Quality Americana

Faded chatter plays behind noir carnival tones and soothing classical guitar as you dive into Zane Champion’s Burma Radio.

“Dawned Dawn” appears out of an industrial machine and sends you straight into a flashback of 90’s alt-jam band daydreams. The guitar effects and percussion sticks really take you back to those carefree childhood memories. 

Oracle, Arizona

“I’m sitting out in Oracle, Arizona right now where the recording studio is,” Champion said as we talked about the album.  Oracle Recording Studio sits just outside of Phoenix where Champion was raised. 

“I have been in Arizona my whole life,” Champion said. The desert vibes are certainly present here on his debut album. 

Music Sounds Records

The studio sits on a once hippie commune outside of town, and when Champion and collaborator Francis Kelly had a one month window between projects, Burma Radio was born.

The album was released on Music Sounds Records, a local label they started in Arizona for a group of independent artists.

“It’s more of a collective at the end of the day,” Champion said, who started the label with Kelly and Alex Tighe from Alex and the Moondaze. They’re all locals and have been “pretty low key. All independent.”

Maxine

The mixture of styles all held together is what’s so impressive about Burma Radio. “Bird In Hand” is one of those classic rock songs you would find in a daytime movie, pure nostalgic vibes from the hippie era.

The circus theme comes from Brazilian jazz influences, and the album includes influences from Bill Withers with “Maxine.” Champion raps a bit like Beck with “Dawned Dawn.”

“I guess maybe trying to use my words as colors more than words with meaning,” Champion said. “It was a lot of sitting around with Francis and bouncing things off of each other.” 

Hold Up, Wait Up

“Hold Up, Wait Up” is a beautiful love song from the school of Paul McCartney.

“I feel like that’s a mean song,” Champion said as he laughed about the breakup song. “I feel mean when I hear it. It’s definitely coming from a place of boyish frustration.”

There’s old school hippie soul with “Right as the Rain,” and the title track is a lot like early Radiohead, which adds to the mixture of emotions you feel while absorbing the program. 

“The whole radio thing was almost to force them all to go together,” Champion said about Burma Radio, but it feels like it was all dreamed up one eventful afternoon, like a snapshot into the mind of an artist that came out magically. “It was more of a solution to having a bunch of songs that were totally different.” 

There’s some uncertainty mixed with the strange and peaceful interludes that break you through the clouds. The closing track “I Have Fallen on Hard Times” is an endless sunset nap on the beach.

Letters from World War II

“I was thinking about war a lot actually,” Champion said about the inspiration behind Burma Radio. “My father had this little shop when I was younger that had been an original POW camp housing, and had been repurposed. There were all these cigarette burns on the floorboards, and my dad would always joke about how he could imagine like a soldier sitting there writing a letter with a cigarette burning on the wooden floorboards and trying to send a letter to his wife.” 

Champion started researching World War II and how soldiers would write letters to loved ones back home. 

“I saw this thing where soldiers would write BURMA RADIO on the outside of their letter and then they’d fold it and send it, and it meant ‘be upstairs and ready my angel, romance and delight I offer,’” Champion said.

Growing Up

Champion’s grandfather played music at church and would take him around to perform hymns at retirement homes. Everything sparked when he gave his first solo performance.

“There was a talent show at school, and I wanted girls to like me so I signed up for it and brought a guitar on stage and kind of haven’t looked back since then,” Champion said. “Didn’t go to college, so I’m pitching everything on this one. This is the thing that keeps me going, so it’s nice to know that it isn’t falling on deaf ears.”

Champion moved to Italy after Burma Radio was released, and just returned back to the States to continue his work at the studio.

“I have been really blessed to have grown up around a lot of really talented guys, and a lot of really talented women who all make things,” Champion said. “Most of the musicians in my life are like eight to ten years older than me and they’re all really close, and I’ve gotten to kind of be a little brother around a lot of really talented people.” 

Support the Artist

More information on Zane Champion can be found here.

Support the artist by streaming and purchasing Burma Radio on Bandcamp.

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