Artist description The recordings you are listening to feature REAL instruments, mixed with MIDI instruments. I play all the guitar parts and most other real ones, like vocals, flute, trumpet, bass (fretless & fretted) and various string instruments like mandolin, Chinese Gu Cheng harp, Indian sitar, sarod and tambura. In general, most of the rest are my keyboards - and of course whatever sampled sound effects I used. I also own a set of drums that I incorporate at times and also record with better sounding sampled drums, too. But that's in general. Suffice it to say, URTH Studio is crammed with a lot of instruments. I have recorded over 38 complete CDs of my music, though not all are commercially available at this time. My latest 1998 "commercial" (mass produced) effort is a 3 CD set titled Imaginary Themes, Volumes I II & III. The 64 pieces were performed and composed by Charlie Faege in their entirety, save for two tracks with sax by Bill Elrod on the Imaginary Themes I CD. The 3 disc set(a few tracks are here on MP3)can be purchased via the Artist link below, or is available at Amazon. com, CD Baby, IUMA.com, the ORCHARD, CD Universe, CDNow, Musicblvd.,URTHSTUDIO@aol.com,etc. The MP3 files for the CDs "Orchescapes, Aspects of Charlie Faege, Write & Wrong (formerly "Storyteller"- spoken/word poetry) are selected pieces from various CDs of mine - not necessarily greatest hits, more like random picks. I think you'll agree that I've laid out a vast array of styles between this and my www.mp3.com/planeturth MP3 site and suppose it's evident that I suffer from multiple genre-osis. I have no shortage of music to pick from, so keep your eyes and ears open and don't be afraid to scroll downward. Sometimes I neglect to see what songs are "way down there" on pages. I do hope you'll find something you like and pass it on. It would be nice if you would post your comments about the music in my Guestbook and look at the silly but extremely quick survey. Thank you for stopping by here and I'll be happy to tell mine about you if you let me know who you are.

Music Style Things are changing on this site, I am migrating some of my musical genres, except Classical, New Age, Spoken Word and Film Music to www.mp3.com/planeturth and will be adding several more here.

Musical Influences Samuel Barber, John Doan, Ottmar Liebert, Igor Stravinsky, Kurt Weil, Wendy Carlos, Frank Zappa, Danny Elfman, Henry Mancini, Motion Picture Soundtracks

Similar Artists Michael Hedges, Danny Elfman, Frank Zappa, John Fahey, David Lanz, Ottmar Liebert, even (the unknown) Charlie Faege!

Artist History After years of performing with a myriad of rock and pop rock bands, many featuring my own music, I have taken all of the time previously required for performing live and dedicated it to my compositions and recording them. (Not to mention how I became so burned out feeling about playing in bars.) I now have over 35 CDs (avg time 60 minutes each) worth of original music that falls into several new categories such as "Dysfunctional Mall Jazz", "Strange Poppies (pop music gone awry)" and "URTHERAPY (Space Music For Somnambulistic Psychological Exploration or put more simply; Realtime Convolusion Modulated Synthscapes, which should explain it). Had a recording contract with one of the world's largest and the industries most respected sound effects companies (Sound Ideas of Toronto Canada) who gave me their entire sound effects library and licensing thereof; providing me with the power to add any imaginable sound effect to my recordings, which I use not to overpower the music but to compliment and season it, if not just add the icing. A chance meeting with Bill Bruford (my world's favorite drummer, ie; Yes, King Crimson)had a major impact on my life and music in 1978. His letters over the years (some comments posted in "Reviews") quite often proved helpful as the muse for my music, which has little to do with his music.

Group Members Charlie Faege (and the occasional URTH Virtual Ensemble, who are STILL Charlie)

Instruments INSTRUMENTS: 1908 Gibson Harpguitar (on cover), Takemine 12 String, Fender Montara acoustic, 1968 Gibson Dove, 1969 Stratocaster, Aspen Classical Guitar , trumpet, Ensoniq EPS's, Kurzweil Pianos, Kurzweil PX1000, Yamaha TG77, TX7, Fender Fretless Precision Bass, recorder, tin whistle, various harmonicas & percussion, 1950's Slingerland Drums, Drum Samples, Chinese Gu Cheng, East Indian Sitar, Sarod, Dilruba, Fender Jaguar Guitar, Chinese Sona and vocals by Charlie Faege. Of course, I played them all at the same time.

Albums Imaginary Themes, Volume 1,2 & 3 ( 3 CDs with over 3 1/2 hours of new

Press Reviews "Pop, atonalism, light opera, microtonality, jazz and rock all rub elbows like familiar pals. Textures and events forced into small spaces, creating dense and chaotic timbral lattices. These touches, and a camp sense of humor, set his music apart from most super-slick fusion."TITUS LEVI - KEYBOARD MAGAZINE 1988 "The best songs, with their sweeping theatricality and big grandiose emotion, bring to mind mid-period Roxy Music or 70's David Bowie..."STEVE PICK, ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH (on Persistence of Memory CD) 1991 " I liked the wide variety of instruments and orchestrations. Some fine lyrics, too."BILL BRUFORD - DRUMMER/PERCUSSIONIST OF YES, 1978"Never mind the production/instrumentation; that's more than adequate. These songs are very convincing."BILL BRUFORD - DRUMMER/PERCUSSIONIST OF YES, 1991"I enjoyed hearing your music." KATE BUSH 1993 *most of above predates Imaginary Themes I, II & III"I enjoyed your music. Your work shows a lot of personality and emotion and there is some great music on your CD set.You truly are a man of many talents. I at first enjoyed your graphics and then the tremendous variety of music images." JOHN DOAN harpguitarist recording artist with Hearts of Space Records, 1998, 1999" I have been listening to your Imaginary Themes set since it arrived and I absolutely love it. I have fallen head over heels in love with the song, "To Anne F." Wow! John Tesh and Yanni have nothing on you."Sue Feeney, editor Western Union News, 1999Glenn Holmes from north east USA , May 19, 1999 creative, unique and a joy to experience. Five out of five stars *****Charlie Faege's "Imaginary Themes Volume I, II & III" is unique and a pleasure to listen to. If you play an instrument and have ever found yourself caught in an imaginary journey brought on by a chord progression or new found riff it is this type of pleasure that "Imaginary Themes" seems to bring, except Charlie Faege's craftsmanship, talent and musical ability seem to complete the journey (something I was never able to do) and he enhances the imaginary scenery of your mind's eye with his multi-instrumentation and sound sculpting. Imaginary Themes vol. I, II & III is an easy listening collection of music that can be played in the background or better yet, listen attentively and let your imagination journey through the imaginary themes of the imagery. I feel that is the purpose of "Imaginary Themes Vol. I, II & III."Dynamic - not exactly New Age Five out of five stars *****Faege's music is definitely not your run-of-the-mill variety. I have listened to his Imaginary Themes Vol.I for the past 4 yearsand have enjoyed it. Albeit - some may take some getting used to, but once you've listened a couple of times, you'll love the diversity.I have since purchased the complete set Vol. 1 2 & 3 and I love it all. "A music fan from Black Jack, MO , May 7, 1999

Additional Info 11 x 17 posters of the cover (nice picture of a harp guitar, goofy picture of me) are $4.00 including shipping write to URTHSTUDIO@aol.com

Location St. Louis, MO - USA

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