Behind the Beats: Interview with Artist Cam Rood
By Julia Diaz
Cam Rood is a producer and musician with ties to Flagstaff, Phoenix, and New York City. Originally starting out in school band as a percussionist, his music has grown and evolved throughout the years to include hip-hop beats, house music, and producing for other artists. Rap, house music, and indie pop are his favorite genres to listen to. Inspired by a many people, Cam creates and produces a variety of music as both a musician and a producer.
“I don’t know if I would like to be in the music business solely as an artist, because I like to make music just for fun, too.”
Photo of Cam Rood
With a degree in Environmental Studies from NAU and a Master Recording Certificate from the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences, Cam is a versatile individual in both music and academia. He recently moved from Flagstaff, AZ to New York City to pursue his career as a recording engineer/producer. Cam works at Virtue and Vice Studios and Rift Studios in Brooklyn, New York. Currently, he is producing the album, MindGarden, for artist Summer Alicia. As an individual side project, he is writing and producing the EP, Thoughts, streaming all platforms in full at the end June 2020. Cam will be releasing a lofi beat on his YouTube page every Friday for the month of May, and possibly throughout June, depending on quarantine status.
When did you first begin creating music? When did you first decide you would like to pursue this professionally?
“I first began playing music around 7-8 years old. I was a percussionist in school band through college, and also played drum kit here and there. I put my first song on SoundCloud for fun around age 18, getting into digital audio workstations, rapping, and electronic beat making around then, too.”
In college, Cam started making new types of music after being inspired by friends, Dez, Emmett and Garrett. It was during this time that he got into music in a different way than he had before. Garrett, and Cam would host forest parties and vinyl nights called, “Campfire Kitchen,” where they would spin vinyl for friends.
“It was an inspiring time to learn about and be involved in music.”
“Dez and I became friends when I first started getting into mixing. He told me I should think about going to school for it when we started living together. I just graduated NAU, and I was like, my mom will kill me. Luckily, she was supportive, and I went to school in the fall.”
How would you describe your sound in just a few words?
“The songs that I write and create are very beat driven and electronic. My personal sound is rhythmic and tripped out. I really started making a lot of beats and DJIng in college, before that it was just rhythms in my head.”
“When I’m producing for an artist, it’s really about their vision and what sounds they want. If someone wants me to mix for them, I won’t change their sound. They may have effects they want me to make, but I mainly clean it up, make it clear, and match the energy the artist wants.”
“Most of my formal training is in percussion. So, that’s always really where I start, with the drum sound.”
What is the title of your newest song or project?
“MindGarden, for artist Summer Alicia, is my current main project. It really feels like a journey through the seasons. There are some hip-hop influences, ambient, acapella, Summer’s acoustic stuff- it flows really well. This is definitely the hardest I’ve ever worked on something, and the longest I’ve taken from recording to release. We want it to really be fully flushed out so we have no second thoughts. I'll have done the bulk of the recording, mixing, and mastering of the project when it releases.”
“I just finished this project with Lonely Leonard, on his project “Slumber Party.” That was a dope ass project to work on. He’s the homie. I never met him, but he put a lot of trust in me, and I respect him a lot for that.”
“The lofi stuff, Thoughts, is my personal side project. I use a lot of my side projects as time to practice and time to unveil what I could offer new clients. I’d love to get on those lo-fi playlists eventually.”
What is your favorite part of being a musician? Why do you gravitate toward music as a medium?
“My favorite part of being a musician is the interpretation of it all. From the creative to the audience, we all interpret the same notes and beats differently. Everyone I meet has a different but similar idea of what the goal is or what the end result should be. It’s always interesting mixing those different paints and seeing how they turn out. For example, if Charlie sends me some samples, each of us flips them in our own styles. We both want to create a beat, and end up with a different end product.”
“I like how it’s a collective effort. As I get more into it professionally, I’m learning that it really is a team driven industry.”
“I gravitate towards music as medium because it's the one that I understand how to express myself and the emotions I'm grappling with at the time, best. I can’t think of a time where I wasn’t focused on music in some way. My experience with environmental studies definitely shaped me as a musician and the things that I care about in general.”
Who are some of your biggest inspiration when creating?
“Some of my biggest inspiration for creating comes from the people around me. Flipping a sample with my producer friends, laying a drum beat for my instrumentalist homies, or really helping another artist's project shine with my audio engineering background.”
