Although their days as students at UC Santa Cruz are long past, alternative-rock band Camper Van Beethoven still feels strong ties to California. That’s why their last two albums, La Costa Perdida (2013) and El Camino Real (2014), are thematically based on their beloved state, representing Northern and Southern California, respectively.
“This all started initially because we were coming out to play in Big Sur and it was rained out. The show was canceled and delayed a week. At the time, I was living in Oakland, so the whole band hung out at my house and started writing music while listening to The Beach Boys’ Holland album,” explains multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Segel. “Everything on that album is about California and Big Sur, and we started musing on this idea since everyone in the band had lived in Northern California and Southern California and enjoyed the things good and horrific about both areas.”
Camper Van Beethoven briefly disbanded during the ’90s, allowing lead vocalist David Lowery to form a second, straightforward rock band, Cracker. With Lowery as the common denominator, the two bands have been playing joint concerts for several years now, and a series of shows scheduled for the holidays will bring them to the Lobero Theatre on December 28.