Four years ago singer/songwriter Charlie Harrison returned to his native Houston and formed Charlie and The Regrets. The songs he writes reflect his own varied life experiences (bar bouncer, ‘suit & tie’ stock broker, skid loader operator) and the world around him.
Some tunes from the band’s upcoming first studio album, Rivers in the Streets, are lighthearted like Proud Man – where the man admits to the woman in his life that it’s best “if we ever disagree, you will be right and I will be wrong”.
“Our demographic is people who like country music, but want to hear songs about things other than the normal 5 topics. People who want to laugh, who haven’t heard something like that in a country song.”
Another tongue-in-cheek tune is The Gavel, which addresses a stint behind bars for a seemingly minor infraction blown out of proportion – “one little misstep, took an awful big fall”.
“Everything I say is with a smirk and a wink. If I am going to make music, I want to make music I like and can be proud of. I am irreverent in some ways. My general outlook on life is ‘most things aren’t necessarily the best that they could be. People should spend more time asking why.”
The album plays like you’re sitting with friends, chatting about nothing and everything. Kick back with Charlie, Willie Golden, Mark Riddell, Isaias Gil, and John Shelton.
Their first single, Time Moves Slow, is the story of a man stuck counting days and features Kam Franklin on backup vocals.
Listen here to the premiere of the song:
“Artistically, I wanted to put something together that captured what we sound like as a live band, a gulf coast sound. We have become a better band because of making this album.”
The band is doing a special in-store performance at Superfly’s Lone Star Music Emporium in San Marcos, TX, Feb. 23.
If you run into Charlie, ask him about the show with Joe Ely and Owen Temple. He still has the hundred-dollar bill in his wallet that Owen gave him for being the opening act. Good chance there will be quite a few more once the new album is released Feb. 25 from Sony RED Distribution. The record release party will be held that day at Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge in Houston, TX.
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