Cam was inspired to take music to the next level in college. He is also inspired by good friend, Charlie Mumbles, for his strong work ethic. Charlie owns Chop Records, and started giving Cam some of his first freelance recording opportunities. Summer Alicia, artist of MindGarden, gave Cam the reigns to produce her project. She wrote, played, and sang the songs, and gave Cam complete creative production freedom.
Do you use the same method to create your songs, or does it vary depending on the song?
“The method varies depending on so many factors. Who am I with? What tech is around? Are we in the studio? Are we at my house? I get inspired by the many ways to create music, and I think my work is beginning to show that.”
“When I’m working on something personal, I might use a different method depending on what I’m going for. In production, I set it up based on the sound the artist wants.”
Out of all your songs, is there a track that speaks out to you most?
“Out of the tracks I have released as camrood, my favorite is probably Universe. It's like a weird lofi house track and I like it because it was an off the whim creation that's totally my style. Spacey and unpredictable.”
“I was actually just listening to this song, Guilty, that I made with my friend Jeremy, who I went to audio school with. Probably no one’s heard it, but every time I listen to it, it’s such a culmination of my life leading up to me being in New York. We made it when we were in NY together. It feels very complete.”
“Whenever I listen to some of my old stuff, I can picture exactly what I was doing, what my set up looked like at this time, who was even involved in my life at this period- it’s interesting.”
What are common messages that reoccur in your music?
“There is no absolute theme to creating a piece of music. It can be as long or as short as you want, and have as much or as little going on as you deem necessary. There are some rules in the tech, but as far as creation/production goes, go wild.”
How are you unique from other artists?
“I love seeing the process from the production side, and understanding all the moving parts to putting out a musical creation in many formats. Music has become such a techno-art, and the way that it stimulates and inspires my creativity is similar to but also unique from anyone else.”
“I feel unique, because I’m not 100% focused on being an artist. I’d like to focus more on being a producer/engineer.”
“I feel like when writing/creating music vs producing, one makes me better at the other.”
What do you have to say to others who appreciate your art?
“Thank you to anybody who appreciates my art, my music, and the things that I have helped create. It is through these people that I continue to be inspired. Advice to aspiring artists would be to not feel like you have to follow any certain path, most of the opportunities I have gotten were from keeping my head down and in tune with my craft, never giving up and stopping to admire the journey once in a while.”
“They’re amazing, because I feel like they really know me. I’m not really good at social media yet, but I’m really good at face to face networking. I feel small, but mighty. People who support my art continue to inspire me.”
Do you have any advice to give aspiring artists?
“Take it one day at a time. Recognize as soon as you make your first beat you might feel like you’re going to be a star, but it’s a very enriching uphill battle.”
“Networking is very important to get into the music business. Be really nice, don’t burn any bridges, clean the studio- do any extra work you can. Sleep less, work more. That’s what I’ve been doing, and it seems like it’s paying off so far.”
“You might think you suck at a point, but you don’t. You’re growing.”
How is the music scene in NYC different than the music scene in Flagstaff (and/or) PHX, AZ?
“In Flagstaff, the band scene is pretty big. It was thriving-ish when I was there, and definitely had the mountain town vibe. There was a pretty good DJ scene in Flagstaff, and it’s bigger in Phoenix. Phoenix also has more hip-hop and electronic music. In New York, anything is going on there. I have a good friend, Jack, who is working at a bigger studio. The scales are crazy, and it’s cool to see the uniqueness of each music scene.”
What is your biggest struggle as a musician/producer?
“I have a hard time riding the wave. In the music path, work can be inconsistent. You won’t always produce the best song you ever made, and you won’t have the best day every day. It took me a bit to learn how to ride the wave and be patient with the process.”
“Sometimes I feel like I focus so much on drums, that the melodic pieces don’t always come through. This is why I don’t release everything I make. That is why I’m waiting for the perfect melodic producer mesh for the ultimate collaboration.”
What are your favorite things about being a musician/producing?
“Once the song clicks and it comes together, you feel some type of way. You’re inspired, you’re ready, you’re charged up. That’s, like, my favorite moment. Having a good moment with someone in the studio and looking at each other like, “We’re really making this right now,” and it feels really good.”
“The feeling of being in the moment. Being in that flow state in the studio, accomplishing, working together. If you’re going to make a hit or something is going to be really good, your ideas came close together as much as they could. Thinking “this sounds way better than anything we ever did” is the best.”
