.
The band considers itself a “super-cool pop” band, according to Tyler Wood, lead singer and keyboardist. Drummer Blaine Crews calls the group a “rock band with a lot of funk.”
However, when one thinks of rock music, electric guitars immediately come to mind. But the band has gone against the grain and plays without one.
This trio of drums, bass and keys really has no need for a guitar player, according to the group.
“It makes us stand out,” Wood said.
“Not to toot my own horn, but you really need a key player that plays rhythm and lead if you aren’t going to have a guitar player,” Wood said.
Wood, Crews and Paul Jenkins all met about seven months ago. Wood had been living in Austin for a year while pursuing a solo career. Growing tired of the Austin scene and feeling down about his music career, Wood was ready to come back to Fort Worth. Fortunately, he was told by a musician in Austin about a stand-up drummer living there.
Crews was immediately interested in the project, as he had just broken up with a band he had played with for several years. Crews automatically thought of Jenkins as someone to include on this project.
“I consider him one of the best bassists in the metroplex,” he said.
The two both played as hired musicians in local bands and kept in contact with each other.
Now that the group is complete, The Campaign practices a couple of nights during the week at Wood’s home in Fort Worth.
Each member came from different music experiences and styles, but they connected instantly. They had different ideas for the band, but all agreed on one thing.
“We want to be a band everybody talks about,” Wood said. “Entertainers that never fail to bring it every time.”
Although the band would love for music to be its source of income, the members each have day jobs to make a living. Woods works for an oil company, Crews works at a restaurant, and Jenkins works for a building company.
The band has since played a few times as The Campaign, gaining more fans with each show. They have played venues such as Aardvark, Poor David’s Pub, The Cavern and Liquid Lounge.
“They have such high energy,” said Hal Abney, a new Campaign fan who has attended two shows. “Every song has a great feel to it.”
The Campaign members agree that Wood’s piano skills hold the band together. Wood has been playing piano since he was 5, primarily learning classical music. After growing tired of the classical training, he wanted to learn to play bluesy, funky tunes. His teacher did not know how to teach those genres of music, so Wood taught himself.
Wood, 23, has now written a few dozen songs, all of which the band plays at shows. He usually comes up with an idea for a song and brings it to the rest of the group.
Wood said he only needs to give them the gist of a song, and Crews and Jenkins fill in the rest.
“These guys are good,” Wood said.
At each show, the band hands out free demos with five songs. The Campaign wants people to listen to them and are confident enough that people will enjoy the demo so much that they will keep coming back to their shows.
Mike Pisterzi, producer and owner of Dallas recording studio Maximedia Productions, said he would love to meet the guys.
“Wood has a great voice and their writing is solid,” he said.
“They have great harmonies.”
However, Pisterzi, who used to be a rocker himself, thinks the band could use a guitar player. The band has been back and forth with the idea, but for now they think they are distinctive as a trio, Wood said.
The Campaign is not jumping at every opportunity that is thrown to them. The group is not only trying to make wise decisions, but also to have fun doing their live act and building up a strong fan base.
“We want to be pop stars, but not anything like what pop stars are today,” Wood said.
The band has not faced any major setbacks so far in its career. But like any band, the members have learned to listen to each other and recognize each has their own opinion.
“We are all very strong-willed, and pretty opinionated. We butt heads, but at the end of the day we can all come to agreement about whatever it is we have been arguing about,” Jenkins said.
The Campaign is a band that loves what it does. The band members aren’t looking to become the next cookie-cutter pop band; they are looking to bring music back to honesty and heart.
“They just look like they are having so much fun up there, and that makes them even better to watch,” SMU student Allison Catalani said.
Overall, The Campaign is excited about what lies ahead. The Campaign will open for Texas musician Bob Schneider on March 22 at Poor David’s Pub in Dallas.
