Camper Van Beethoven

With its bare bones camera work and editing this compilation of live footage from Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven’s "First Annual Camp Out” is a great memento for those in attendance but is tricky to engage with otherwise. Fans of David Lowery’s work got an amazing treat in the fall of 2005 when both of his iconic bands headlined a rare concert held in the California desert. CVB songs like "Might Makes Right” and "Take the Skinheads Bowling” excite a jubilant crowd and Cracker classics such as "Teen Angst” and "Low” are still provocative. Perhaps documenting the festivities was an afterthought, because the angles are spare and uninteresting, while the editing is occasionally so out of sync that it’s laughable. With the possible exception of Johnny Hickman and the endearing Monks of Doom, additional performers don’t come close to the headliners and blend right into the grainy footage.