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My comment here will explain what I saw and felt about the show on Saturday. Maybe “show” is the wrong noun here. In the words of Larry Mullen Jr., it was a “spiritual journey.” ... a lesson of the realty of life and the preaching to tormented souls who want to escape and be free of our own plastic icons. This is a “show” that needs to be seen by thousands ... in an arena where it belongs in that anthrax-church setting. Hollow council should continue to write their melodies with guts ... saying here’s beer in your wine glass and don’t drink it slowly or you will puke on your own indecisiveness. Stand up and be counted ... is the message I get .... - My Space Comment
(review for Time For Change 2008 album on CD by Charles Watson & Hollow Council) ... Arizona based band that has many experienced artists involved here. "Charles Watson Hollow Council band members Charles Watson guitarist, Chris Dunham vocalist, Jesse Johnson drummer, and Josh Cummings bassist are the hottest classic rock bluesy edge. This is a roster of the some of the best artists to come out of Arizona. These unique talented artists bring each of their skills to the table…and astonishingly take it up to the next level of pure rock perfection. I wasn’t sure what I was going to get when I opened the CD and popped it into the player…. Pure pleasure here, from the first to last track. Lyrics that are intoxicating and intriguing, with music here that is classical, progressive, rock… offers something here for everyone. This band has all the components, for a GREAT CD!"
Marlene Palumbo - Marlene Palumbo~
My name is Randy I own Jambonie.com, We help promote Independent music Artist from all over the world. I get the opportunity to hear some of the best Musicians from all genres. We showcase there music on the home page of the website. We were honored when hollow Council joined the site and we had the opportunity to hear these guys perform. Each member of this classic Rock band offers there Unique talent to write some music that pulls you right in. And I have received lots of email from fans out there that agree.
You guys keep on writing great music and we will keep on listening .
These guys are the real deal. Randy - Jamboni.com
Charles Watson, renowned Arizona classical guitarist and composer, began his search for a label for his next album the summer of 2005. Charles' mission was to showcase the classical guitar. He has developed extreme classical guitar techniques and shreds on State-of-the-Art, souped-up, electric solid body nylon string axes, rocking out unlike anyone has ever done in the history of classical guitar.
By Feburary of 2006, Robert Metzgar had heard about, requested, and listened to Charles' classical guitar promo demo, Path of the Raven, that had started a buzz about this phenomenal guitarist and that was the beginning of a relationship that would catapult the classical guitar and Charles Watson right into mainstream rock.
Watson's concept was to develop a rock genre band to record his next classical guitar album, to not just showcase the classical guitar as a solo or instrumental instrument in music genres people were accustomed to for classical guitar, but as a viable, indeed, incredible alternative to the electric guitar as the versatile, flamboyant, and electrified rock classical guitar with the techniques and style he had developed.
He found his mentor right in the heart of North America's music industry roots with Nashville's best and most beloved producer, Robert Metzgar. Over the next few months Charles began writing music for the album and putting together a group of phenomenal musicians and vocalist to launch this new rock band sound and concept.
2007 was an incredible and busy year for the band including journeys to Nashville to record and work with an entourage of music industry legends, Robert Metzgar, Tony Migliore, and Chuck Haines and Spike Jones to produce the twelve tune 2008 album TIME FOR CHANGE on Platinum Plus Records, Nashville.
The band, Hollow Council, has been playing the Arizona music scene and built a faithful following locally from their outrageous live shows, a busy myspace and website, as well as airplay charting on AAA radio waves with a broad spectrum of global listeners.
GP-7/5/08
Update: 8/16/08 - Hollow Council played the Sturgis 2008 Rally, one of the largest venues in the world August 2-10, 2008, and are lined up to play at One Eyed Jacks Saloon in Sturgis, SD during the Sturgis 2009 Rally.
After the Sturgis 2008 event, Watson takes his classical guitar extravanga to Denver for the DNC crowds and on to Albuquerque, NM.
