We had the good fortune of connecting with Cameron Wilson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cameron, what inspires you?
The sounds, shapes and forms of the natural world. Specifically, looking way up at the tops of trees and seeing the way their arms reach out to create new arms and create fractal patterns within themselves. The aesthetic that exists all around us is so beautiful, seemingly messy yet incredibly organized, quiet and still yet chaotic and noisy. This strongly informs my musical and auditory creations, and also motivates me to learn to create stories and sonic experiences that help us learn from the natural world and how to live in a reciprocal relationship with our ecosystems, each other, and within ourselves.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started playing drums in 3rd grade after being inspired by my brother to play pop punk rock. And things have changed so much since then! After joining the school concert band at Davidson Fine Arts in Augusta Georgia, I got really excited about classical percussion, composing, and just making stuff up – I would spending late nights up exploring sounds on my vibraphone, recording onto my tiny Zoom recorder.

I went to school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and my path began to unfold in ways I’d never expected. I played in the orhcestras and jazz bands for my degree, though I got <i>really</i> excited about how I could explore composition, electronic music, audio-visual art, freely improvised music – which led to projects like my band called Slapslap, which is a theatrical and high energy rock band comprised of drums and two electric bassoonists (yes like an electric guitar but its a bassoon) – described as a ‘mix between DEVO and The Wiggles’.

These days I mainly compose original music and play drums in any and every genre – from jazz trios and singer-songwriters to folk-punk and contemporary music ensembles.My practice as a drummer and composer are very connected – I think of my music as a living ecosystem, organically weaving together ambient textures with propulsive drumbeats, and drawing lessons from the intricate rhythms of the natural world – from the microscopic pulse of a cell to the grand cycles of the seasons. I have an un-ending curiosity that leads me to be an eager collaborator with visual artists, scientists, and especially dancers, – I have worked with ArtlabJ Dance, NeuroArts Productions, as a dance accompanist at the University of Michigan’s School of Music Theatre and Dance and Amy Chavasse.

As a nationally recognized artist, I am a 2017 YoungArts national finalist in music, and more recently was accepted as an Artist-in-Residence at the Hambidge Center for Arts and Sciences in North Georgia in November. This residency will give me two weeks being in a cabin in the woods to complete my new album ‘I Live Inside my own Body’ which explores somatic healing practices through the lens of ecology and sound. I also was commissioned by the Goat Farm Arts Center to premiere an audio-visual performance installation called ‘Holding Patterns’ on September 27th with internationally-recognized keyboardist Ipek Eginli.

I want the world to know that I am here to build with you! Together we can shape how Music, art, and culture can impact our world here in Atlanta in a real way. Art is a valuable tool for liberation; it helps us see our shared humanity, and orient towards creating and <i>feeling</i> <i>into</i> equitable social systems. Art allows us to heal and unite hearts of people and communities across backgrounds, as well as finding joy and release within ourselves – it’s how we feel alive, like smelling a goldenrod or eating fresh sourdough bread!
If I can offer something to you – whether it be activating a space through music and art, music lessons, or just a curious conversation, please reach out! cameronbwilson77@gmail.com 7062840313

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

– Coffee with the awesome people at Waller’s Coffee shop in Decatur

– Hike in the woods around Stone Mountain

– Go see an engaging and unusual performance at Eyedrum Gallery in West End and/or the Goat Farm Arts Center

– Go Biking on the Beltline!

– Walk around CabbageTown, then grab drinks at 97 Estoria

– Go Tubing on the Chattahoochee river

– Visit the High Museum of Art – especially their ‘Oasis’ events that merge spirituality and mindfulness with art on the third Saturday of each month

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shoutout Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School in my hometown of Augusta, Georgia! I attended from grade 6 – 12, and it really set the precedent for everything I’ve done in my career – one of the main lessons being that creativity can be a part of every area of your life/work.

It was such a welcoming and supportive environment – my class had 117 people and in many ways the whole school felt like a family. The fact that everyone does some sort of art of performance really creates an awesome atmosphere. and the teachers are all so brilliant and really care about each students’ success both in academics and the arts. Special thanks to principal Renee Kelly and Everett Cannady, my band director.

THANK YOU DFA!!!

Website: www.cameronbwilson.com

Instagram: @cameronwilson.music

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cameron.wilson.982/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvz3trhuxck

Other: Bandcamp (to buy music directly): https://pepperoniwilson.bandcamp.com/ Streaming Platforms: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/pepperoniwilson/how-to-be-tiny

Image Credits
Ackeem Salmon Ashleigh Givens

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.