Eric Charles Band

Eric Charles Band excited to play during Big Music Fest later this month

By Heather Abrey
Kitchener Post staff

You never know when you see an indie band whether they will be the next big thing in music.

After applying to Big Music Fest’s Breaking Bands contest and being selected as one of 25 finalists, the Eric Charles Band is hoping the exposure will help take them to the next level.

“I feel like we can really take this to the next level as long as people give us those opportunities,” Charles said. “Small opportunities just keep on growing and growing, and the buzz is just really starting to build right now, which always takes time.”

The contest received 1,557 applications, and 25 finalists will play in the Friday, July 11 lineup at Big Music Fest.

From there, judges will choose one band for the grand prize: touring opportunities, mentorship, a documentary that will film the band for a year leading up to Big Music Fest 2015, and more.

Charles, a lifelong Kitchener resident, started as a solo artist. Though he works in graphics, he has been writing and performing since a young age.

“I didn’t study it, per se. I just fell in love with it,” he said, adding that he watched and jammed with a lot of bands from high school on.

“I only knew a few people locally that were writing their own original material. Everybody was doing cover songs to kind of, you know, make some money or get some exposure.”

It was unique and poetic lyrics that really drew Charles to song writing. He enjoyed pondering the artist’s thought process, and eventually went on to write his own songs, inspired by the people and events that impacted his life.

“Sometimes the song is almost just given to me. I don’t really feel like I strategically try to write songs,” he said. “Usually it’s just an emotion, it’s a feeling.”

Charles decided to piece together the material he had written over the years and released his first album five months ago.

“This is a 13-song record. So it’s not an EP or a demo, this is a full-length, 50-minute record where you can put it in your car and drive along and it’s not one single and the next song sucks, and the next song sucks,” he said.

“I was so frustrated buying music over the last few years because it was difficult to find a band where I liked more than just one song that you heard. And I didn’t want that for my listeners. I wanted them to be able to listen to the stories, interpret the lyrics.”

From there, he recruited four band members: Nick Maldonado, Neil Nunnamaker, Luke Collins and Eric Sherlock.

One of the members was recruited through Kijiji, while three others came together from a previous band.

“They were looking for somebody to kind of join up with. They came as a package and they’re a really, really great package,” Charles said.

Since then the band has played a few shows, building a fan base around the original set of pop rock songs, and preparing for Big Music Fest.

“Big Music Fest is the biggest festival in Canada this year. I think they’re projecting 25,000 people per day,” he said.

“It’s a great place to play on a huge stage. It’s going to biggest stage for sure so far.”

If they do well at Big Music Fest, Charles believes it could lead to other large festivals and a larger audience. The band has also had songs nationally charted and played on the radio in recent weeks.

“I just feel like we’re ready to get this buzz going,” he said.

“We’re committed to putting in our time rehearsing and making sure we’re going to put on a good show every time, and it’s not the same show either.”

CDs can be purchased after every show and will be available at Big Music Fest. The debut album Another Trip is also available on iTunes.

For more information visit www.eric-charles.com, like the Eric Charles page on Facebook or follow

@echarlesmusic on Twitter.

habrey@kitchenerpost.ca - Kitchener Post

Eric Charles is a Canadian Singer/Songwriter and former front man for successful indie band, the Road Poets: a hardworking roots rock act with a devoted following. This seasoned and passionate live performer has stayed true to his indie pop rocker pedigree with his new full length solo studio album, Another Trip. Studded with catchy melodies, ear pleasing rock n’ rock hooks and artful lyrics that repay a close listen.

Charles credits some of the following musical influences: Neil Young, Cold Play, The Killers, Radiohead, The Tragically Hip, Son Volt, Oasis, Sloan, Gin Blossoms, City & Colour, Jim Cuddy, Death Cab for Cutie, 55-40, The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, U2, The Jayhawks, REM, Crosby, Stills & Nash and America.


The Eric Charles Band was recently chosen to compete at Kitchener's Big Music Fest and over the summer Eric and his band's guitarist / vocalist Nick Maldonado went on a Radio Station Road Trip throughout parts of Ontario and Quebec in support of Another Trip remix - In for The Ride.
The single was produced by Gavin Brown (Billy Talent, Big Sugar, Tragically Hip and Sarah Harmer to name a few!) Gavin Brown recently received the prestigious Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award.
So Eric and the band were super excited to go down to Toronto's Noble Studios to work with Brown on the In for the Ride rock remix. And the radio stations have embraced In for the Ride, which is now receiving mainstream airplay.
As the last stop of his radio station tour, Eric Charles returned to Sound FM as my very special guest.
We had a wide ranging chat from the first time he picked up a guitar, to Eric's latest big news.
The band just finished playing a highly successful concert at Kitchener's Eidelweiss Tavern, with musical guests Jessie Treneer, and Henry Taylor.
And now The Eric Charles Band has been invited to perform at Toronto's legendary live concert venue The Horseshoe Tavern this Tuesday night Sept 30!
For more on Eric go to http://eric-charles.com/ and here is the link to the piece I wrote for Waterloo Region Record's Nightlife.
http://www.therecord.com/whatson-story/4626653-big-music-fest-s-shot-at-the-big-time/

Listen here for my chat with Eric Charles of The Eric Charles Band. The interview also features select tracks from Another Trip, and Eric's In for the Ride remix, plus a live acoustic performance in the studio.
You heard it here first. I think Eric is another musician destined for the Toppermost of the Poppermost! - Coral FM. - Coral Andrews