(lively music) (lively music) - [Announcer] Coming up on "Ocean State Sessions."

(lively music) Charlie Marie.

♪ Keleena, the Holy Spirit moves through you ♪ ♪ Turn the water into wine ♪ - [Announcer] And ghost Cat Rodeo.

♪ I can't turn the water into wine ♪ (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) ♪ Everybody's guilty, they're judging books by its covers ♪ ♪ It's easy to fear, but you don't know the other ♪ ♪ I know we've all cried, cheated, and lied ♪ ♪ Before good, I'm telling you ♪ ♪ If you love long enough, you felt the ache ♪ ♪ When it breaks, and how it seems ♪ ♪ When love begins to start ♪ ♪ Every human has a heart ♪ (gentle music) ♪ Don't you wanna find out what the birds chirp about ♪ ♪ Can you hear the song that plays beneath the crowd ♪ ♪ I know it can be lonely on the other side, the Cannon ♪ ♪ But if you love long enough, you felt the ache ♪ ♪ When it breaks ♪ ♪ And how it seems when love begins to start ♪ ♪ Every human has a heart ♪ (gentle music) ♪ Put your hand on her, feel the beat ♪ ♪ Can you see, you're everyone you meet ♪ ♪ You meet ♪ ♪ If you love long enough, you felt the ache ♪ ♪ When it breaks, but how it sings ♪ ♪ When love begins to start ♪ ♪ Every human has a heart ♪ (gentle music) (gentle music) ♪ Every human has a heart ♪ (attendee whistles) (everybody clapping and cheering) (Charlie laughs) (energetic music) ♪ The Crow spoke out ♪ ♪ Red dirt dance ♪ ♪ I was a long ways ♪ ♪ From the Family Ranch ♪ ♪ Golden hour faded ♪ ♪ Cold coyote scouts ♪ ♪ Out in the distance ♪ ♪ I saw a wise old owl ♪ ♪ Treadle circles ♪ ♪ I heard your voice in your white dress ♪ ♪ Keleena, the Holy Spirit moves through you ♪ ♪ Keleena, your brown eyes turn all shine, blue ♪ ♪ Brought me out of the dark ♪ ♪ Back to my sacred heart ♪ ♪ Keleena, Love only needs a spark ♪ ♪ All cried loud ♪ ♪ Rolling thunder roar ♪ ♪ You spoke a language I haven't heard before ♪ ♪ Like a sunrise, I was born to shine ♪ ♪ Fell to my knees when I saw the light ♪ ♪ Treadle circles ♪ ♪ I heard your voice, you wore a white dress ♪ ♪ Keleena, the Holy Spirit moves through you ♪ ♪ Keleena, your brown eyes turned all shine, blue ♪ ♪ Brought me out of the dark ♪ ♪ Back to my sacred heart ♪ ♪ Keleena, love only need to spark ♪ ♪ Love only need to spark ♪ ♪ Love only need to spark ♪ ♪ Love only need to spark ♪ ♪ Love only need to spark ♪ - Yeah, woo!

(audience applauds) - Hey, Charlie, how's it going?

- (laughs) How are you doing?

- Good, good.

How'd you feel about the set?

- It was fun.

- Yeah.

- It was cool, yeah.

You have some interesting themes for country music.

I feel like I hear, listening to the lyrics of your songs, I do hear some of that traditional stuff about heartbreaks.

And you know, things that, if you know country music, might harken back to those classics like Patsy Cline or Willie Nelson, or maybe Taylor Swift is also an inspiration for you.

- (laughs) Yeah, it's really funny, actually.

So back in the day when I was in high school, I would watch "CMT" in the morning, and Taylor Swift would come on.

And she was like, would play guitar, and that was actually the reason why I started playing guitar and writing songs is because of Taylor Swift, which is funny.

But yeah, she's inspirational in what she does.

- I'm sure you're not the only one.

I'm sure that's a common story.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

Can you tell me a little bit more about that?

Like what drew you to that music?

You know, maybe Taylor specifically, what was so, you know, interesting about country music, or what was exciting?

- Yeah, so at first, when I was around 10 years old, I started out going to vocal lessons, and was introduced to classic country.

Then, because my vocal instructor told me that I had a voice similar to Patsy Cline.

My grandmother would always take me to lessons, and she would sit on the couch.

And when she heard him say that, afterwards, she was all excited and took me to strawberries, which probably doesn't exist anymore, and bought me my first Patsy Cline CD.

So, I originally became obsessed with classic country music, but then, I started listening to the radio, and I just wanted to be like the people on the radio, like the people on "CMT."

