Artist description If a name can be a self-fulfilling prophecy, then The Charms are positive proof. It started as a side project in a small rehearsal space with a big antique boiler—friends playing Rock and Roll together in 100 degree heat. Ellie Vee, The Charms' main writer and lead vocalist, had a bunch of spare songs kicking around. Guitarist Joe Wizda and drummer Den Burke had already been playing together in a couple of rockabilly bands. Kat Kina, another good friend, had a red farfisa organ and Russian conservatory training. Pete "The Peach" Stone, was the final insurgence of energy into the band. The lineup was set and it's red hot. The name "The Charms" would turn out to be more fitting than anyone anticipated. The fans showed up and the buzz began. The side project seemed to be catching on without any deliberate planning. In one whirlwind year, The Charms have gone from back-street dives to packed houses at venues like The Paradise, opening for national acts and loving the larger and larger audiences. No nerves, no fear —The Charms were born out of the fire for Rock and Roll. Ear candy fashioned of irresistible soda pop hooks and unrestrained delivery is what the band is about. The release of their debut EP Listen to The Charms was a test and testament to the sticking power of the songs. The EP started getting heavy rotation on Boston's WMFO. DJs at the local station started spreading the word and soon gained the band airplay on other Boston and New York/New Jersey–area stations. A single live show on the prestigious WFMU gained The Charms a legion of new fans and regular shows in the tri-state area. Boston and NYC are just the urban bookends of The Charms' regional fan base, which blazes through industrial cities, suburbs, and small towns in between. With a full-length album ready for release and a bunch of tricks up their sleeves, The Charms are ready to hit the road and take no prisoners. As the Russian fans say, "Onu zakaldyut u Ocharmyat teby, tak chto slyshai Sharm!" For those of you who don't speak Russian, that's "You'll be under a spell that you can't deny once you listen to The Charms!"

Music Style Garage Pop

Group Members Ellie Vee: Lead Vocals, Guitar Joe Wizda: Lead Guitar Kat Kina: Farfisa Pete Stone: Bass Dennis Burke: DRums

Press Reviews If going backward equals progress, then so be it. Vee and Wizda, who are both veterans of other local bands (Vee played with Flexie, Wizda with the Bombastics), claim the Charms’ fast-traveling buzz has caught even them by surprise. They’re used to having to hound club owners to book their bands, for instance. Now, clubs are calling them. Wizda thinks the Charms are striking a nerve with audiences " because we’re playing straight-ahead rock and roll. We’re not afraid of the one-four-five Chuck Berry [chord] or anything like that. A lot of people are, you know? But I think people desire that kind of stuff. There’s a void. " The Charms also provide a refreshing change for Wizda, whose wiry, knotty lead guitar sparks the material. After slogging it out in rockabilly bands and playing strictly through a Fender amplifier for 10 years, Wizda relished the chance to play his guitar through that quintessential rock-and-roll sound system, the Marshall amp. It was a case, he says, of getting the Ace Frehley jones out of his system after years of digesting nothing but jazz guitar and then embracing the purist realm of rockabilly. Similarly, Vee also may be staging her own mini-rebellion against a youth spent under the wing of classically trained musician-parents, though she credits her mother with planting the seed that would lead to her new band. " My mom said to me one day, ‘What happened to entertainment? Everything’s so serious now,’ " she says. " I guess that’s part of it. When I’m writing or when I go out to a club, I don’t necessarily want to be serious. I think people want to [escape] everyday life. " And who knows? Maybe even crash a boys’ room or two. from Stuff At Night, Boston MA

Location Boston, MA - USA

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