by Charlie Barnett | May 30, 2021 | Charlie's Blog, Home Page, News
I am pleased and a little surprised to report that Out Under the Sky, the newest CD from my jazz band, Chaise Lounge, made it to number 9 on a national folk music chart. Folk? you say. That’s what I said! But when I thought about it, it made sense. The band has embraced a lot of musical styles that are pretty far afield from our original “1960’s jazz” mission statement. This album has a traditional Appalachian Christmas carol on it, along with a folksy original called “Clean White Snow” and a few roots numbers. I have always struggled to define the music of Chaise Lounge. Maybe it is “folk music that swings.”
by Charlie Barnett | May 1, 2021 | Charlie's Blog, Home Page, News
I recently finished scoring a doc called Invisible Warriors for the director Gregory Cooke. This film has been a 12-year labor of love for him—the story of Black “Rosie the Riveters,” including his own mother, who joined factory lines during World War II, but whose inspiring stories were not as heralded as those of other Rosies. With little documentation or archival footage of these women, it was a nearly impossible film to put together, but Gregory somehow managed it: The movie had a virtual premiere in March, and there has been a lot of interest from streaming services. The poster for the film, created by art director Gina Cooke, is a portrait of Ruth Wilson, who worked at the Philadelphia Navy Yard during the war and helped build the aircraft carrier the U.S.S. Valley Forge. Ms Wilson recently turned 99. I am rooting for this film and its indefatigable director. It’s time for Ms Wilson and her fellow Rosies to get their due.
by Charlie Barnett | Apr 8, 2021 | Charlie's Blog, Home Page, News
This is the star of today’s recording session. My Neptune baritone guitar. I only use this about twice a year, but it is the only way to get that perfect spaghetti Western sound that we all love. Write your piece in B minor, add tremolo, and you’re there.
by Charlie Barnett | Mar 2, 2021 | Charlie's Blog, Home Page, News
If you order a
Chaise Lounge CD from Amazon or another big retailer, you’ll receive it from a warehouse somewhere. But people who don’t make and sell records for a living are often surprised to learn that the CDs and merch they order via
the band’s online store are packed and shipped by yours truly, from a “warehouse” that doubles as my basement. If you also sell your group’s recordings, you can probably picture the shelves and boxes.
Selling CDs is a joy for me. It’s my favorite chore. I love filling orders for fans we have known for years, but I also love it when the buyer has an unfamiliar name. How did they hear of us? Are we in heavy rotation in Muncie this week? I always write a note on the outside of the padded envelope. We jokingly call our fans “Chaise Lounge Nation” and say it’s a small nation, but mighty. Each time I send off a note to a new CD owner, the nation feels just a little bit larger.
by Charlie Barnett | Feb 2, 2021 | Charlie's Blog, Home Page, News
For five years or so, I have been affiliated with a company called Score a Score that provides music for TV commercials and indie film projects. I sporadically send them tracks to add to their catalog. It’s done “on spec,” meaning I don’t get paid unless the track is selected for use by one of their filmmaker or advertising agency clients.
Lately, though, in my downtime, I’ve been writing daily pieces for Score a Score — more than 50 in the past two months — and recording the songs in my home studio. Of necessity, the tracks feature me on every instrument…even, occasionally, drums, which I barely play. I’ve discovered that it’s a great way to start my day. If I feel like a rhumba, I write a rhumba. Or if I feel like a lonesome cowboy, I go with that. Most of these pieces will stay in the Score a Score catalog, untouched and un-monetized, but a few have been chosen for use. There’s a fast food chain in New England that is featuring a piece of mine in their commercials this month. A few bright-blue political candidates used my work in their campaign ads in the fall, which I was happy about. I won’t claim that this is the most artistic thing I do, but it has been a great exercise — and it’s the only way my drum skills will ever earn me a penny.