- Gothage Press Music Review
Charles Watson & Hollow Council Band Clinch 51 weeks on AAA Radio Charts
“Stop Wasting My Time” and “Stuffed Suits”, two singles off the 2008 album titled Time For Change by the alternative rock band Charles Watson & Hollow Council, have stayed on AAA radio charts for a whopping “43 weeks” straight, announced their label executive producer, Robert Metzgar on November 5, 2008. That was 8 weeks ago but it isn’t old news. To date, Charles Watson & Hollow Council’s album Time For Change has now been charted for 51 weeks, and still going strong. This kind of run for a brand-spanking-new band with their first album released August, 2008 is this Happy New Year’s Day record-breaking news.
Apache Junction, Arizona, January 1, 2009 – Charles E. Watson, a classical guitarist, is doing something new in the business of music. He’s making the classical guitar popular in arenas of rock genre listeners. This isn’t an easy crowd to please. The music either rocks or it doesn’t, regardless of sub-genre appeal; and there are as many interpretations of what that means as there are rockers. Multiply that by 51 weeks charted on AAA radio airwaves and you’ve got a lot of listeners across global spectrums liking what they hear from Charles Watson & Hollow Council.
Two singles off the 2008 music album, Time For Change, on Platinum Plus Records, Nashville, “Stop Wasting My Time” and "Stuffed Suits”, have continued to be charted for airplay on AAA radio stations for 51 weeks straight, to date.//
This music has everything, including sticky hooks and licks that stay in your head, full-speed-ahead finger style guitar technique you can’t believe is really happening, grinding groovy crunches, “Iron Dog” Dunham’s haunting vocals of uniquely crafted lyrics with harmony and other vocal backups from guitarist and bassist, and Josh’s driving anchor bass on "Stop Wasting My Time" and Watson on his fretless Alembic bass on "Stuffed Suits". Johnson's exquisite drumming on the recordings are performed in the live band by Shane Walker, a precision and crafty power-house drummer.
So one of the stories goes, and of these there are many: while rocking-out in the crowd, the band was playing “Stop Wasting My Time”, a chic leaned over and yelled in my ear, “This is the music I’ve waited all my life to hear!”
The current success of Watson’s entry into the mainstream rock music market with his classical guitar, superb songwriting and arrangements and first-rate band, is in the numbers. 51 weeks straight of AAA radio charting is record-breaking. As Watson says, “It’s not supply and demand. It’s demand and supply. I think it’s natural for people to demand art as well as entertainment and I feel really good about the great reception the music on this album is receiving.”
For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release (or for copy or demo), contact Charles E. Watson or visit www.charleswatsonhollowcouncil.com.
Time For Change”, by Charles Watson & Hollow Council, 2008 music album for compact disk and digital distribution. Indy Label: Platinum Plus Records, Nashville. Executive Producer: Robert Metzgar. Producer: Tony Migilore. Artist: Charles E. Watson, Jr, classical guitarist and composer; Charles Watson & Hollow Council. Capitol Management Group, Nashville, TN.
Contact:
Charles E. Watson Jr. classical guitarist
Charles Watson & Hollow Council
http://www.charleswatsonhollowcouncil.com
- Gothage Press Music Review
Discography
TIME FOR CHANGE
Artist: Charles Watson & Hollow Council
Album title: Time For Change
Label: Platinum Plus Records, Nashville
Executive Producer: Robert Metzgar
Produced by Tony Migliore
Recorded at Chelsea studios and Gravity studios, Nashville, TN
Engineered and mixed by Spike Jones
Mastered by Chris Milfred at Groovelab Mastering, Nashville, TN
Additional background vocals by Spike Jones and Susie Marshall
Art Director: Charles Watson
Graphic design: Ben Sams for Samson Designs, Nashville, TN
--"Stuffed Suits" (single from album: Time For Change) AAA Radio Charts, Fall 2008
--"Stop Wasting My Time" (single from album: Time For Change) AAA Radio Charts, Fall 2008
--"Empty Man" (Single) selected for RNR Radio and 3000 Indy Rock 360 Compilation CD Series for 2009
--"Plastic Icon" airplay Alternative Rock Arizona KWSS FM as of 5/09
--DVD - music video - filmed and recorded June 2008 and is the album "Time For Change" LIVE
Photos
Bio
March 2009 Announcement: Hollow Council band with "Time For Change" album on Platinum Plus Records, Nashville, has been licensed for international distribution with Platinum Plus/Sony/BMG Global and has signed on as "Hollow Council". This band will heretofore be booking and marketed internationally with the band name HOLLOW COUNCIL.
