Cam Schnell

Spot Cam Schnell on stage in white Chelsea boots, black pants, and a Houndstooth blazer strumming his red acoustic guitar, and as soon his chords hit your ears, you'll want to stick around. The Clevelander with links to Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and New York is no stranger to good or hard times, and knows we need music for both. His songs, influenced by 50s, 60s, and 70s rock and roll, pop, funk, and country, as latest release "Be Alright" showcases, address the daily grind, romance, uncertainty, friendships, solitude, and memory with a modern-old school vibe that has broad appeal.

Raised with family CD's and records, the school choir, and church as his main introductions to music, Schnell felt his world go from black and white to technicolor when he took a Music of the Beatles class in his last semester of college. Cue a spontaneous trip to a northern Kentucky guitar store followed by a year of learning to play his instrument in secret. His straight-shooting, easy groove gave new fans at first performances a fresh voice to tap a foot to.

Recently he's been at work writing and recording big, bright singles while returning to the stage to perform live. His classic getup, relatable lyrics, and bold sounds mark the perennial delight of a Midwesterner who has newly discovered rock and roll-which radiates through his releases.