Contact: Management: Land Lady Music Management / Hunter Daniels (landladymgmt@hotmail.com
Booking: eyeseesongs@comcast.net
Sometimes he rolls "Solo Acoustic" performer: (Acoustic Guitars, Piano, Harmonica, Vox, and Spoken Word, etc...)
When he's with the band, they are DRY RAIN:
Mike Burke : Electric guitars, b-vox (Or Big Pete Kazaleh)
Marshall St. Clair: Basses, b-vox
Dennis DeMorro: Drums (or Mike Forrester)
Jon Light: Pedal Steel, Lap Steel, Dobro
Alumni:
Mace Vitale: Bass
Eric Lichter: Multi-instrumentalist, Studio engineer
Steve Combs: Bass
Steve Pastore: Drums
Steve Burr: Electric Guitars
Dennis Cote' Drums
Harry King: Piano, B-3
Crit Harmon: Producer/Engineer
Dick Neal: El. Guitar, Mandolin, Banjo, co-production.
Mark Mirando: Piano
John Holt: Co-Writer, Ac. Guitar, vocal.
Influences
Arts and The Humanities~ Musicians, Poets, Writers, Artists: The lists are way too long to complete. But off of the top of my head and being truthful about the people to whom I have reflected on for inspiration consistently for reasons both obvious and unexplainable.
Musically speaking:
Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley w/ Scotty Moore, D.J Fontana & Bill Black, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch, John Mellencamp, Elvis Costello and Co, Pete Townshend, Van Morrison, Johnny Cash, Waylon, The Band, The Kinks, Patti Smith, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Peter Green, Nick Drake, Elbow, Duane Eddy, Steve Young, Widespread Panic, Ray Charles, Jay Farrar/Son Volt, Jeff Tweedy/Wilco, Justin Currie/Del Amitri, Stuart Adamson/Big Country, John Holt, Jason Molina, Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, The Sawtelles, Joe Henry, CCR, Rush, Bob Seger, MC5, Roy Orbison, Free, The Doors, David Byrne, Peter Murphy, The Beatles, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, Odetta, Joni Mitchell, Karen Dalton, Richie Havens, Stax/Volt Records, Hi-Records, Sun Records, Centro-Matic/South San Gabriel, The Staple Singers, Mahalia Jackson, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Skip James, Ruth Brown, Nina Simone, Memphis Slim, Steve Marriott/Humble Pie/Small Faces, The Faces, U2, REM, Pink Floyd, Merle Haggard, Los Lobos, Woody Guthrie, XTC, Pete Seeger, Nils Lofgren, Ian Anderson, Curtis Mayfield, The Clash, Mark Lanegan, Paul Weller, Steve Earle, Alejandro Escovedo, Cowboy Junkies, Steve Miller, Traffic, 16 Horsepower, Wovenhand, The National, Iron & Wine, Gregg Rolie, Dan Fogelberg, David Ackles, Marc Bolan & T-Rex, Harry Belafonte, Neil Diamond. br>
Ian's essential Jazz artists list: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Oscar Peterson, Sonny Stitt, Ben Webster, Joe Lovano, Charles Mingus, David S. Ware, Johnny Dodds, Natty Dominique, Elvin Jones, Jo Jones, Hot Lips Page, Big Joe Turner, Bud Scott, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Joe Henry, Lester Young, Andy Kirk, Bennie Moten, Billie Holiday, Jesse Stone, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Billy Cobham, Andrew Hill, Chick Corea/RTF, McCoy Tyner, Ravi Coltrane, Monk, Mingus, MJQ, Andy Bey, Dexter Gordon, Frank Sinatra, Etta Jones, Phineas Newborn Jr., Red Garland, Horace Silver, Jimmy Cobb, Jay McShann, Fletcher Henderson, Pete Johnson, Harry James, Glenn Miller, Erroll Garner, Zoot Sims, Eddie Bert, Vinnie Dean, Al Cohn , Tony Scott, Stan Kenton, George and Ira Gershwin.
