Conversation with Composer Joe Cambra
Dave Rosen: So I’m sitting here with Joe Cambra, and he’s been working with us, really extremely helpful, and has really helped turn the corner here at Absolute Media Labs and Absolute Rentals. And considering where we met and how we met, it’s a great story. But, more importantly, since he’s worked for us, I had a chance to listen to his music, hear him play, and really realize what a talented musician and composer he really is. So we won’t have him over here for long before the rest of his career is solidified, but it’s great having him on board. So, Joe, tell me your background.
Joe Cambra: My background in music?
Dave Rosen: Yes.
Joe Cambra: Just, yeah, my—
Dave Rosen: Well, in music and in life.
Joe Cambra: Um, my background in music is definitely guitar-focused, heavier and experimental rock as well. It’s kind of interesting, I always thought that what got me into it around nine or ten was Metallica’s S&M album. There was something specific about that album—about the heaviness and the fact that there was an orchestra and all these players working together to create this insane but very diverse artistic piece of music—that was really impressive to me. To the point where it was basically the only album I had for a year straight, and I couldn’t get enough of it. That was definitely a defining moment where I was like, “Okay, I want to do music.”
Dave Rosen: How old were you at that point?
Joe Cambra: I think nine.
Dave Rosen: Oh, so this goes way back.
Joe Cambra: Yeah, yeah. So I started picking up guitar around ten, and then really got serious at 11.
Dave Rosen: And how often did you play back then?
Joe Cambra: I can’t remember, but my parents and my friends told me that I constantly played. I really don’t have much memory of it; it’s just one of those things where I can’t remember what it’s like not to play. It’s always just been a thing. I do remember within a year after playing, I showed up to my brother’s college graduation party. I must have been 11 or 12. I was bored there because it’s just him, my parents, and all of his friends partying, and he had a guitar in the corner. So I started playing guitar—playing Metallica, Pantera, Tool, Megadeth, or whatever else I was into at the time. Before I knew it, all of my brother’s friends started trickling into the room and started hooting and hollering about this kid playing guitar. They were really impressed. I looked up and the entire party was in there watching me play riffs and songs by these bands. I thought that was pretty cool for a ten, eleven, or twelve-year-old to get a bunch of college students riled up. Knowing my dad and the businessman he is, he threw a $20 bill at my feet, and then all the other guys started throwing money at me. I used that to buy my first real guitar. My dad told me, “I never knew you were actually good at guitar; I thought that was the radio playing this whole time.” And I told him, “Well, you should have knocked on the door and seen that I was actually playing,” because he wasn’t into the idea at first. He thought rock was a bit much, but whatever. That kind of changed the whole course of my life.
Dave Rosen: And to this day, is it rock you’re into, or is it more of a broad band of music?
Joe Cambra: It’s completely broad band. My bread and butter, the thing I will always go back to and am rooted in, is rock. Heavy, weird, experimental rock, which goes way beyond Metallica and the mainstream artists. But the itch for more music and artistic fronts is never fully scratched. Nowadays, fast-forwarding, I’m still playing loud, ridiculous, odd-time-signature experimental rock, but a lot of film scoring is where I really like to focus my artistic endeavors. Whatever gig hires me for the month—whether it be rock, blues, or funk—doesn’t matter at this point. It’s all music, either good or bad.
Dave Rosen: So when you say orchestral in your film scoring, are you talking about actually going into a studio with an orchestra?
Joe Cambra: No, currently with budget restrictions I don’t have my hands on a full orchestra. I can hire individual instrumentalists and use MIDI and computer programming in the DAW to fill it out. However, as I’m meeting with more high-end clients that do have bigger budgets, I’m excited about the potential to get into studios like East West and record with larger orchestras.
I’m finally getting in front of the right music supervisors and directors, so it’s really just a matter of time before we’re doing large sessions at the major film lots or East West. Additionally, Jack Lavey—another technician and musician working with Absolute—introduced me to Musiversal. We’ve discussed hiring cellists, violinists, and horn players through their subscription model, which is fantastic. It lets us work with top studio musicians at a very reasonable rate, giving us access to players who otherwise wouldn’t be available until those larger shows come in.
Dave Rosen: Wow, okay. And what kind of TV and feature work are you looking for, and what have you had so far?
