Melodic Bass Villian: Charlie Roberts

No he does not want to join your band. No he did not take lessons from Victor Wooten.

Yes, he does have a CD for sale. But simply hearing the music of Charlie Roberts is not enough. You must experience the Melodic Bass Villian and his mindblowing approach to playing bass.

Charlie Roberts, a musician in his free time, moves on the bass in ways that even the most knowledgeable bassists could not imagine. When asked what genre of music he plays, Roberts jokingly responded, "ProEx--Progressive Experimental." Truly, it's like nothing you have ever heard before.

Cross Tool with Beethoven and Roberts falls somewhere between. "Imagine a symphony condensed down to one instrument, thats what it sounds like to me." I haven't peaked your interest yet? Trot on over to YouTube and search for Charlie Roberts. Ignore the oddly labeled "Charlie and the dishwasher videos" and find videos of Roberts' "Flow," "Pristine Soul," "The Gift of Funk," and "Pulse." Not impressed yet? Catch him in person.

Unfortunately Roberts has had trouble booking shows elsewhere from the Muse. Most places question how a solo bassist could have anything worthwhile to say and could actually draw a fanbase. At a recent show at the Muse, I watched an entire room full of awe-filled people watch Roberts as though they were followers trying to absorb the teachings of their one and only true master. One woman ranted as she left the venue that she had some sort of religious experience after watching Roberts play, like some sort of miracle had occured.

I can't claim that you to will find yourself overwhelmed by this solo musician, but Roberts represents a true musicianship that is rare in the music industry today. Here is someone saying, "Look I can do it all. Moreover, I can do it all on one instrument." He doesn't hide behind his effects or some MTV structured image. It's just him, his bass, and his amp.

Roberts is quiet while he plays. Rarely does his face wince with effort--rather he seems completely absorbed by the music at hand. Still, the music echoes a kind of passion that even the most romantic among us like to believe is everpresent in the underground music scene.

More information about Charlie Roberts can be found at Myspace or CharlieRoberts.net. Roberts will be playing shows at The Muse on June 27, July 6, and August 1.

More shows in the very near future!

Love it--so many shows, so little time. I have a feeling I know where all the money I make this summer is going to go...But wait! Half the following shows are free!

Tuesday. June 20:
Kyle Andrews will be hosting an instore CD release show at Grimey's on 8th Avenue at 6 pm. Wait did I hear FREE show??


Saturday, June 24:
My Beautiful Disaster will be hanging out at Wallstreet with fORMER and 100 Watt Opera.

Sunday, June 25:
Did I mention Sister Hazel at Crockett Park?! :) Did I mention it is free?!

Tuesday, June 27:
Charlie Roberts will hit up the Muse with his mindblowing solo bass stuff. If you haven't seen this guy play, you better hit it up while you can still catch him at the Muse for a measly $7. All too soon some smart A&R rep is gonna snatch this guy up. He will also be playing there on July 6th if you can't make this show.

Yummy!

Working Title Dates

Sonya of Cornerstone Promotions sent me these dates for the Working Title's summer tour. They just passed through Nashville and here is where else you can catch them throughout the summer.

Showdates w/ mewithoutYou and Unwed Sailor:

6/9/06 - Columbus OH - CBR (Brewery District)
6/22/06 - Columbus OH - The Basement
6/23/06 - Indianapolis IN - Emerson Theater
6/26/06 - St Louis MO - Creepy Crawl
6/27/06 - Iowa City IA - Gabe''s Oasis
6/29/06 - Minneapolis MN - Triple Rock
6/30/06 - Madison WI - The Loft
7/1/06 - DeKalb IL - The House Cafe
7/2/06 - Covington KY - The Madhatter
7/6/06 - Milwaukee WI - Summerfest

And the working title will be playing select dates with Counting Crows and the Goo Goo Dolls. Please see http://www.theworkingtitle.com for more information.

As far as their new album, it will be released on July 18 instead of the aforementioned date. So look for the new rocking album about-face from these cool guys!

Summer flies

*cracks knuckles*

It's been a while, but the Guru is back in full force. I'm working out at Camp Widjiwagan during the day. It's a day camp and my hours are roughly 7:15am -6 pm. Needless to say after 10.5 hours out in the sun running around with kids all day long, I haven't quite gotten out to as many shows as I would like. BUT...I finally have a huge update for you all, plus there are some awesome rumblings going about the Nashville scene that will be explained in weeks to come. Hooray! Now to what's going on about town.

Monday, June 19:
The Worsties join 7 other bands for the Mercy Lounge's free 8 off 8th event.


Thursday, June 22:
Beauty School Dropouts will show some love at 12th and Porter with their new drummer Indy Campbell.

Spiderfighter will be rocking out at The Gibson Showcase with Falling For Yesterday, and Pensive.

Tuesday, June 27:
Backseat Goodbye's much anticipated album Rain Rain Go Away will celebrate its release at Exit/In. Tickets available through Ticketmaster for $10.


In the future!
Friday, July 7:
Popular Genius will play Franklin Mercantile at 7 pm. Being that that is the last night of a session of camp, I have to be at family night so I have to miss this show :(. So...YOU ALL must be there. This will be one of their few shows of 2006 as they work on writing and recording their new album. Don't miss is because there won't be much else like it for a while.

Saturday, July 8:
James Moore will be hitting up the former "back porch" of Cafe Coco with his acoustic soul goodness.

Not so local:
Sister Hazel will be playing a FREE show at Crocket Park on Sunday, June 25. I am SO there. They really are the epitome of summer music. When I roll down the windows and drive around town on a sunny day, Sister Hazel's album is almost always blaring from the speakers.

Other stuff to note:
Not Just Country Nashville is a locally produced show on UPN (channel 30 or 14 on cable) that showcases several local bands to show that Nashville's scene isn't just about country. Support this awesome cause every Saturday night at 1:30 a.m.

Don't forget to buy your Fiona Apple tickets (I just remembered!). On sale now at all Ticketmaster locations.


PS-To Mr. Miles and to Ms. Shaw--I'll post your info within the next two days. Cool? Thanks for the submissions!