Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Charlie Redstar is a band that
takes it name from rura Manitoba slang for UFO. Quite appropriate, as the band's music does not lend itself to any readily available labels. The first thing I noticed, aside from the all-star lineup (Mitch Dorge, Gilles Fournier, Jason Charney, Joe Curtis, and Michael Bratland), was that there weren't the hooks, catchy riffs, or sugary harmonies that there should be. Or should there? So what is it about this album that keepsÊit in my CD player? After repeated listens, I still don't know. There is a chemistry to this band that defies descriptionÊand allows them to function as a seamless unit, on and off the stage. This is not to say that the album is devoid of melody; it's simply not showcased. No one particular element is showcased; all elements, whether it be rhythm, textures, production, vocals, etc., get preferential treatment. This results in a collection of songs that sound like something familiar and at the same time like nothing you've heard before. Charlie Redstar turns pop-rock upside down and puts a fresh twist on the familiar. (Independent, www.charlierestar.com) - Broose Tulloch
Pop music can be a lot of things. It can be the warm rasp of a John Lennonesque singer, The gentle, high-neck strum of a guitar. The buzzy twang of a psychedelic, sitar-like synth. The shimmering of a slide guitar. The lightly funky pop of a bassline. Even the loose-limbed grooves of Crash Test Dummies drummer Mitch Dorge. Or, if your local pop outfit Charlie Redstar, it can be all of these things. And more. On their impressive 11-song debut CD, singer-songwriter Jason Charney possesses not only the aforementioned Lennon pipes, but also an impressive abilty to weave simple melodies into catchy hooks that ring in your ear. set against Dorge's low-impact vibe and soundscapeish, gentley tripped out production - and bolstered by the equally solid chops of bassist Gilles Fournier, guitarist Joe Curtis and keyboardist Michael Bratland - Charney's songs are upgraded into ear-catching, electronic-garnished gems that balance '60s pop psychedelia '90s folk-hop and cutting-edge British mopery. Yes pop music can be many things. But not many that show as much potential as this. - Darryl Sterdan
Discography
Charlie Redstar- Self Titled (2003)
1. Where you gonna go?
2. Fists Of Glass
3. No Waiting (nyc)
4. Freakin' out
5. I Know
6. Set me up
7. Rain
8. Ordinary life
9. Nobody Home
10. 32 Tuesdays
11. Bye, Bye, Bye
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Charlie Redstar is a UFO. No, seriously. The thing was spotted flying over the small town of Carmen, Manitoba in 1975. The sighting came decades before Charlie Redstar would dawn upon an impressionable young man as the perfect name for his latest musical project.
Jason Charney returned to Winnipeg from Grant
MacEwan College in Edmonton in 1997 with a performance degree in jazz in his pocket and a doubtful outlook on his future in music.
"Coming to the conclusion that I would never be a heavy jazz cat," he says, "I thought my future would consist of a 7-11 and a trailer park." Instead, he narrowed his scope and rediscovered his love for simplistic three-chord melodies. Charney pooled
resources to form Not Quite Lucy, a trio that
fermented itself in straight up indie rock melodies and a love for Britpop.
It was through friend (and former Crash Test Dummies touring guitarist) Murray Pulver that Charney was introduced to Joe Curtis. The accomplished player was just who Charney was
looking for to fill out the guitars in NQL's live show, and he quickly signed Curtis on as the newest addition to the band.
After being granted a slot to play alongside some hefty talents (Mix Master Mike, Nickelback, Bif Naked) at a major Canadian music conference and festival, Charney found himself in a bind when his drummer opted out of the trip, and the band, in favour of a career opportunity beyond city limits.
Once again turning to Pulver, Charney found himself
contemplating a call to Dummies drummer Mitch
Dorge.
"You never know how these 'I've sold eight million records' guys will be," he said of his hesitancy. "Just my luck, he was an asshole. Kidding!"
Immediately taken with Charney's charismatic nature and originative songwriting style, Dorge was eager to come on board as a creative force. As audiences grew, dynamics shifted within the band and Not Quite Lucy called it a day in 2001.
More an elimination of dead weight than anything else, the split allowed Charney to refocus his efforts and develop a new outlet for his songwriting. Keeping Curtis and Dorge close by, Charney adopted the moniker Charlie Redstar and began to direct his creative energies to the trio.
"I think the core of Charlie Redstar is and has always been Joe, Mitch and I," Charney says. "I've worked with them enough and I trust them enough that I can bring ideas that aren't completed
and ideas that are completed to the table and see what happens. From there we work them out arrangement wise, and fine tune and polish. Then we get together in a band."
Fueled by Charney's songwriting but processed with a group mentality, Charlie Redstar expanded to include renowned bassist Gilles Fournier and New York based keyboardist Mike Bratland in time for the collective to record their debut full length in early 2002.
Released 2003, Charlie Redstar's eponymous album
fuses Charney's impressive pop sensibilities with
Dorge's ambient-tinged production techniques. The result is a collection of songs as difficult to classify as they are to digest on the first listen. Charlie Redstar masterfully carves a new path in the ridiculously worn landscape of popular music, challenging its listener with innovative twists and modern panoramas.
Buy CD: www.cdbaby.com/cd/credstar
Media Contact:
www.charlieredstar.com
Jason Charney
e: charneyjason@hotmail.com
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