SUPERCIRCUITMAN
W. Ross Campbell is an Edmonton singer-songwriter whose latest CD, SUPERCIRCUITMAN was awarded 3 Silver Medals for Outstanding Achievement at the 2018 Global Music Awards: one for his Lyrics, one for Alternative Music, and one for The Ross Campbell Fatband.
Ross Campbell is a multi-instrumentalist with eclectic tastes. He studied classical violin as a child and folk & blues guitar as a teenager in Calgary. Later, he played violin for a few years with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra while fronting Continuum, an early Saskatoon fusion band, then moved to Edmonton to study saxophone at Grant MacEwan Jazz School.
During the 1980s, Ross co-founded Fat Chants, a well-loved Edmonton swing band known across Canada for its lush 3-part vocal harmonies, witty original material and humourous slant on life. When Fat Chants disbanded, he formed The Ross Campbell FatBand reflecting Ross’s transition to a rockier sound and edgier lyrics. The Fatband ’s first release, still available on vinyl and CD, is entitled I’m Talkin’ To You, produced at Vancouver's Pinewood Studio by Claire Lawrence.
More than once, Ross has reinvented The FatBand, exploring various hybrids of reggae, blues & funk, playing numerous festivals & concert venues, and releasing several CDs & DVDs featuring Ross’s original material. He has also toured through several parts of Europe & Asia, performing both with Low Commotion, a street busking ensemble funded by the Alberta Foundation for the Performing Arts and as a lone busker. The most notable of his musical direction credits was as Music Director for the Citadel Theatre’s blockbuster production of the perennial favourite, The Wizard of Oz.
SUPERCIRCUITMAN is Ross & The FatBand ’s newest and most eclectic CD, encompassing several styles, from Funk & Reggae to Alternative, Folk and Swing. Many of Edmonton’s best-known musicians and star players from Vancouver, Toronto & Saskatoon are featured on this album. Bloggers have praised the album & compared the funky music and pithy lyrics of SUPERCIRCUITMAN to Captain Beefheart, Cheap Trick & Huey Lewis.
Don’t miss the unique “Hoedown Funk” groove of cut #4, Dance On The Breeze, featuring the stellar Pedal Steel Guitar of New York City’s Gib Wharton.
For a complete 3rd party review of SuperCircuitMan, please go to: http://thebandcampdiaries.tumblr.com/post/163911300322/ross-campbell-with-the-fatband-supercircuitman
