Charlie Faye
After making a name for herself in her hometown of New York playing with her band the Jerks and touring as a sideman with Dan Zanes and Friends, Charlie Faye moved to Austin in search of a change of scenery and some new inspiration. She was quickly enveloped by Austin’s vibrant local music scene and found herself collaborating with local and traveling musicians alike. She came looking for a community, and between music-filled nights and afternoon barbeques, that’s exactly what she found. In the process, she became a rising star in the Live Music Capital of the World.
On Wilson Street in Austin, Charlie Faye found her home, as well as her cause, among the run-down cottages that served for decades as a sanctuary for the city’s musicians. When the neighborhood was to be destroyed by a local developer, Charlie single-handedly fought back and devised a plan to relocate the affordable cottages instead. She had discovered magic in that musical enclave, a magic that had been present for generations, and she was not willing to let it go. Her community needed her to save it and she rose to the challenge. An Austinite for two short years, Charlie’s undeniable presence has already left a mark, both on Wilson Street and city wide, through music and activism.
Many of the songs on Wilson St. were composed on Charlie’s old Gibson in her cottage on that very street and, in true bohemia fashion, are organic and candid. Album standouts include “Runaround,” a roll the windows down summer hit that speaks to the uncertainty of young love; “Coward’s Lament,” a wistful, crooning tale of love’s weakness; and “Bottletops,” a story of the passing of time by a lonely character, ready to tell his story over a jug of wine. These songs are a reflection of Charlie’s experiences. They are songs about real people and real places that have changed her life.
Charlie is supporting the release of Wilson St. with a summer tour that includes appearances at the Riverbend Festival and Summerfest. Beginning in 2010, Charlie will take her love of community and adventure to a new level with a ten-month tour that will involve residencies in ten different cities. Unlike typical traveling musicians, Charlie plans to settle in, learn about the local scene, and form a new band, made up of new friends, in each city.
Charlie Faye understands that her artistic truth is achieved through a connection to those around her. Through her new home of Austin, the beloved Wilson Street and unconventional tour schedule, Faye will nurture relationships. Wilson St. is only the beginning.
