Connecting with people is what we do here at Southern Fellow. It just so happens the we use food and music as the launchpads for these connections to take place. That is why we only speak about people we have had the opportunity to know. Behind the music there is a person and we work hard to recognize that individual. I personally have had some amazing people open their hearts to me. There have been some surprises along the way and our next artist on Feed the Band is one of them.

I have to admit I have been following Charlie Marie on social media for a few months. At the time I did not listen to her music and told myself she was just another blonde with a guitar. That sounds harsh, but it is the truth nonetheless. I try to mix things up the best that I can. It was a little over a month ago I was working on a tractor and letting Spotify naturally do it’s thing. This song “Rodeo” came through my bluetooth speaker. It hit me hard enough that it felt like falling in love for the very first time, all over again. I knew that whoever was singing I needed to have a conversation with. I ran to my phone and recognized the name Charlie Marie. The gilt hit me like a ton of bricks. It took me less than a minute to reach out and try to connect. We spent the next couple of days chatting and then scheduled a 20 minute phone interview that lasted well over an hour.

Being from the south one is accustomed to a southern draw. When Charlie Marie sings her sound is something I am used to. It is when you have a conversation that her Rhode Island accent hits you. You might feel that one way is less genuine than the other, but they each are part of the fabric that makes Charlie Marie. In fact, anyone who spends 10 minutes with Charlie will recognize she is as genuine as they come. This is a blessing, but can be a hard stand to take for a new artist.

Charlie Marie spent some time in Nashville as a student at Belmont and chasing her dreams like many country artists before her. This also tested her character. There are many things that Nashville can do for a new artist. However, all you have to do is turn on the radio and listen. The songs are all starting to sound the same. It is starting to feel like country music is far too industrialized and less like a friend sharing a story. Charlie Marie did the most country thing she could do. She returned to her roots and went home to Rhode Island. This move allowed her to center herself and made her music feel less like a product. 

Charlie Marie’s risks have paid off. By returning to her roots she has created music that has beat Nashville at it’s own game. Songs like “Rodeo” and “Rhinestones” feel authentic and never leave you wondering if you’re actually listening to a country song. Then you have “Countryside” a song about how anyone can appreciate “country” without having to be from the country. Her stories have been told I will admit, but few can put them in a song as well as she can. Charlie Marie is challenging the idea that country music needs to be remade and repackaged. For this reason twenty years from now her music will have the same timeless quality as it does today.