The Writers and Poets: Sam Shepard, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Allen Ginsberg, John Steinbeck, Rainer Maria Rilke, James Baldwin, Eldridge Cleaver, Larry McMurtry, Ted Hughes, William S. Burroughs, Geoffrey Hill, Rudolph Wurlitzer, Arthur Miller, Neil Peart, Luis Cernuda, A.J. Cronin, Shel Silverstein, James Joyce, Edward Abbey, Dr. Suess, Jack Kerouac, Robert Burns, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Charles Lamb, John Keats, Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, Henry Carey, Harold Bell Wright, Noam Chomsky, Naomi Wolf, Jimmy Carter, Charles Bukowski, Hunter S. Thompson, William Shakespeare.
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Sounds Like
A telephone ringing when you are lonely-
A typewriter that you bought at a tag sale-
A footstep that echoes your own-
A cold drink on a hot day-
A hot drink on a cold day-
A look your dog or cat gives you when you wake up-
A lumber yard-
A midnight drive-
A morning cup of coffee-
A morning cup of tea-
A morning-
A mourning-
A mooring-
Amore-
A More-
.. Ian started playing drums at 6 years of age joined his first band at 14. By the time he finished high school. He was writing his own songs and playing in three different bands. Playing drums in one, singing in another and being the songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in his first all original band.
After spending due time in Los Angeles, Memphis, Nashville and New York City developing his songwriting chops, learning the ropes and working on his own sound by playing in a variety of bands from Garage/Alt-Country to Ambient and basic college rock from the 80's. Along the way, he discovered a melodic style which was from the first waves of rock-n-roll, traditional country, Delta blues, Rhythm-n-Blues and Folk. There was a distinct power to a simple melody with a powerful lyric. He made his way through Memphis again. But, this time as a solo performer. He wanted to feel the rhythm of the area. He indulged deeply in the musical history of the region, The "crossroads".
With all of the bumps, twists and turns in the music business along for the ride. This provided Ian with all of his answers as to where he wanted his direction to go and exactly what he heard as a "sound" His own sound.
While working a day-job in April of 1994, he met a young music fan who wanted into the business who would become his first legitimate manager; Colin Shaw.
Through a casual conversation and a request from Colin. Ian began putting together a handful of demos and LIVE in-studio outtakes that would become his debut release in March of 1995 entitled, "...TO THOSE WHO WAIT". These, mostly LIVE-In-Studio recordings gained him his first northeast regional airplay. Mostly with the song entitled, "Wild Oats". After touring regionally with a pick-up band aptly titled, IAN CHARLES BAND (ICB) and opening for Blues Traveler, Blue Oyster Cult, For Squirrels, The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones, The Outlaws, and many other diverse acts, while promoting the album. He began writing new songs. Many of which would become his follow-up CD, LONG HILL ROAD. Released on the first tuesday of January 1998. The album was a stunning balance of power between Rock and Acoustic songs. The record gained him an even larger regional fan base. At this time, he was listening heavily to old folk and blues, rockabilly, early classic country artists like, Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard and George Jones and revisiting his most profound influences in; Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Leonard Cohen, Joan Armatrading and Van Morrison. All of this re-discovery of the exact music that had first impacted on him when he was just a kid. Inspired his own musical direction in undeniable ways. His songwriting changed drastically to a more stripped down sound and metaphoric, poetic lyrical style. The music was saturated with a rootsy groove, He began working with a producer for the first time, Crit Harmon (Martin Sexton, Mary Gauthier, Jess Klein, etc.). Crit brought a more arranged commercial sound to his songs with the influences of vintage gospel and blues and "Nashville Sound" Country recordings. His first true breakthrough came with the resulting CD. His 3rd as a solo artist entitled, WISHING STREET. Released in February 2000. It was an instant indie critical success. It gained him national airplay with several of the songs featured. Particularly a song about the classic theme of broken hearted lost love called, HEAVENS' KEY.
"Heavens' Key" won Ian his first national awards in songwriting. One came from the internet based, dMusic.com network. Being awarded an internet Grammy for "Best Country Song" for the song "Heaven's Key".
Then moving forward and playing gigs with Melissa Ferrick, The Weepies among many others. on the folk/coffeehouse circuit.
Into 2001, where Ian met up with music promoter, Staci Broski from 7th Row Music/Kansas City. Staci was working initially as a booking agent for Ian. Staci's incredible commitment to the entertainment industry and her promotion and overall success of Wishing Street was bringing Ian's newest music to a larger audience. She helped establish Ian with a deep fan base foothold throughout the mid-west. After almost endless touring for WISHING STREET he subsequently released a LIVE Solo Acoustic EP, LIVE At THE PUPPETHOUSE THEATRE in December of 2002.
