Interview with Charlie and the Foxtrots

For those just discovering Charlie and the Foxtrots, how did you guys get together and form the band?

A few of us grew up playing music together in shitty bands in high school. We mostly just goofed off and played at bars and parties in our small Georgia town. We recorded a demo of one song we wrote together, then posted it on an online music sharing site. A label in Nashville contacted us with interest in the band, and from there we met with Rob (fiddle) and kind of put together a concept for the project.

Charlie Foxtrot stands for Cluster Fuck in military slang. It seemed appropriate for seven dudes in one band. 

I think there are three reasons we decided to tour. We love playing music, we love meeting new people, and we love seeing new places. It gives us a chance to see the beautiful US and meet all the beautiful people that live here.

ENERGY WOOOOO YEAHHHH

We had a great time! It was a vacation for us. We hung out for a few weeks with Chris Leonard at Iconoclast Studios in Nashville to record and mix the songs. It was such a treat.

I wrote this song right before I left school and started this project. I was in a place where I was really analyzing my situation for the first time. My relationship and my surroundings all seemed so meaningless, and the more I thought about things the more suffocated I became. ‘The Man I Am’ was all about stepping onto a path that would help me become the person I needed to be. That’s exactly what it did.  

We got to hang out with the incredibly talented Brett Felty and Lei White of Young Lungs Films. They’re such good guys, and they have so many great ideas. They found this abandoned town in middle Georgia that is completely for sale, and we just kind of ran around all day acting a fool as usual. 

We all grew up around roots music, so it made sense to play the music that we’ve connected to all of our lives in church, school, and all around. We’re all from towns that have deep traditions in roots music. It’s just kind of what comes out. Statesboro, GA; Nashville, TN; Memphis, TN; Cincinnati, OH

The town is so alive with music. It’s very inspiring. I think that every town is what you make it. A lot of folks in Nashville feel the need to ostracize themselves from others due to feeling like every other musician is a competitor. In reality, we are all going through the same struggle, and it really is nice to have friends in the same line of work that can relate. Some of my best friends live in Nashville. Oh, and barbecue.   

Robin Pecknold is a truly fantastic folk writer. I know Andrew and Josh are both really inspired by blues and folk as well. Rob grew up with a classical background. Matt and James grew up playing hardcore and metal, and Jeremy’s always there to sing every word to any top 40 song ever. As far as places, so many cities have been so great to us. People have really opened their arms in welcome to our music. I fall in love with any city that has a strong value for art. I remember one time we were in Washington DC, and before a show we stopped at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Everyone has specific moments they would like to experience in their life, and for Josh, he wanted to see a Vincent Van Gogh piece. I remember him being moved to tears on the front steps of the museum, overwhelmed by what he had just seen. It was a strong moment for all of us because we realized that we are not only making music, but really digesting the world in a very different way. It’s beautiful. 

More music always! We’re kind of always on the road because we love touring, but when we’re not, we are always making new music.