Joe Cambra: A lot of what I’ve had has been commercial stuff, mainly proof-of-concept, and additional music for documentaries—something I did recently, which honestly was a lot of fun. Feature and narrative filmmaking would be something that is really, really fun. I’ve done a lot of short films as well. I like that one-on-one interaction. Sometimes the budgets aren’t always there, but at least you get a great rapport with the director through that back-and-forth.
Dave Rosen: Well, that’s all really great info. What I know of you—even though it’s only been a few months that we’ve worked together—instantly I could see how you approach things, your attention to detail, your level of focus, and what you bring to the table. I combine that with what I’ve already heard and seen you do musically, and there’s no doubt where your career is going. When people are talented at one thing, it transcends subject matter. With my background in feature film and music supervisors being my clients for 25 years on major feature films and TV shows—people I’m still friends with—I look forward to being able to introduce you to some of those friend groups. But let’s transition. What have you been doing just helping out? I know this started as a “help me out for the day,” and since then you’ve brought some real organization and structure around our rental house and production company. What kind of stuff have you been doing for us?
Joe Cambra: Well, to segue from the music side, I’ve also gotten into audio engineering, which I’ve done with Absolute Media Labs during the first three or four days of us working together, handling live broadcast audio. It was a whole behemoth to undertake, but we got through it and it was very fun. I attribute a lot of that to my experience in production sound and studio engineering. On lower-budget films, you have to engineer yourself, so I’ve spent a lot of time behind the board recording musicians and translating that to a live broadcast environment. On the rental side of things—which is the big new behemoth we’ve been tackling—it has been a lot of fun visiting different rental houses, meeting employees and owners. I’m always impressed by the huge array of people you know within your network, Dave, and your knowledge of gear ranging from cameras to video to audio. It’s really inspiring. I’ve had the pleasure of helping manage the company, other employees, and working side-by-side to figure things out together and define my role here. There’s been so much growth in what feels like less than five months, though it’s probably closer to three. It’s just flown by.
Dave Rosen: Yeah, we’ve got concerts coming up, a major live stream for Amazon coming up, and today is a major Twitch live stream with seven FR7 PTZ cameras. On top of that, we did a rental of our Blackmagic Constellation ME2 and control surface. Every day there’s something new. What’s impressive with you and with Dave Flores—our other lead—I can’t even say “employees” because I don’t look at you or Dave that way. On many levels, we’re equals. We’re all going down the same road together, side-by-side, building our careers. Your ability to adapt to the situation, manage clients, and manage gear is what it’s really about—making sure clients trust what we do, because when they need an answer, they need an answer right away. You and Dave both have that knack. It’s been a great build here at Absolute Media Labs and Absolute Rentals.
So, before we hop off, where do you see your next five years? Where are you looking back in 10 years at what you did in five years?
Joe Cambra: I definitely want music to be more full-time. Living and working in LA month-to-month can be completely different—from audio work to music to even PA-ing just to keep things moving.
Dave Rosen: Well, that’s now. I’m talking five years. It’s 2026. I’ll be 65.
Joe Cambra: And I’ll be 40, which is wild to think about! I try not to get hung up on age and how many things I have yet to do. But in five years, definitely more music, more full-time.
At the same time, I see potential for additional income and mental growth as a professional through this rental side of things. It’s a lucrative business built heavily on relationships, and it’s something that can be done simultaneously while focusing on the creative side of the musical landscape. Scoring, playing live shows—I want to do that more full-time, while continuing to grow this rental business because I’m very curious to see where it goes. That’s why this is more than just an “employee thing.” It’s something we’re both genuinely interested in, and we believe it can turn into something bigger. It’s inspiring and makes me want to get over here and work on it Dave and I have both worked tough jobs, and anything to move past that is always a plus. It keeps you close to the industry. The amount of people we meet at these meetups with engineers and composers—that’s what it’s really about. It’s not just about making money; it’s about the relationships with people in the industry.
Dave Rosen: I couldn’t agree more. I wouldn’t be where I am right now without relationships. Relationships are everything, and you seem to get that.
Well, listen, thank you. I know you’ve got other stuff to do before the end of the day. I just wanted to catch up and get something out to our client base. We’ll talk again in probably 15 seconds once we stop recording this. In fact, I think Christina is trying to figure out why she’s standing in Filmtools right now trying to buy something.
Joe Cambra: Thanks, Dave. Appreciate it.
Dave Rosen: That’s fine.
Joe Cambra: All right.