(Photo Credit: Angela Ricciardi)
If you were to use one word to capture Charlie Burg's sound, it would be heartfelt. His music comes straight from the soul, and evokes memories of Motown classics with the classic vibes and fantastic harmonies he is able to produce. We are excited that we had the opportunity to Interview Charlie for our Artist Spotlight. Read below to learn more about his background and be sure to check out his new single "To Dance is to Love" here! We are looking forward to a big 2019 from the Detroit born, Syracuse based singer songwriter.
How did you come to pursue music, how long have you been at it, and when did you decide to go “all in” with music? How has your life changed since you made that decision?
"Everything happened really naturally. Year by year since I was a freshman in 2014, I got progressively more obsessed with digging deeper into the craft of my self-expression and getting my hands on as much music as possible to teach myself what’s already out there. I’ve been singing since I was a toddler, but the pursuit of a music career didn’t take shape until my second or third year of college. Transferring to music school at Syracuse was my 'all in' moment in devoting my life to music. Since coming to ‘Cuse, everything has moved much quicker and felt more like a tangible journey". Could you walk us through your process of writing music?
"Whenever I’m asked about songwriting, I always tell people that it starts with a simple truth. Something honest within myself, perhaps something that I just recently realized or wasn’t able to see until a certain point. Lyric ideas and melodies always come as a package, and it is 100% of the time accompanied with a near-full arrangement. It’s like my song ideas are readymade packages delivered to me unannounced at random times by an unidentified source that I’ll spend my whole life attempting to understand". Which artists have inspired you in your career?
"Coldplay, D’Angelo, Frank Ocean, The Strokes, Al Green, Kanye West, Joni Mitchell, Weezer... to name a few". Do you have any favorite music gear (guitars, amps, effects pedals, keyboards, etc.) that you love to use? If so, what’s the story on them?
"For an acoustic guitar, I’ve only ever played my dad’s Yamaha from like 1998, and that exclusivity is purposeful because I feel like an artist can really develop her/his own sound if she/he sticks to an instrument long enough. For amps, I love my Vox AC30, it’s a horse. I don’t love my Gretsch. For DAWs…I swear by Ableton. Ableton forever". Can you describe the vibe at your live shows? Also, what do you enjoy most about a venue when you do a show?
"Lots of clapping and snapping. Lots of laughs and banter. LOTS of audience participation. Harmonies. Call and response. It’s just a hangout full of love and everyone in the audience leaves with a new group of homies. I like venues with dope lights, and I also like when I’m able to see the faces of the people in the audience, and even go up to / into the audience if I want". What is one thing that you want the public to know about your music?
"That’s a heavy question. I’d say… I make music for people as much as I make it for personal self-understanding". Do you have any upcoming projects you would like fans to know about?
"Yes, but I also love surprises and the world shall find out soon enough. <3"
FMI on Charlie Burg visit http://www.charlieburgmusic.com/