And at the time, Taylor Swift sang songs that I could relate to.

So that's why I liked her.

- When did you start performing and writing country music?

- So, I started performing country music when I was around like 10, 11 years old.

I would sing at like nursing homes and fairs and festivals, and random talent shows.

And then I started writing songs when I was 18 after, like I said, learning the guitar, and seeing Taylor Swift, that she was writing songs, I figured I should start writing songs, too.

And honestly, writing songs is one of my favorite things about music now.

I started writing by myself, and I write most of my songs by myself now.

And it's kind of like a spiritual experience for me.

Like, I don't really know what happens.

It's like I have, I just kind of go somewhere else.

I really like to start writing songs in nature, usually.

I find it peaceful, and I guess, grounding also.

- How do you describe the music that you make?

- I feel it comes from my heart and my soul.

And it's why, like, I don't know what anyone believes in.

I think there's moments where I believe in something, and then I'm like, "I don't know if I believe in that anymore."

But I believe that we all have something to offer to the world, and I just think music is what I'm supposed to do, even though sometimes it's not easy.

So what did you get, you're from Rhode Island, from Burrillville.

From Burrillville.

- Yeah, Burrillville.

(everybody laughs) - And you spent some time in Nashville.

What was that like?

Was there anything that surprised you about Nashville when you were there?

- How many talented people there are out there, and how many people want the same spot you're trying to get at, I kind of had this experience where I peeked through like the doorknob hole, and I saw inside.

And I was like, "Well, maybe what I've been chasing all along isn't necessarily what my heart desires."

But I honor all those people out there chasing that dream 'cause it's not an easy dream to chase, but it's worth it because you learn a lot about yourself along the way.

- Well, thank you so much, Charlie Marie.

- Thank you very much for taking time to talk with me.

And it's been really nice, so thank you.

(lively music) ♪ I turned your sprawling shed into something modified ♪ ♪ You won't try harder, but you make me walk a line ♪ ♪ I wrote a little song for you ♪ ♪ But you just didn't like my rhyme ♪ ♪ I can't turn your water into wine ♪ ♪ My momma told me, Son, life is what you make ♪ ♪ A man spread well, this is only so much I could take ♪ ♪ I try to do you right, but you never satisfied ♪ ♪ And I can't turn your water into wine ♪ ♪ I do like Burgundy and sometimes Merlot ♪ ♪ A double shot of rye ♪ ♪ You know, I don't need a rock ♪ ♪ You said that all the songs I sing sound kind of blue ♪ ♪ Maybe out of words, but I've never been on tune ♪ (lively music) (lively music) (lively music) (lively music) (lively music) ♪ Well, you are just like water and I'm just like oil ♪ ♪ I never come together to bring them to the boil ♪ ♪ Now you send me packing down the lonesome county life ♪ ♪ And I can't turn your water into wine ♪ ♪ I can't turn your water into wine ♪ ♪ I just can't turn your water into wine ♪ - Woo!

(audience cheers) (audience applauds) (singer laughs) (guitarist indistinct speaking) - I thank you, ladies and gentlemen, thank you.

Thanks, you guys.

(strings strumming) (ambient music) ♪ Boll weevil in the cotton gin ♪ ♪ There's always been hard times ♪ ♪ Got in trouble for showing some skills ♪ ♪ Well, I felt the spirit, I hear it's a sin ♪ ♪ I felt time moving through my flesh ♪ ♪ I'm there one night, I swear I felt death ♪ ♪ Curse the times I invited you here ♪ ♪ Swore to myself, I'd never do it again ♪ ♪ Let those boll weevils ♪ ♪ In the cotton gin ♪ ♪ You always get me ♪ ♪ You finally think things running along ♪ ♪ The production is up, and the numbers are strong ♪ ♪ But everything's turning again and again ♪ ♪ We saw the boll weevil in the cotton gin, woo ♪ (ambient music) ♪ The trouble you made me grow up strong ♪ ♪ You gotta go now, you stayed too long ♪ ♪ Just because I know you don't make you a friend ♪ ♪ You're just the boll weevil coming back again ♪ ♪ Boll weevil ♪ ♪ In the cotton gin ♪ ♪ Boll weevil ♪ ♪ In the cotton gin ♪ ♪ Boll weevil in the cotton gin ♪ ♪ Boll weevil in the cotton gin ♪ ♪ Boll weevil in the cotton gin ♪ (ambient music) (ambient music) ♪ Boll weevil ♪ ♪ In the cotton gin ♪ ♪ Boll weevil ♪ ♪ In the cotton gin, boll weevil in the cotton gin ♪ ♪ Boll weevil in the cotton gin ♪ ♪ Boll weevil in the cotton ♪ - Yeah!

