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Thanks Rick, Welcome to Dave!

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Dave Solon

Bittersweet News Alert! Rick King has decided to retire from live performing with Vince Charming Band. Rick’s final gigs were this past weekend and we rocked out in style! Rick joined us in late 2017 and we actually only did a few gigs with that version of the band in 2018. However between 2018-2022 he was a driving force behind the band’s studio album, “Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.” In fact, Rick is the only other musician besides myself to appear on every track. I often jokingly referred to Rick as our “Ringo” and I meant that as high praise. Rick has always been a huge fan of my songwriting, but more importantly is the ultimate “serve the song drummer.” He always knew the right beat and feel for all of my compositions. He’s a super chill dude and I’ll miss sharing the stage with him. His wife Rose and kids Rosemary and Ryan have been at many shows over the past two years and I’ll miss them too!

However, the good news is that Napa’s own Dave Solon will be playing all band shows with us for the month of May! He’ll also play additional gigs with us along the way, mostly in the North Bay as we search for a permanent drummer. Here’s what Dave wrote about his musical journey so far, “Music has been a driving force and passion in my life for as long as I can remember. Over the past few decades drumming in many bands in the North Bay, I’ve come to be a seeker of the thrill that the energy of band and audience can create. Music is magic. Healing magic. Whether playing to the song or going all out into improvisational space, I can’t get enough magic. “Shall we go, You and I, While we can” into a space and time of musical magic?”

We super excited about playing with Dave and I know you’ll love what he adds to the band…so come see us in May as we begin this new chapter of VCB!

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Vince Charming Band to Headline SF Zoo’s Sunset Concert Series July 11!

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We’re so excited to announce that the band will be headling the San Francisco Zoo’s Sunset Concert Series this summer! The show will be July 11 from 5-7 PM. We’ll play two full sets of our usual great mix of originals and covers by your favorite songwriters. Adance tickets will be available as summer approaches, so check back here for more details!

Welcome Olive Pants to Vince Charming Band!

I’m so thrilled to announce the the talented Olive Pants has joined Vince Charming Band as a harmony singer. Olive’s lovely voice adds a whole new dimension to our sound. She hails from Wisconsin and has always had a love for roots-y music and harmony singing! First she’ll join Steve and Vince the weekend after Thanksgiving at Jettywave Distillery and Ireland’s 32. He next gig with the band will be December 14 at Starling Bar in Sonoma. Expect to see and hear a whole lot more from her in 2025! Follow her on Instagram!

 

Vince Charming Band to headline Treasure Fest, Sunday June 30, 3-5 PM

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We’re thrilled to be part of this year’s Treasure Fest on Treasure Island! We’ll headline Sunday June 30 from 3-5 PM! The monthly, two-day, open-air market draws one-of-a-kind indie designers, artists, craft makers, local eateries, musicians, and thousands of shoppers…even dogs. Taking place at Treasure Island, it provides the community with good food, great vibes, and epic views. We can’t wait to rock out this month’s Fest! Also on Sunday’s bill are Ashley Flynn & the Riveters starting at 11 AM and They Hyperdrive Kittens at 1 PM. Save some money getting your limited advance tix now by clicking HERE. Get in the mood by listening to the Treasure Fest 2024 Spotify playlist curated by Trixie Rasputin. Treasure Fest 2024 Playlist

“So Totally Right”-Vince Charming Band Live at Oakland’s Skyline Studios available now!

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VCB live at Oakland’s Skyline Studios

I’m so excited to announce that this spring we’vereleased a four song live performance simultaneously as a video performance and a digital EP. Featuring four new Vince Charming originals that have been honed on stage by the band over the past six months this release was filmed live at Oakland’s famed Skyline Studios where I recorded a good chunk of my last album, “Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.” On my YouTube channel, VinceCharmingMusic, you can  watch the entire four song performance or individual songs as separate videos. You can also stream the audio on all streaming platforms. I know fans new and old will enjoy these four new songs which really represent the amazing growth the band has shown over the past year. We’ll be out all over Northern California this spring and summer playing these songs and all your favorites. We hope to see you on the road this year! 

