The Olivia Tremor Control

From Champaign, Illinois, the multi-talented songwriter, poet, and educator Cameron McGill first surfaced in the early aughts, crafting a darkly romantic fusion of roots rock, indie folk, pop, and Americana. His initial release, Stories of The Knife and The Back, arrived in 2004, after which he spent the ensuing two decades issuing thoughtful, emotionally direct albums such as Warm Songs for Cold Shoulders (2009) and Gallows Etiquette (2013). Alongside his solo work—most often backed by the band What Army—and a six-year tenure with Margot & the Nuclear So and So's, McGill earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Idaho and now teaches at Washington State University; his debut poetry collection, Meridians, appeared in 2020.

Born in Champaign-Urbana, McGill traces his musical awakening to his father’s record collection, whose heavy rotation of the Beach Boys, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash left a lasting mark. By high school he was already playing guitar and composing songs, then relocated to Chicago in 1998 upon graduating from the University of Illinois. After two years performing in the city’s coffeehouse and bar circuit, he joined Paul Callen and Gabe Grout to form Morris Minors, which issued a self-titled EP in 2002 before disbanding the following year.

McGill then launched his solo career, self-releasing Stories of The Knife and The Back on the Post-Important label in fall 2003. North American headline tours continued into 2004, interspersed with international dates alongside Rachael Yamagata and Tom McRae. His second album, Street Ballads & Murderesques, followed in January 2006. Beginning with the EP The Company of Great Thieves, subsequent projects—Hold On Beauty (2007), Warm Songs for Cold Shoulders (2009), Is a Beast (2011), and Gallows Etiquette (2013)—appeared under the name Cameron McGill & What Army. From 2009 to 2014 he also served as a member of the Indianapolis chamber-pop and indie-rock group Margot & the Nuclear So and So's. In 2020 he issued the poetry chapbook Meridians and announced plans for a full-length poetry collection and a new album the next year.