(audience applauds) (audience cheers) - Thanks.

- Hello, hello.

- Hi.

(laughs) - To both of you.

We are so happy you played a set at "Ocean State Sessions" today.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

We're happy to be here.

- Yeah, very happy to be here.

- Can you share the roster of musicians in your band, and what everybody plays?

- Sure.

- I'm Ed Hardy, I play the drums.

Joe Grady plays guitar.

Bob Asprinio plays bass, and Mark Dobbyn, who's also in the Whelks, plays pedal steel, and Jet plays guitar and sings for us.

- Tell me about your sound.

- Well.

(everybody laughs) We're kinda cosmic cowboy.

- Kind of cosmic cowboy, kind of like what we're saying like hippie country and truck stop twang.

- Yeah.

- Just like one of your friends said that.

- Yeah.

- And that was sort of how we kinda landed on it.

It's kind of, we seem to be in a vein.

It's sort of like late '60s, early '70s.

- And I love your harmonies.

- Thank you.

- As well.

- Thank you.

- What is it about harmonies, do you think, that really grabs people, like both when you're listening and when you are singing them?

- Well, just like life, I think anything with texture is always- - Texture, yeah.

- I think harmonies can be really a way of adding texture, and depending on the harmony, you know, can add a different mood or feeling to what you're singing.

And that's definitely been something we've wanted to include in what we're doing since we started, since Jonathan started.

- Since Jonathan started.

- That was really important to him, yeah.

- Yeah.

Jonathan Walsh, this band was basically his idea.

A few of us, like Joe and Bob, and I, had played with Jonathan for years and years in another project, Joe's Backyard Band.

And then one time, this is about 2020, Jonathan said, "Wait, I have another idea for another band."

And so, he sort of poached a bunch of us, and then it took a while for everything to sort of settle down.

We found, Jonathan found Mark pretty early, and then got you later, right?

- Yeah, definitely.

I still remember Jonathan proposing the idea of me just kind of coming in as a guest to sing some harmonies.

And so- - Yeah.

- It was during COVID, and we had, I was, you know, he came over and we had our masks on, and we were (laughs) going over some songs and I was just like floored because I was thinking, "Wow, he knows all these songs that I love from Austin, from when I lived in Austin.

And then the first practice that I went to was right after everyone got the first vaccine (laughs) actually.

'Cause I remember just very vividly like, okay, we can all- - Yeah.

- Be together now.

- Do you wanna share about Jonathan or... - Sure, yeah.

Jonathan passed away in what, October of '23?

- Yes.

- I think so.

And he'd been sick for quite a while, and, but we played a show with him even a month before he passed, too.

So we were, yeah, so it, I, you know, and then I think there was a sort of a pause there to figure out if we were gonna keep doing this.

And we met up at Captain's Seaweeds on the East side to try to sort out if we were gonna do this because we're lucky because Jonathan sang, but then we also had three other people who were singing as well, too.

And you know, and it was kind of, there was this moment, I remember Mark said, "Wait a minute, we have all the parts.

We could still kind of do this."

- Yeah, we definitely miss him all the time.

- Yeah.

- I mean, sometimes I'm just like, oh, it feels like he's just right here with us.

So.

- Yeah, exactly so.

- But he was probably the gentlest soul I've ever met, I'd say, or at least one of them.

(laughs) - One of them, absolutely.

- How about Providence and Rhode Island, and the music scene here?

What's special about it?

- It's got layers and layers and layers, which is really neat.

And I think we get, you know, the places we've been able to play, like Nick-A-Nee's and Myrtle, and stuff.

Like, Myrtle is a wonderful place with all kinds of different groups in there, too.

I, yeah, I don't know, there's an awful lot.

I think sometimes it's a little hard to find some things, but it's a very, very dynamic scene, wouldn't you think?

- I think there's a real spirit here, you know, a real creative spirit in Rhode Island and in Providence.

And when I was living in other states, I remember just like being very proud to tell people about Providence and how cool it is.

Like, it's like secretly cool, and you guys barely know where it is.

- Yeah, that's good.

- Full of- - That's a good description.

- Yeah.

- Yeah, secretly cool.

- Happy to be here.

- Yeah.

- In our little roadie.

(everybody laughs) - Little roadie, we have much gratitude for you, so thank you.

- Thank you very much.

- Thank you.

- Yeah, likewise.

(lively music) - [Announcer] For more "Ocean State Sessions," visit ripbs.org or tune in to the Public's Radio at 89.3 FM.

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