|
Vince Charming is a multi-talented, multi-faceted, multi-instrumentalist, who has been delighting California audiences for over twenty-five years. Charming was born sometime in the mid-nineteen sixties to the royal family of the little-known principality, Charmania, located in the Swiss Alps near the border of Italy and Switzerland. At a young age he showed an avid interest and proclivity for music, beginning to compose songs at the age of four. Sometime in the late sixties, while his family was vacationing in Southern California, Charming decided to hit the road to gain life experience for his blossoming song catalogue.
After returning from life on the road he was adopted by distant relatives in Los Angeles who raised him as their own. He led a normal life until he went off to the University of California at Berkeley some time in the early nineteen eighties. Here his interest in music was rekindled. As a leader, bassist, and songwriter for the ‘Lektrik Submarine, he helped pioneer the neo-psychedelic wave that hit Berkeley in 1983. In 1985 he formed and led the Coffee Achievers whose original and high energy blend of Rock, R&B, Reggae, and Be-bop thrilled Bay Area audiences. In May of 1985 he premiered his original Rock Opera, The Artist, at U.C. Berkeley’s Wheeler Auditorium to a standing ovation. Written under the supervision of poet/author Ishmael Reed, The Artist tells of one man’s struggle to stay true to his artistic vision in the Reagan era.
For a brief time in the mid-nineties Charming relocated to Southern California where he became a popular figure at many of the area’s top acoustic venues including Highland Grounds and the Iguana Cafe. In the Bay Area Charming has appeared in such varied venues as the Hotel Utah, Jupiter, Last Day Saloon, Ireland’s 32, the Starry Plough, Blakes, the Oakland Metro, Ashkenaz, the Bistro in Hayward, Johnny Foleys, the San Gregorio General Store, Becketts, Epiphany Music in Santa Rosa, and the Marin Brewing Company. In early 2005 he released a solo CD, Five Reel Film. Described as “aural cinema”, this work presents five vintage Charming originals.
Vince Charming formed the New Americans in 2005 with electric and upright bassist, Rafael Pozos, muliti-instrumentalist Mike Grow, and violinist & vocalist , Angela Hessler, . Together the band played a tasty blend of music that redefined Americana: a bit of rockabilly and ole school country, a dash of bluegrass, a hint of San Francisco psychedelia, and a pinch of classic rock. With the band's untimely demise in late 2006, Vince embarked on an ambitious new recording project. Spanning over 20 years of songwriting, So Many Me's was his first full-length solo CD. It was released on August 23, 2008. It is available for sale on this site. Individual downloads are available for selected tracks via myspace, iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster, Amazon mp3 and many other online music sites. Vince continues to write and record new music, keeping the So Many Me's spirit alive by composing in serveral different genres and styles. He continues to support other musicians with his bass playing and spent 2010 and 2011 performing as a duo with Angela Hessler. With 2012 VC has reunited with Mike Grow on electric guitar and lap steel and is back singing songs from his two CD's, songs from his upcoming CD, Everything I Know About Love, and choice covers by the likes of Johnny Cash, Boy Dlyan, Gram Parsons, The Band & the Beatles. Check the Calendar page to see where and when you can see Vince live. You can click on the booking link below to go straight to the booking page.
Booking
Click here to contact Vince
|
