Ever since leaving home at 18, Blake Gamel has been chasing down his dreams. His twenties were spent largely on tour, crafting DIY music and experimenting with a wide variety of genres. In 2017, however, he was asked to join Atlanta juggernauts Big Jesus on drums. Suddenly, Gamel was thrust into the role of professional musician, shifting his creative development into overdrive. An international tour soon followed, alongside a string of major festival appearances. Although the learning curve was steeper, everything seemed to be snapping neatly into place. Young and living out his passion, Gamel was having the time of his life.
Just two short years later, though, things came to a halt when Big Jesus abruptly went into hiatus. Still, rather than slipping into idle dismay, Gamel changed gears once again. In short time, he began devoting his energy to Pike Co., whose shambling 2018 debut, Walking Music, felt fresh and full of promise. Removed from the arena-sized ambitions of his former group, Gamel was able to focus on sharpening his skills as a composer and arranger. The result of those efforts can be heard on 2020’s Powerplant in Heaven, a warm, effusive EP that earned a spot among our favorite records of the year.
But enough about the past. By now, you may see the narrative that’s unfolding. Just as Pike Co. were beginning to make headway in the Atlanta scene, the pandemic arrived and scattered everything to the winds. Everything shut down and the artist class, like most everyone else, were forced into isolation. Fear and anxiety set in and we were all left to ponder whether the world as we knew it would ever return.
It was in this period of quarantine and social exile where the next phase of Gamel’s career would begin. Calling his fledgling project BG.FM, he set about composing new songs, learning how to record, and teaching himself new instruments to achieve the ethereal rock sound he was after. But what started as a creative outlet soon became a necessary compulsion. While COVID raged across the planet and turned the world upside down, BG.FM became a means of finding some measure of peace.
“2020 was exceptionally hard for everyone, me included,” Gamel says. “Faced with the existential shock of my lifestyle and income ceasing to exist in one day, I found myself in a dark and confusing world. In 2020 America and the world seemed to be crumbling and it was all very overwhelming. The only solace I could find was in creating once again…for myself. I dug my feet in, learned a few new instruments, taught myself how to record a demo, and created an album that was a safe space for me to crawl inside and escape.”
This week, Gamel finally unveiled his first single and video. “Cruel Nasty World” is both a soaring anthem and an empowering call to rejoice. The aim isn’t to deny the darkness and horrors unleashed by the pandemic but to take a moment to set it aside and recuperate. In the video, Gamel sings, dances, and performs. It all seems fairly innocuous, but within the context of the song, it becomes a cause for gratitude and jubilation.
“When we were filming the music video for ‘Cruel Nasty World’ the main goal for me was to let loose and celebrate,” Gamel explains. “I wanted to raise all of the negativity in my life against a wall, step back and take a good look, then shake free from it. Pain and hardship are real, but I deserve to heal and turn my back to it. I’m healed by the light in this video, the childlike idealism of it, the warmth of the ones who made it with me. I hope anyone who watches will be as well.”
Watch/listen below.
With BG.FM officially underway, the next logical step is the first record. To that end, Gamel has shared with us details of his forthcoming debut. Entitled Tangerine, the six-song EP will be out on June 9. It was recorded and mixed with the assistance of fellow Big Jesus alum CJ Ridings and marks Gamel’s first efforts as a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer. Mastering was done Mike Kalajian. Check out the cover art and tracklist below.
Tangerine Tracklist:
01. Give in to Peace
02. Shadow in the Night
03. Cruel Nasty World
04. What You’re Sayin’
05. Yellow + Green
06. I Know You Heard Me Laughin