Mars has a pretty damn good album of his own out now on Rockingham Records entitled Like A Bird, Like A Plane. Mars strikes a real mellow vibe throughout, and his statement of most tracks being first takes rings true. Everything on the album is loose and real emotionally.
Mars is a singer-songwriter with classic tastes and a modern demeanor. What he does on Like A Bird, Like A Plane isn’t groundbreaking perhaps, but it resonates as truth and revels in beauty. The sound on the album is the sort I like to get lost in. It’s white boy groovy with a lot of color and a breezy nature. Back porch music to listen to with friends. I don’t know…buy it and judge for yourself. I just dig this guy and what he does.
For a taste of the album’s tone overall, I’ve got a video for “Listen To the Darkside” that features the beautiful and talented Mary Louise Parker (of Showtime’s Weeds). The video was directed by famed photographer Danny Clinch, a good friend of Mars’. It’s intimate and easy-going as the song and is worth a look. My edited interview with Mars follows this rambling.
Rock & Roll Ghost: Can you tell me a little bit about the recording of your new album, Like A Bird, Like A Plane, and how it went?
Charlie Mars: I recorded it in Austin, TX. Bob Schneider I was picking his brain about producers and trying to find the right fit for me. He recommended a mutual friend of ours, who I didn’t know was producing records named Billy Harvey who’s an awesome guitar player and who played with Bob in the past, that’s where I initially met him. I listened to some of the stuff he had done. I really liked it. I sent him some demos and he recommended a studio that was up in the hills in Austin. It’s all vintage gear. I got some musicians together, mostly Austin guys. We did the record in a few sessions over a three-month period. It was the most fun I ever had making a record. The majority of the album were recorded live. Four songs even have live vocals. The takes we ended up keeping were always the first takes. The song “Clocking Out” was not only our first take but it was also our first rehearsal take. I had just shown the rest of the band the chord progression and the drummer came up with a groove. I feel like I set a template for how I’d like to do my recordings from here on out.
What sort of feedback have you gotten from the video for “Listen To the Darkside” featuring Mary Louise Parker? Do you feel it’s going to be a big help?
I feel like it’s already been a lot of help. There’s a lot of people behind the scenes that are working to get it somewhere that it can be seen. She’s done a few interviews about it…I just love the video. I’m really proud of it. I think without the video it’d be a different scenario. How many guys like me are there out there writing their songs with their acoustic guitars. It’s a big world and sometimes it’s hard to know one guy from the next. If somebody can pop your record in and listen to it…I think ‘what’s going to make my check my record out?’ That video is something that sets things apart.
Video: Charlie Mars – Listen to the Darkside (featuring Mary Louise Parker)
How did you get Danny Clinch to shoot the album cover and direct the video?
We’ve been friends ever since he [worked on a video for a previous album]. When I got this record finished, Danny was a big fan of it. He was at Bonnaroo as the on-site photographer for the festival which isn’t too far from where I live. He called me up and said we could shoot some photos for the album packaging while he was there. I have to say that those photos were taken after a pretty extensive derangement of the senses. I don’t think I had showered in a few days and I was still seeing rainbows. It was an interesting time to try and take an album cover. Yeah man, Danny’s always helped me out. I can’t even begin to tell you how much his friendship and support has meant to me. He’s a very successful photographer and really well known and when somebody like that is willing to help the little people, which I still consider myself, it validates me and what I’m doing so I’m grateful for it.
What’s been one of the coolest things that’s ever happened to you either personally or professionally?
I already know…I got it! I got to tour with R.E.M. on the Around the Sun tour in ‘04. They’ve been my all-time favorite band. The band asked me to be on tour. That itself was a dream come true. My mom drove me in 1989 on the Green tour in her woody station wagon, me and four of my friends down to New Orlenas to UNO Coliseum to see R.E.M. on a school night. She went to the show even though she didn’t know the music. I’ll never forget that concert experience because I was such a huge fan. Flash forward 15 years and I was opening for R.E.M. in Seattle and my mother flew out to see the show. I told the crowd the story about my mom and that I have the good fortune to get to play onstage with R.E.M. They had me come out pretty much every night to play a song with them. That whole experience was the highlight of my musical life. How many people get to play onstage with their favorite band?
What sort of things have you been listening to lately or what’s been on heavy rotation?
Unless something’s better than these records I’m just gonna keep listening to them. The Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, Fiona Apple’s Tidal, Emmylou Harris’ Wrecking Ball. I listen to that at least once a week. Wrecking Ball makes my heart swell. It just blows my fucking mind. My record is heavily influenced by that album. The vastness of the sound on that record is created by the space on the record. It’s not like they have tons of stuff going on in the tracks. I think it’s Daniel Lanois’ best record and I think that record’s phenomenal. I would like to see him do more stuff like that than…I’m not going to call anyone out. I’m more into that record. Willie Nelson’s Teatro. That’s my kind of music. Paul Simon’s Graceland. If I had to say what’s my thing, that’s pretty much my thing.
Official Charlie Mars MySpace Page
Great interview and nice video! Really like this other song by Charlie Mars as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP28g6Yk-l8
Just a suggestion, reduce the size of the video to around 300px wide – it should fit better in your layout