5 minute read
Rene Camacho of WAR Pt 1
In the Groove with Rene Camacho: Bass Player of the Band “War.”
Interview by Kim Crain Photos Compliments of Rene Camacho PART ONE
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I had the opportunity to sit down with Rene Camacho a versatile, powerhouse on bass! From the recording studio to the stage!
Rene, bass player of the super group, War. Originally called Eric Burdon and War. During the late 60’s early 70’s, War was a mix of elements of rock, funk, jazz, calypso, psychedelia and reggae. If you have a few hours to spare you might be able to listen to all their hits, War is best known for, “Lowrider”, ”Why Cant We Be Friends”, ”Cisco Kid”, ”The World is a Ghetto,” and their first hit with Burdon, “Spill the Wine,” which got the band their start. The Press after their first show at Hyde Park in London, said, ‘Burdon and War were the best band we have ever seen’!
War had nine Gold, and two platinum, records. Their album, The World is a Ghetto, was Billboard’s best-selling album of the year in 1973. The band transcended racial and cultural barriers with a multi-ethnic line up.
Rene Camacho youngest and newest member of the band has been playing in War for seven years accompanied by the only original in the band, Lonnie Leroy Jordan, a founding member!
Kim: Rene at what age did you decide to play bass, and do you play any other instruments?
Rene: I started pretty early. I started playing trombone when I was five years old. That pretty much took me though Elementary, Jr., High, and High School. It was probably my senior year in high school that I started learning bass! I now have been playing the bass for 30 years! I did receive my degree in college on trombone, but I decided to stick with bass and just focus on one instrument.
War : from Left to Right: Stuart Ziff - Guitar,
Scott Martin -Sax / Flute, Marcos Reyes- Percussion, Lonnie Jordan Keys/ Bandleader, Sal Rodriguez- Drums,
Rene Camacho - Bass, Stanley Behrens -harmonica
gave me a better opportunity to record, that’s what I really wanted to do! I really wanted to get into the studio musician scene! Which in the 90’s was actually pretty good. Ever since it has been tapering off a little bit, but I have been super grateful to have been a part of so many different recording projects. I always wanted to play different genres of music, so when I first moved here I started out playing with the Latin scene, with Salsa bands, as well as R&B gigs. And the funny thing is that neither side, the R&B side did not know I was a Latin bass player, and the Latin side did not know I was an R&B bass player. So that was kind of crazy. But, eventually I moved on to other styles including Rock, country and of course Jazz too!
Kim: What made you come to Los Angeles from Tucson Arizona?
Rene: Basically, it was the amount of work that was available compared to Tuscan. I thought it might be better coming to Los Angeles to a bigger community. For musicians and arts in general. Tucson had a really good cultural music scene for the size of its city, but Los Angeles Kim: Wow! That’s really great! So who else have you worked with since you’ve been in Los Angeles, and how many albums have you been featured on?
Rene: I would say album wise maybe 50 to 60 records I have done that people would know about! I am so grateful I was able to be a part of these phenomenal projects. They all range from different genres of music. I have recorded with
Poncho Sanchez (Latin Jazz), Big Mountain (Reggae), Raul Malo singer of the Mavericks, Rickie Lee Jones. I recorded seven projects with Ry Cooder. I was introduced to him by one of the singers from El Chicano. I have recorded with Michael Bublé. Kevin Eubanks from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. I recorded three different projects with him, that’s where I met guitar luthier and teacher James Grover. Robi Draco Rosa used to be a member of Menudo (boy band). Draco wrote all the hits in the Ricky Martin days, “She Bangs”, “Livin’ la Vida Loca”, and “Maria”. I have been playing on his projects since 2012.
Kim: You’ve also played with Tito Puente, Sergio Mendez, and Linda Ronstadt. Who have been some of the most influential musicians in your career?
Rene: I would say “Miles Davis.” He pretty much changed the direction of jazz at least three times on his own. From Bee Bop, to cool Jazz, and all the modern stuff that’s out now a days! He was so influential in the direction of where music was going. As far as a bass player, I would say, “Marcus Miller.” I think he started playing with Miles Davis when he was 16 years old. Marcus wrote and produced a lot of Luther Vandross music as well. Rene Camacho & Linda Ronstadt
Kim: Rene how did you end up playing with War?
Rene: It turned out that I knew a lot of the musicians in the group War. We have collaborated on other projects and other gigs. Out of the blue, the bass player of War at that time, Pancho Tomaselli, was looking for a sub for a couple of gigs. He was going out on the road with another project, so he called me and asked me if I would be interested. I said sure! I grew up with this music. One of my favorite bands growing up! Of course I would love to play this music. Eventually Poncho got really busy with his own project. The band asked me if I would like to be a full time musician with them. I have now been with the band for seven years!
Kim: Tell us your 5 top qualities in a drummer:
Rene: First one is groove. You have to have the ability to groove. I never came from the bass standpoint, I never thought of myself as a soloist bassist. I always just wanted to lay-back in the back of the band and groove. With a great drummer you can do this all night! You can play “James Brown” three notes, you can play that for an hour. I love it! Cause you’re so in the groove. Also professionalism. Being prepared for a gig. Showing up on time. Being open minded about music. Be open to other ideas the band may have. Kim: What kind of bass do you like to use on the road.
Rene: For electric bass I’ve been with Fodera, a company from Brooklyn since 1998, and I also use Fender Jazz basses quite a bit.
Rene Camacho & Lonnie Leroy Jordan
