Music

Three questions with David Lowery of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker

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Hop to it: Lowery (center) and Camper Van Beethoven are back in town on September 7.
Courtesy Pitch-A-Tent

I can see the logistical advantages of opening for yourself, but does playing two shows a night begin to wear on you?

It makes it a little tough, but not that tough. When Cracker or Camper plays by themselves, we probably play for like two hours, and we might play for two-and-a-half hours with both bands, but there's a break in a middle. It's usually Camper Van Beethoven for, like, 70 minutes, then a break and then Cracker for 70 minutes and then we do an encore which is sort of a mix of both bands. So in a way it's harder, but not that hard.

Which song typically gets a louder reaction, "Take the Skinheads Bowling" or "Low"?

The Details

Camper Van Beethoven & Cracker
with Constant Moving Party
September 7, 8 p.m., $20-$25
Hard Rock Cafe (Strip), 733-7625

It depends on the audience, but generally the Cracker stuff. Most of the Camper Van Beethoven records have sold since Cracker had its hits. A lot of people went backwards to Camper Van Beethoven.

You guys play Vegas pretty often. Do you have a particular affinity for this place?

When Camper Van Beethoven first went to Las Vegas in 1985, there really was no alternative venue. So we played at this record store, which I think was called the Record Exchange [editor's note: It was]. We played a little afternoon barbecue there, and we had a great crowd. After that we always wanted to make Vegas a place that would really work for us. Then we ended up playing a teen club there that was very metal-oriented, and it was completely crazy, there was a real oddness going, and then someone said, "Hey, I've got this acid." So we all took acid. It was a pretty crazy night.

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