This band features the music composition and extreme classical & electric guitar work of Charles Watson, electic powerhouse drumming of Shane Walker, aces & eights bass by Josh Cummings, and straight-up rock vocals of Chris Dunham.
Their music is alternatively tuned and has unique grooves and sound due to the finesse of Charles Watson's fingerstyle techniques and background, a renown classical guitarist of extreme styles and methods, and also as an electric guitarist and keyboard musician adept at overall composition, melody constructs, and dynamic arrangements.
This band's music, "Alternative Rock with a Classical Hook and a Blues Edge" is revolutionary and fine-tuned, highlighted by sophisticated instrumentation, driving rhythms, and infectious hooks.
The team of musicians Watson has put together, originally to record an album with him that he contracted as a classical guitarist through Platinum Plus Universal to be on Platinum Plus Records, Nashville, "you ain't heard classical guitar like this unless you've heard Charles Watson SHRED", a band that has since launched as a much sought-after career performing band. Band members are all seasoned professionals with broad backgrounds in style and genre, the band played the Sturgis 2008 Bike Rally, the Time For Change album ranked #1 in AAA radio charts for 45 weeks with 2 singles "Stuffed Suits" and "Stop Wasting My Time", "Empty Man" is on RNR's Compilation Series CD and 3000 Indy Rock 360 compilation CD. Charles Watson & Hollow Council/Hollow Council began performing live October 2007.
Their individual backgrounds lends the music a very different sound while being genre specific as definite Rock and subgenre as Alternative. Some of their songs could easily be called Alternative Progressive Rock as well.
Charles Watson and Chris Dunham co-write the lyrics for the band's songs. The combination of Watson's experience as a composer, lyric song writer, and vocalist and Dunham's experience with writing his own brand of poetic verse, has produced a hot lyric writing duo and the band's songs are known for being lyric intensive, covering a range of topical interests with unusually captivating concepts.
Josh Cummings, an all around superior musician, is also a contributing vocalist; he and Watson also sing harmony & backup vocals to the lead vocals of Chris Dunham.
Cummings is a very savvy bassist with polished techniques and lots of style. He is also a professional hand drum percussionist, having toured across the US with drum troups for seven years, has played bass with Watson in previous bands and, together, they also gigged as the Van Gogh Effect, a duet of Josh's extraordinary collection of international drumming rhythms and Charles' classical and electric guitar extravaganzas. The song,"Devils Hand", on the Time For Change album features Cummings hand drumming.
Chris Dunham has a background as a theatrical, commercial, and Indie film actor and is very audience engaging. He studied vocal training with a master vocal instructor in the PX area, Michael Wheeler, previously sang with local hardrock bands, self-describes his vocals as 'haunting', likes to go by the stage name "Iron Dog", gives passionate delivery, and has a touch of Southern Country Rock in his style. Chris Dunham put out a cult classic volume of contemporary poetry, "Disturbed Reason" in 1993 featuring the art work of Charles Watson. He and Watson hone-in the vocal melodies and dynamics to profound degrees and the vocal melodic content of the band's songs are exciting and moving.
Shane Walker, a superb percussionist with a tremendous range of technique and styles, and a list of creds longer than your arm, is also a hand drummer and professional trombone player. Like Watson, he is a formally schooled musician and they originally met while on staff as music instructors at one of Arizona's foremost music academies, Arizona Music Academy, and began playing jazz, blues, and freeform jamming together with various other musicians.
This band also features Walker on Drums, Cummings on Bass, and Watson on Guitar as an instrumental power trio known for their exciting and extreme jam sessions that literally "rock the house".
Charles Watson & Hollow Council's album “Time For Change” is on Platinum Plus Records, Nashville and was recorded in Nashville, TN at Chelsea Studios & Gravity Studios under the watchful eyes of executive producer Legends Hall of Fame Producer, Robert Metzgar, and Producer Tony Migliore and was engineered by legendary Chuck Haines and Spike Jones. The album also features guest harmony backup vocals by Susie Marshall and
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