Similar Artists slowdive, catherine wheel, lush, the sundays, swervedriver

Artist History A cosmic explosion of the stars and sky, Portland, Oregon's Charmparticles go head first into intergalactic travel, weaving through spacey ambiance, melodic hooks, sweet, seducing vocals and rough-edged guitar rock. It is space-gazer rock for those that are tired of looking at their feet while a mundane band lulls them to sleep. Instead, Charmparticles make you look up at the sky as you think about what else is out there. Fronted by Adam Wayne (vocals/guitar) and Pamela Rooney (vocals/bass), the duo that fronted the violin-laden indie-pop band Drive are back working together following Adam Wayne's stint with Portland pop-rock outfit The Bella Fayes. Accompanying them is John J. Adams on drums and Sarah FitzGerald on rhythm guitar. Together the four-piece manages to walk the line between Rooney's melodic indie-pop gone space-rock and Wayne's subtle, yet rocking moments of clarity and hook-driven rock. Currently working on their debut full-length, they rushed the Portland studio Are You Listening to record this 4-song EP.

Group Members pamela rooney: bass, vocals adam wayne: guitar, vocals sara fitzgerald: guitar john j. adams: drums

Instruments two guitars, two voices, bass, drums

Albums the scenic ep

Press Reviews Willamette Week 10-23-2002 "Adam Wayne and Pamela Rooney (founding members of violin-happy combo Drive, with Wayne also late of the Bella Fayes) introduce the first release of new project the Charmparticles--titled, appropriately enough, The Scenic EP. Ambling through a vaguely metropolitan landscape harsh and swooning and littered with the sublime, Wayne and Rooney trade vocals... along the lush, sculpted, all-too-brief journey. ...The album's really sorta marvelous--dense but uncluttered, stargazing ever-sugared by the well-timed hook..." - Jay Horton Portland Mercury 10-24-2002 "I love a band that loves their whammy bar. Filled with cool vibrations and spacey guitar sounds, the Charmparticles create a full cacophonous sound that at times could be likened to My Bloody Valentine and at others, Radiohead. So yeah, they have a lot of appeal. The singer rides the line between cutesy and ironic and heartfelt and sincere, but sounds good; you know, sort of Brit-poppy. " - Katie Shimer Internet Exploiter October, 2002 "...they've played songs that have expertly careened from minor, almost-dirgey chords to pretty pop with guitars that float and swoon. There's a song on there that I'm going to force one of my (as soon as I join a band) bands to cover someday -- it's that good. The last song is the best. Lilting, mellifluous, female vocals. " -L.S. Walker |read the rest at internet-exploiter.com| Internet Exploiter September, 2002 "...One of the lash backs against guitarists who use effects is that there is a lack of muscial finesse. Just a lot of washy flanger noises. [tech talk -editor] This band writes with the end in mind. They focus is on the song not the little beeping sounds. I like their ability to create cool sounds but also the moderation it takes to present a song and make it rock and make it loud..." -Mark Mager |read the rest at internet-exploiter.com| Portland Mercury 5-23-2002 "A hallmark of new bands is shakiness on stage and a lack of confidence in delivering a set that will do justice to their hard work. Not so with the Charm Particles. Rather than let everyone give them allowances for being new, they rehearsed and polished their performance before even stepping up, and boy does it show. Pack up your pitying snickers and go, because these four performers are ready to roll with a sound that's part space cadet and part no-bull rock. Their energetic set is the stuff that keeps its audience working a steady beat, but eschews the rut of mindless homogeneity. They play with pedals and tinkering guitars, before plunging back into the rollicking surge that forms the backbone of their music. And they're already tight enough for this to be an effectively cohesive base for tweaking. Looks like someone's found their sea legs. " - Marjorie Skinner Willamette Week 11-13-2002 "Charmparticles try to reawaken some space-program excitement--when was the last time you watched a live shuttle launch?--with hypnotic, melodic and even melodramatic guitar rock that's definitely astral in its outlook." -Zach Dundas The Oregonian 10-25-2002 "As in Drive, Charmparticles' new CD features Wayne's esoteric noises over the haunting melodies, as well as Rooney's voice, a mix of the deadpan and angelic. " |read| -Andre Hagestaedt Portland Mercury 7-11-2002 "...The Charm Particles are relatively mellow, but it's fun to follow their intergalactic trail of gadgety guitar and don't-touch-me-there vocals. The combination of familiar style and unanticipated progressions is like riding a roller coaster in the dark. It's structurally sound, but unpredictable. That, and they're tighter than a surgically reconstructed hymen." -Marjorie Skinner Internet Exploiter June, 2002 "At The Green Room, I took in The Charmparticles who were doing a set before Beth Kelly's Capt Rock. Put both these acts at the top of your To See List... The CP's rock btw." - Mark Mager Wilamette Week 6-14-2002 "...Charm Particles feature Adam Wayne and Pamela Rooney--former guitarist and bassist, respectively, of underrated indie-violin popsters Drive--with two new pals to help them make their noise." - John Graham

Location Portland, OR - USA

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