Charming – Q+A
Earlier this week, Isle of Wight band, Charming, released their new album, Forgotten Pages, and Musically Fresh were lucky enough to sit down with the guys for a Q+A session. Check it out:
Right guys, the new album, Forgotten Pages, is finally out. Firstly, how was the recording experience?
Well we recorded it ourselves using the facilities at our university. It was challenging but so rewarding in the end. It felt more organic recording it ourselves as it gave us more control on the overall sound.
(Check out Musically Fresh’s review of the album HERE)
And has it been a weight off your mind? Or has the release on increased your stress and pressure levels?
It is a relief to have it all done now and to have the physical copies. Now the stress comes when we try to sell them!
And how soon until a new album is in the works?
We’ve already started writing some new stuff, but it’s slightly different to this album so we’ll wait until we’ve developed it more before we record and release it.
Now you guys have a really distinctive folky/blues sound to your music – who are your inspirations and how did you decide that this was the sound you were going to go for?
It was never something we decided, it just happened because of our influences. We listen to a variety of music between us, but the main ones for this album would be bands like Dry the River, Explosions in the Sky and Mumford and Sons. We’re always listening to new music, so the music we create changes depending on what we’re into at the time. We like to show our personal journeys through the development of our music.
The Isle of Wight is once again starting to stand out as a breeding ground for local talent. How important has the local community been for you guys? And how do feel the IOW music scene supports their local talent?
We are so grateful for the support and opportunities the Isle of Wight has had on offer. We’ve played some amazing festivals and gigs. We hope the music scene here stays strong and vibrant. Recently, there’s been panic because of a lack of music venues on the IOW, but hopefully with places such as Quay Arts and with Ryde Theatre opening soon, hope will be restored.
And with today’s music industry, what’s your opinion on online downloads, both legally and illegally? Do you think we’re edging closer to a future without CD and vinyl sales? And do you think digital downloads can help newer bands like yourself?
As we’re more of a live band, our personal experience is that more people buy physical copies of our music, along with merch, at our shows. We don’t think the CD will die out, especially with vinyl making a comeback. We have faith in music lovers. We don’t have anything against streaming or online downloads, as it’s becoming popular to today’s generations – we just want people to hear our music. However, when it comes to downloading illegally, it can be unfair on many musicians and can be detrimental to their careers and the possibility of making more music.
And how do you guys utilise social media? Do you see it as an important platform for recognition and promotion?
Yeah, we think it is fairly important as a lot of people are online nowadays. However, sometimes people aren’t as interested online and sat at home as they could be at a live show. We utilise it in a way for our fans to see what we’re doing, rather than to gain a fan base from it.
Talking of live shows, do you have any gigs lined up?
We have several shows booked. One in Bath on the 16th May at The Porter and one in London on the 18th of May at the New Cross Inn. We will hopefully be announcing some festival slots soon too.
Finally, do you have a message for you fans?
Hi mum! Joking aside, thank you so much to everyone who has listened/downloaded/bought our album and to those who’ve come to see us live. We appreciate all the support we get and it fuels our music more so than anything else. We love what we do and we are very lucky to be able to do it.
You can download Forgotten Pages at http://charmingmusicuk.bandcamp.com/, and keep up with Charming on their Social Media pages:
- Facebook – Charming Music UK
- Twitter – @CharmingMusicUK