Fun in February!

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February gets off to a fun start! We’ll debut at Starling Bar in Sonoma on February 3 and we return to the “Best Little Honky Tonk by the Beach” The Riptide the following Saturday night, February 10. Both gigs will feature our usual array of choice covers and VC originals old and new! We hope to see you there…and coming February 29 we debut at a fantastic venue in Napa- Jam Cellars-stay tuned.

Tons of Live Music This January!

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Happy 2024!

Vince Charming Band is back in action this month with 7, count ’em 7 big gigs! The full band starts off Jan 6 at one of our favorite venues, Riggers Loft and ends January 26 back in Marin at the fabulous Tam Commons! In between we’ll debut the acoustic band at the Plough & Stars  on January 13 in SF as well as the Alameda Island Brewing Company on January 19. Steve and I will finish the month, returning to Rudi’s Sports Bar in the Mission District on January 27. We’d love to see you out and one or more of these great gigs! And stay tuned because we’ll be playing all year long and will be coming back to some of our favorite venues as well as add several incredible new places as well! See you soon!

Happy Holidays from Vince Charming Band

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Wow! 2023 is coming to an end! What a wild and fun ride it’s been. I started the year deciding that I wanted to go out and play some gigs to support my new album, “Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.” I thought maybe I’d do that solo or perhaps as a duo. In an amazing series of events and transpiring over a few weeks, I found myself with a full band and starting working hard to book gigs. We started as a quintet, but very quickly we were down to 4-myself, Rick King on drums, Rickly Fishman on bass, and Steve Lussie on lead guitar and mandolin. It’s been an honor and a pleasure making music with these fine gentlemen and musicians!
 
Between February and December I played 36 shows at 21 different venues. We played as a full band, a trio, a duo, and myself solo. We traveled all over Northern California up to Napa and Sebastopol, down to Loma Mar making stops all in between in cities such as San Francisco, Livermore, Hayward, Half Moon Bay, Pacifica, Richmond, Menlo Park, and of course my hometown of Berkeley. When people were in the room, we received an amazing response to our music from audiences, making new friends, and picking up new fans. Rick’s wife Rose and Ricky’s wife Cindy have been steadfast attending many shows making us feel at home and giving us some perspective on our growth and performances. Two of my oldest and best friends have helped us tremendously. Mitch Wilks has used his artistic wizardry to create unique and incredible poster art for each gig, while Alan Zucker has continued to be my personal photographer capturing some great moments along the ride and creating some super cool and creative images including our holiday greeting above. 
 
While we started off focusing on my new album, along the way I wrote an astonishing 20 new songs with 15 of them finding their way into live performances. It has warmed my heart and blown me away the way audiences have responded to this new music. We’ve played cover songs from some of my favorite songwriters, learning new songs along the way to expand our repertoire to keep things fresh and broaden our appeal. 
 
2024 promises to be another exciting year. We’re already booked solid in January and most of February with March beginning to take shape. We’re back at some of our favorite venues and adding some exciting new ones to the rotation. I’m continuing to write new material and we hope somehow to get a few songs recorded either live or in the studio sometime next year. We plan to be super busy, especially during the good weather months, hoping to get outside and play all kinds of fairs, festivals, and outdoor venues. We hope to see you at one or more of these gigs!
 
At this joyous time of the year I want to thank each and every one of you who streamed a song, watched a video, followed me on social media, or came to a gig. Maybe you did all of those things…in that case…many,many thanks! My Christmas wish is to bump up those numbers on social media-especially YouTube and Instagram followers…so letting your friends and family members know about my music would be a great help. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus…or no holiday at all….I want to wish you all a joyous and happy holiday season and a most peaceful new year. May all of your wishes come true, and may you spend quality time surrounded by those you love. 
 
Thanks again for all of your support!
 
Love,
Vince