The same sense of nostalgia that comes with your favorite pair of jeans or sitting around a campfire with friends - this is an aspect that hits you instantly when the music begins. Charlie’s Carnival Band debut Charlie’s Carnival Band mixes nostalgia with contemporary. Five songs and 17 minutes of music; the tunes are short, but without mindless wandering, the length works. Strongly rooted in country with a touch of folk - mind, it is like the golden era of country when songs had meaning while also just being lovely to listen to. Welcome the carnival to town!
Dylan Whitlow, the mastermind behind the release, says he first got into music with quite a collection of musicians who inspired him:
“I'd say John Lennon seemed beyond cool to me. He didn't mind speaking his mind even when it got him in trouble. I liked the Beatles' music, but I started playing when I was twelve, and it was Kurt Cobain and Nirvana who turned me on to the idea of playing. My good friends from my hometown played drums and guitar, so I picked up the bass so we could start playing some songs together.
“As my interests grew, I got really into music from the sixties and early seventies. By the time high school was ending, I was really into the blues. Even today I find myself listening to the blues most of all. Lightnin’ Hopkins is my favorite blues guitarist. He was very influential to me along with Mississippi Fred McDowell and Muddy Waters. John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, and Mick n' Keith are my favorite songwriters.”
You can certainly hear these influences in the sound of the EP, as they flicker from time to time in this tapestry, passing by from one to the next. Of course, Whitlow is inspired by country greats like Loretta Lynn, Lucinda Williams and Todd Snider - as well as modern folks like DeeOhGee and Uncle Sexy & the Nephews. Whitlow sums up his influences simply as “I find beauty in honest music from all over the world, but especially here in America.”
Country music is very much an American genre, and it is nice to hear something that is reflective of the greats of the past as opposed to what passes for country on some radio stations these days. Charlie’s Carnival Band in some ways does sound like your local fair band - the kind you only hear on a random day in the summer but who can capture your attention and keep you entertained as you drink your lemonade to try to deter the heat. There is something in the emotion that lingers in the vocals and the rather open, exposed guitar that makes it magical. It is such a summer album in my mind, which is interesting that the EP was released in November.
Still, good music is not seasonal. From the first track onward, you can spend less than twenty minutes listening. In some ways, I wish it were a longer release like an album, but I find myself thinking that it is perfect in some ways with it being only five tracks. This way, there is no filler - and there is always the replay button when you need it.
The first track “Let It Roll” is almost bluesy with a nice prominent keys part, driving percussion, and a harmonica to echo the vocals. I am not sure if it was just the way it was recorded, but it really does have that fair or carnival band feel as if you are watching it all unfold on stage. Some small local band as they play through their set - but it captures your attention. Doesn’t matter if you never see the band again as you journey off for another lemonade, but you know what - I would think a song or two would journey its way back into your head and loop around for a good few hours after.
“Not About You” was the song that sold me on the EP. It was the first song I had heard and I thought, Man, this is what it is about - GOOD country music with soul and summer sunshine pouring. It starts with Whitlow’s vocals that are rather Dylan-like, bursting with emotion and creates a form of captivation. The southern accent just makes the song as it rises above the acoustic guitar. I cannot quite pinpoint what it is about this song - may be the emotion dangling off the lyrics, how it is a stripped back song that shines without unneeded frills, how it reflects parts of the past - but it remains my favorite.
I really like the lyrics off the third track “Bathtub Gin”. Just the way they are sung is both humorous and honest. It is the longest track at four-and-a-half minutes, but it does not linger and become tedious. Instead, it makes for a really nice country jam.
“Get Gone” is where that sense of nostalgia shines the brightest. For whatever reason, right from the beginning, it felt like I had heard this song before even when it was my first time listening. Must be that carnival band magic, but it certainly makes for great music! It is one of those songs where it is pretty much impossible to not want to move with the groove. And the lyrics remain some of my favorite that have struck out at me: “Burning bridges you haven’t crossed yet”. . .
The EP concludes with “See You Again”. It is a nice dose of folky country, where Whitlow’s vocals just ring true. It is very much a ballad, and as a contrast from the bluesy-country jam of the first track, it is a nice ending.
If you long for summer days in this cold winter and miss those bands you’d run into at fairs, give Charlie’s Carnival Band a listen. Put on your favorite pair of old blue jeans and gather around the campfire when it warms up - for now, you have found the perfect soundtrack to those summer nights to recall upon the days when country music had meaning and soul.
Personnel
Dylan Whitlow - vocals, lyricist
Buffalo Clover
Margo Price - Producer, drums, backing vocals
Jeremy Ivey - lead guitar on two of the tracks and harmonica
Amaia Aguirre - keys, piano and organ
Josh White - upright bass
Nikki Barber - vocals
Matthew Paige - banjo and slide guitar
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