Up to this point, he had performed upwards of 300 plus solo concerts worldwide in 2 years.
In late 2003 after almost constant touring, he took a creative sojourn. Through the advice of a lifelong friend, Ian retreated to the village of Woodstock, NY to reflect on his travels, get some needed rest, develop a new batch of songs, and reconnect with his love for painting and poetry.
After a short time he brought the various songs, images and words he had in his head, into THE TURNING MILL and DIRT FLOOR STUDIOS with a longtime collaborative musician/engineer and friends, Eric Lichter and Owen Swenson.
These songs became his 4th full length Solo CD, MINUTES FROM MIDNIGHT. Released in March 2004. Ian considers this record in retrospect to be his most directly connected to where he came and where he was heading musically. While doing some additional recording he met a like-minded recording engineer/guitarist from Minnesota named, Mike Burke. Mike began working on post-production with Ian on MFM, and they built a working relationship that still continues today. Mike was working a side-gig as guitarist with a few musicians that complimented Ian's developed songs and most recent stylistic leanings. So in May 2006 Bassist; Marshall St. Clair, Drummer; Dennis DeMorro, Mike Burke on Guitar, Jon Light on Pedal Steel and Ian handling rhythm guitars, piano and organ. Began recording a large body of new songs.
But then after basic tracks were recorded. Ian decided he wanted to put the project on a short hiatus to continue writing. Fleshing out his newest ideas... This resulted in a wellspring of creative activity. Some outside of music. Ian began to work again with paint, brush and canvas. Creating feverishly on impulse. A body of work developed quickly. When not painting, Ian also began to build on a first collection of poetry and verse entitled, "FOR PARKER & OTHER TREES" (2009/Bell Hand) influenced by one his mentor's Parker Holden.
He also had the opportunity to take on the role of PRODUCER for the debut album by his friend and fellow singer/songwriter, JOHN HOLT and his band, GENEROUS THIEF. The result was the CD entitled, NO REST (2006).
The project with John inspired his own songwriting and brought him back to the studio.
More than ever before, Ian felt the freedom of true independence as an artist. Resulting in a vastly developed collection of new songs with an increasingly strong emphasis on poetic lyricism.
September 16th 2008:
The hiatus from the 2006 album project with his band worked well for the songs they had recorded. So, now after revisiting the work. It has been released as a 6th Ian Charles CD entitled, BORN RIGHT INSIDE. A milestone of "crossroads" Roots/Alternative Rock/ and Folk.
Call it "Americana". Ian refers to it as simply "good music". Inspired by the people, music and art of the modern world to help us all find our way through to new beginnings.
Ian feels that it completes a creative triad of "Wishing Street (2000), Minutes From Midnight (2004), and Born Right Inside(2008).
Look for IAN CHARLES on Tour through 2009 and beyond.
Hi, Just want to let you know that a bunch of New Orleans style jazz and funk acts are coming to Sullivan Hall in the next few weeks! Ticket links and details are below, or check out www.sullivanhallnyc.com for more information.
Come out and celebrate the summer in New York, NOLA style!
We're hiring: Roots Music Bands. If you are a reggae, blues, klezmer, Irish or bluegrass band, we want to book you. Go here for information: http://northamptoncommunity. ning. com
It was great meeting you this past weekend and thanks for the kind words. I'm sitting in a Library so I can't listen to your songs at the moment, but I will...
Hello friend! It's been awhile...how's things??? Dave and I are going to TRY to get some sort of social event going for the month of October/November!!! Yes, I have to start planning very far in advance, not because of any wonderful sum of results, but, because I PROCRASTINATE, LOL..... Anyway, what ever month it turns out to be, we truly hope you will come and have some fun with us. We will have people to play music, and we will have food, and of course, the best part of all, we will have FUN! Sound good??? Good!!! Oh, and you may always bring someone(s) with you!!! We'll talk before-hand, of course! Hoping you are not melting in this beautifully, peaceful and nourishing rain; because you are just soooo sweet!!!! I just love the rain...and thunderstorms, LOL... Have a great rest of the weekend my friend. Will chat soon... Light, Love, and Peace~~Poppykat & Dave Kearney
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