Bad Camper (Special Closing Set)

Sometimes you have to travel the world to realize everything you’ve always wanted was closer than it seemed. This is the lesson that Matthew Fisherkeller, aka Fish, learned after nine months cycling around the world with nothing but his guitar. During his coming of age journey, Fish wrote the songs that would eventually become the music on Bad Camper’s debut album What You Love Comes Along.

Before life on the road, Fish grew up in a musical family in the San Francisco Bay Area. At nine years old he picked up the drums and then later went on to earn his bachelor's and master’s degrees in music. He thought he had his life laid out for him, however the ending of a long-term romantic relationship changed everything. As he contemplated his life’s purpose, the Dakota Access Pipeline protest was gaining more attention and Fish felt the call to go and support the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in North Dakota.

Fish spent a total of three months at Sacred Stone Camp. Within a few weeks of being there, the freezing temperatures caused many people to leave, and Fish became the only remaining person able to run the kitchen. When he wasn’t cooking for hundreds of people a day, he was jamming and forming the ideas that would later inspire his music project Bad Camper.

Forever changed and deeply inspired by his experience at the camp, Fish decided to start a solo cycling trip around the country and eventually Europe and North Africa. He hit the road with nothing but his bike and guitar, reconnecting with himself and his dreams, and drawing inspiration from the places he saw and the people he met along the way.

During the course of this nine month journey across the US, Europe, and North Africa, Fish conceived and wrote the majority of the songs that would eventually become Bad Camper’s debut album. Upon returning home and with the help of long time friends, Thomas Levy (Bass Guitar), Lily Sorenson (Vocals), Jordan Latini (Lead Guitar), Mia Bella D’Augelli (Violin), and producer David Lipps, they meticulously crafted the songs on the band’s debut album, What You Love Comes Along.

As Bad Camper continues to create music fans can expect consistent new jams, a series of music videos, behind the scenes footage and renegade camper van performances in their custom converted van.