Cameron Keiber - The Tide

THE TIDE is the second proper solo album by Cameron Keiber and the follow up to his March 2025 release NURSER.  THE TIDE was produced and mixed by Paul Q. Kolderie (Radiohead, Hole, Dinosaur Jr., Warren Zevon).  Keiber and Kolderie previously worked together on The Beatings, HOLDING ON TO HAND GRENADES album back in 2006.  THE TIDE differs from it’s predecessor in that the guitars are louder, the programming is sparser and beats are traded for traditional drumming on most tracks.  This is the first album of Keiber’s where he played every instrument recorded in addition to recording/tracking every instrument himself, with the exception of vocals which were tracked by David Grabowski at Bluestone Studio in Somerville MA.  Keiber taught himself drums for this and plays simple rudimentary parts throughout, sometimes playing one drum at a time on a take and then tracking the next drum separately. On good days, figuring out how to work the whole kit for a track or two. The cover photo is of scraps and shavings sitting in oil that Keiber took at a local gun manufacturing facility. Its a loose record that tries not to be too precious or pretentious while trying not to dumb down the emotions and ideas being conveyed.  THE TIDE is a very human album, minor mistakes left in final mixes, missed notes not bothering to autotune or correct, and that’s by design. There is a inherent beauty in imperfection, particularly now, when perfection is so easily achievable with technology. The themes written about include alienation, forgiveness, calling out hypocrisy and radical friendship.  Human stuff.  The follow up to THE TIDE has been tracked and will hopefully be in the publics ears sometime next year.

Keiber was born in Raleigh North Carolina. Almost immediately after birth he underwent life saving surgery that left him with deep scars across his body, scars he was horribly self conscious of and contributed to a feeling of being an outsider that followed him through adulthood. When he was a child his family moved to New Jersey and then New York, under an hour from NYC. He grew up taking the bus into the city in the ‘80s and ‘90s where he was exposed to the NYC art, music and theater scene of the era. He played in bands in high school and after high school he attended The University of Massachusetts at Amherst where he started his first club band, opening for the likes of Helium, Polvo, Kustomized, J Mascis, The Unband and a bevy of Western Massachusetts luminaries at places like The Bay State Cabaret and Pearl Street. Upon graduating college Keiber fled to Boston and soon started noise pop heroes, The Beatings. That band was heralded by everyone from the Village Voice, Mojo, LA Weekly, The NYT, Magnet, The Washington Post (who’s editors picked the bands debut album, “Italiano” as there 5th best release that year), the Boston Globe, A/V Club and on and on.  The Beatings did 7 national tours playing with acts as varied as The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, The Hold Steady, the National, Wesley Willis, Harmar Superstar, Black Helicopter (a show Thurston Moore had on his end of the year list as a fav) and so many others.  The Beatings appeared in the Mission of Burma documentary “Not a Photograph” along side the likes of Moby and Moore. The Beatings played their final show in May 2019 at beloved Boston institution, Great Scott.

Cameron Keiber has been operating Midriff Records with his brother Clayton out of Boston and Brooklyn for decades.

Cameron also is the chief songwriter, front man and guitarist of Boston indie stalwarts, Eldridge Rodriguez.  Clayton also plays in that band.  Their last album, Atrophy, received wide critical praise.  Eldridge Rodriguez is currently at Bluetone Studio in Somerville MA tracking the follow up.