Indie Folk Songwriter CHARLIE DeCARLO Shares 5 Inspiring Albums
Charlie DeCarlo – Hold Your Ground is available at Apple Music.
My parents were not musicians, however, I was raised in a very musical household. Growing up I would always be listening to bands like The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, and The Animals…
I would say Green Day’s American Idiot record was the first album that made me dream about writing music. I was in middle school when I first heard “Jesus of Suburbia” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”. These songs resonated with me as a young teenager. The writing and performance were emotional and sincere, to say the least. I still listen to this record from time to time to this day!
The next most influential record to me was The Beatles‘ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. If you put this album into the context of 1967, its year of release, the creativity is still unmatched in my opinion — and the arrangements and productions are still mind-blowing to me. Really no other way to put it.
The third most inspirational record for me was probably The Wall by Pink Floyd. It felt like a story in my ears. The lyrics, vocal expression, arrangements, and melodies took me through a wild journey the first time I listened to it all the way through.
When I graduated high school, I started to dive deeper into folk music. The fourth record that changed my life was Josh Ritter’s The Animal Years. It was released in 2006 but I didn’t find it until around 2011. This album marks a very unique point in my life. Songs like “Girl in the War” and “Monster Ballads” simply do not leave the conscience. Josh’s use of imagery and story-telling abilities are unmatched in my opinion. This record made me want to become a songwriter for the same reason it impacted my life. If I could have that same effect on anyone else, I would feel victorious!
The fifth record that has been most influential to my writing is probably Good News For People Who Love Bad News by Modest Mouse. Issac Brock is still one of my favorite writers. They have undoubtedly mastered their indie sound! To me they have this rawness that is strange in all the right ways. Brock’s voice is unique and expressive, and their productions do a great job at making an indie sound commercially viable.
There are so many other records I can talk about for days, but these albums seem to stick out in my head as turning points in influencing my writing style.
Charlie DeCarlo
Hold Your Ground
Artist photo / artwork courtesy of Future Chord
“I was really happy with how the music video turned out. To me, the concept of the paper bag represents someone who is afraid and maybe even ashamed to express their thoughts and emotions.“ – C. DeCarlo (Far Out Magazine)
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“Singer/songwriter, Charlie DeCarlo, developed his passion for writing and performing at an early age. Drawing inspiration from some of his favorite artists such as Josh Ritter and Vance Joy, as well as his own experiences, Charlie combines elements of folk, indie, Americana and pop, to create a sound all his own. Charlie uses his music as a platform to explore themes of relationships, identity and environment in a changing world.” – bio