Behind the Scenes with Space Carnival

Tracey Cheek, Arts Editor

Have you ever listened to a band with such a unique sound, they can’t even define themselves into one genre? Space Carnival is a band composed of four SUNY Oneonta alumni who are working together to create a new-age, psychedelic, disco-funk sound.

Cameron Fitch plays the keyboard, Jeremy Kraus rocks out on the guitar, Chris Meier jams on the bass, and last but not least, Nick Tassinari is on the drums.  Space Carnival puts on a yearly festival called “CarnEvil,” and on Saturday, January 30, the band played at CarnEvil 3: The Psychedelic Groove Ceremony.

Tracey Cheek: How did CarnEvil get started and how has it grown over the years?

Jeremy Kraus: It was a way for us to show our fan base what we’re all about and to give back to the fans.

Chris Meier: Every show is special but we really try and make this one above and beyond special.

TC:  What are your hopes for future CarnEvil Festivals?

CM: I would like to get it out of Oneonta, not that there’s anything wrong with Oneonta, just in the sense that this is where we started.  So if we get out of here, that means we must’ve gotten bigger.  It’d be fun to take it on the road.

TC: How was your last tour and what did you guys learn from the experience?

JK: That I hate all of them.

CF: I think we learned the same thing every band would learn on the road.  You gotta just do it and suck it up.

CM: The band’s opinion isn’t the same as a fan’s opinion.  What we think is bad on our standards, somebody might really take away something positive.  When we played in West Virginia we played to like four people, but all four people in the room loved it.  They were so ecstatic, they thought it was like the best sh*t ever.  This old guy came up to Ron and was like, “I don’t get out much but I heard you guys were coming.”  That to me is way better than playing to a packed room with no one paying attention to you.  It was definitely the best learning experience for us thus far.

TC: If you could describe Oneonta in one word, what would it be and why?

Cameron Fitch: Drunk.

JK: I would say limitless.  Everyone does their own thing here, and you can go in any direction.

CM: I would say funny.  Not funny like “ha-ha” but funny.  I would never have thought that a place this far out from New York City or Albany has a lot of potential.  With music and sports, it’s a weird place.

TC: How would you describe your music to a new listener?

CM: I usually just say psychedelic disco-funk.  I really harp on the psychedelic part on it too; it’s a huge part of what we are.

CF: There’s a lot of experimentation too, a lot of it’s improvised on the spot.  It’s funky, but it’s not necessarily funk music.

CM: It’s disco-esque, but it’s not necessarily disco.

JK: New-age psychedelic-funk.

Space Carnival has their roots planted in Oneonta, so don’t miss a chance to see this funky band live.  You can catch them performing at the Oneonta Theatre on April 2.