Oct. 29 – U.S. expat Jon Campbell could be the next big thing from Berlin’s queer music scene. Whereas most of his peers focus on techno and synthesized sounds, Jon stands out with his mix of classic country and freak folk. Following the release of his debut single and music video "Dumb", he will perform with a six-piece backing band on October 30 at Südblock. British singer-songwriter MJ Woodbridge (featured in our just-released November issue) will open, and Joel Gibb of the Hidden Cameras and Jamie of the Irrepressibles will DJ after the show.

Jon, a number of people from the scene have known for long time that you're a musician, albeit more as a hobby. How did it come about that you started taking a more professional approach?

I've been writing songs since I was about 15. I started writing songs because I kept falling in love with straight boys and couldn't find any other way to express that love. The songs were like love letters. I didn't think of them as being directed at a larger audience – the idea actually kind of terrified me. I'd play for close friends but kept it very private. It wasn't until I met my boyfriend Jamie, who is also a musician, that I even considered opening up to a larger audience. I played him some of my songs and he was like, "You must release these!" And I couldn't really think of a good reason not to!

Your new single was just released, and the full EP follows in January. What can you tell us about the release and its songs?

The EP is called About a Boy, because each of the 7 songs on it was written about a boy. A lot of the songs were written while I was in art school, where I'd asked these boys I was infatuated with to model for me. So I'd basically have a heart attack while painting their portraits, studying every line in their face for hours. Then I'd go home and without even thinking about it, I'd grab my guitar... and half an hour later I'd have a new song. So the songs are portraits, too.  

Your release concert at Südblock is kind of a big deal, with many guest musicians on board. What's can the audience expect? Are you excited?

Very! I'm a big fan of all three artists on the bill, so it's an incredible honor and privilege to share the night with all of them. MJ Woodbridge is an absolutely stunning force of nature, and I'm just floored when he takes to the stage - I can't wait to see him perform again! Jamie will be playing piano, electric guitar and singing on some of my songs, so it'll be really nice to have him up there on stage with me, along with a score of brilliant musicians in my band. And I'm definitely looking forward to Joel Gibb and Jamie's DJ sets aftwards, and having a beer and a dance!

Jan Noll

Jon Campbell + MJ Woodbridge live
DJs Joel Gibb + Jamie Irrepressible
Oct. 30, 22:00 at Südblock