Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall

By Finn Wentz

On a wintry New York evening, the frontman of Gen Z’s “first great rock band” Geese, made history as one of the youngest artists ever to take the stage at the storied Carnegie Hall. The sold-out room was full of musical talent that evening, with Phish’s Trey Anastasio, R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, and Khruangbin’s Laura Lee all making time to catch the December 11th gig. While already popular in the NYC scene, the name Cameron Winter sprang into the tabloids earlier this fall after Geese’s release of Getting Killed and their famous free concert in Banker’s Anchor, Brooklyn, the following day.

Winter’s performance at Carnegie Hall earlier this month seemed different, though; it didn’t seem to be the same flavor as the sort of chaotic indie rock that Geese seemed to be spearheading. From the concert’s many viral clips, we see Winter shrouded in black, accompanied by nothing but a glistening Steinway grand piano, as he performs hit tunes from both Geese’s repertoire and his own. He faces away from the silent crowd in every video, as if to let only the music take center stage, carried by his signature wavering vibrato. A sight you would think is only fit for a virtuoso and Carnegie regular, Cameron Winter appears to show the extent of his musical talent in full. This concert marked the capstone of a decorated year and rapid rise to stardom for Winter as a result of the simultaneous release of Geese’s Getting Killed and Winter’s solo work Heavy Metal, with Pitchfork naming the third track on the latter, ‘Love Takes Miles’, song of the year.

To make this performance even more interesting, we’ve probably all seen the videos of film geniuses Paul Thomas Anderson and Benny Safdie peering through the lens of a camera during ‘Nina + Field of Cops’. The image of Anderson fighting for the right shot of Winter, backed by a Carnegie Hall at capacity, really makes you wonder what is in the works. The phenomenon of Camera Winter’s rise to fame is something we don’t get to see much of in the music world. With a Carnegie Hall performance at 23, he joins Bob Dylan and only a few others in this club of musicians that seemingly defined their generations.

Of course, it’s too soon to say exactly what Winter’s impact will be.  But the way the cards are laid out, only a few months following the explosion of Geese into the mainstream, looks rather promising. This feels even more true when you realize that both Geese and Winter have a lot of room to fill on their discographies. This does, however, make me a little nervous. The amount of media attention and hype that has centered around Winter alone is a lot for anyone to handle. I just hope that all of this doesn’t get in the way of his own work or Geese’s in the months and years to come. There is a generational talent here with Winter and Geese, and I only hope it isn’t chewed up and spat out by the confusion of media and fame.