Camille Harp

Musician selects the best, discards the rest
Local Music Q&A: Camille Harp

•Why: Rock, country and pop influences drive Camille Harp as she carries on her family's musical tradition. She performs her songs and chooses the best from different genres. Her newest compact disc is "Like the Rain.”

•When: 9 p.m. Wednesday.

•Where: Mulligan's, 746 Asp, Norman.

Q:You've been in music for a long time, haven't you?

A:I grew up with a musical family. Both my parents are musicians. My mama is a bass player and singer. My dad is a guitar picker and a songwriter. When I was little, they used to play the rodeo circuit around Oklahoma, and I remember going to the band contests that they were in.

My dad just had this wonderful stage presence that always made me want to kind of do what they do, because so many people looked at them and admired them. My mom, it was the same thing. There's not many female musicians you'd see — you see more now, but back then you didn't see too many. I always thought she was the cutest and coolest thing on the stage. I've always watched and aspired to be like them.

Q:Did you like music in school?

A:No. It was different than what I was used to. We'd listen to outlaw country: Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and Hank Williams Jr. and stuff like that. At school, they were doing what I considered kiddie stuff. I participated in music, but I never did any solos or tried out for any parts or anything like that. I was just one of the background kids. I let the other kids do the big stuff.

Q:Tell me about your best and worst times in music.

A:I think it's day-to-day. There's never been one time where I thought I'd never do this again, for more than maybe a few minutes.

It always kind of depends on the music venue that you're playing or the crowd's reaction. Sometimes you think maybe it's the sound and it doesn't sound right to you on the stage. Or no one in the audience seems to be listening. People are drinking and talking or whatever. Sometimes those are discouraging, but then there's other times when you've got the best response, and so many people come up to you and tell you you're doing a great job.

Q:Do you like the bigger venues or the smaller ones?

A:It depends on the crowd. I've played big venues, where I opened for semi-famous people and the crowd didn't know who I was. They didn't realize I'm just the girl next door. And they thought I was someone big, and the response was huge. I sold a ton of CDs and signed autographs after the show. People didn't realize I was just an Oklahoma City girl.

But then again, there are small venues like the Deli in Norman where you can play all original songs and nobody's asking you to play someone else's music. I think most original artists would rather play their own original songs.

Q:What style of music do you play?

A:That's the toughest. I'd just say it's eclectic. A lot of the songs I write have country influence. I try not to go too country, because I don't want to stifle myself in one genre. I'd rather just play a little bit of everything and pick the best and leave the worst out. I guess if you like me, you like me.

— Chris Colberg