“The Acoustics Vol. 1” is available wherever you listen to music!
The Acoustics Vol. 1
My name is Charlie Lamprecht, but most people online know me as the saxophonist “charlez360.” When I tell people that I sing and play the guitar they don’t believe me 😂. I’ve written probably over 100 songs on the acoustic guitar and only released a handful of them.
That all changes today with the release of “The Acoustics Vol. 1” because I want to share the music that I’ve made with the world. I don’t want these songs to simply exist in my brain anymore. I want to hear them now. Over the past seven years, I’ve been turning these acoustic songs into full band versions with my close friends Billy DeMarco (drums), Ryan Levy (bass guitar), and Zach Willard (electric guitar). I’m extremely excited to share these BIG versions of the songs with you all, but an equal part of me wants to share the bare-bones, stripped versions that those songs originated from. This EP is one of many, many more to come. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed writing and recording it.
When I had the files ready for mixing and mastering, I sent them over to Greg Endy at Endlessly Creative Studios. He worked very closely with me to cultivate the "live" feel of these tracks. He ultimately sent me three versions and we both agreed on the version that we liked the best. He is such a talented engineer and musician who really has an ear for the mix. I think I made it difficult for him because he is used to mixing full bands (drums bass guitar vocals horns etc), but this EP was really on the opposite end of the musical spectrum. Extremely minimalistic with very few ingredients to work with. I basically gave him peanut butter and jelly and this man made a gourmet dish! I'm extremely happy with how this mixed turned out, and cannot speak enough about Greg's professionalism and patience with me on this entire project.
Once I had all of the songs mastered, I knew exactly who I wanted to work with for the music videos. BrandoJones Films!! I've worked with these guys in the past on a few of my "I Am Charlez360" music videos and had a great time. They bring the energy, are really funny and fun to work with, and have a vision for what they want to create. BrandoJones mostly operate out of South Carolina, and they work closely with singer/songwriters and bands that are attempting to create music video content to promote themselves. They do "songwriter sessions" that allow artists to perform their songs and obtain a live recording PLUS a video! I went to them and explained how I wanted my videos done and I told them to think outside of the box. I am blown away at the quality of what they came up with. I recommend EVERY artist to them because of how quick, smooth, and professional they are.
With all that being said..I'm terrified to upload this. Terrified at how it will be received, or if it will be received at all. But if you're reading this and made it this far, thank you. I appreciate all of the real humans that were involved in helping me create this song and this EP, and I also appreciate all of my friends and lovers in the past and present who have inspired me to be able to make this.
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1. Slow
I wrote this song a long time ago... and just recently gained the confidence to record and release it. It's so weird..this song used to bring me so much pain to even sing. Most of the time I wouldn't even be able to get all the way through it without crying. I never knew why. But of course I did. So I stopped playing it. I acted like the song wasn't there. But it was always playing in my head. I'd sing a random line in the shower. Or hum a melody while driving. The song was living inside of me all of these years and I couldn't escape it until I released it to the world. I feel so much better now. Still bad (lol) ...but better
"Slow" is about the fear that holds us back from diving head first into love. The past has so many memories...and also so much pain. When someone hurts you, it's hard to just "open up" with the next person and forget the same cycle that caused the pain in the first place. I've loved and I've lost and it's made me cautious. Careful..
"Broken pieces are all that I own."
I recorded this song back in March and struggled for about a week with it. I was obsessed with getting a live take that felt so real and authentic. I would come home from work, and record 3 takes. And then listen to them on repeat. I always hated them. They were never right. But I knew I could do it. So I just kept at it. So from March 27 to April 7 I came home and recorded this song three times. Every day. Until, on April 7, I recorded the take that you hear today. It was tedious, grueling, depressing, aggravating, upsetting and... SO FUCKING REWARDING AT THE END OF IT. This is what obsession and dedication sounds like.
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2. Rewind
This song is about the fact that I used to drink almost every single day. There was always an excuse—always a valid reason.
a couple beers while watching the game..
a beer with dinner..
a couple cold ones at practice..
A couple shots before the show to “calm the nerves.”
The list goes on.
Almost every. single. day.
Doing shows every weekend, free drinks were being shoved in my face all night and I loved it. $500 bar tab? Challenge accepted!
But slowly I started to notice differences in my health, my finances, and my decision making.
Waking up after a hard night of drinking and performing, my entire body would be sore. There would be “blackout” moments of complete memory loss. I was losing money; spending too much at the bar and on beers and bottles.
The next day, my “friends” would laugh and tell me things that I did or said and I’d be overwhelmed with shame and embarrassment, because that wasn’t me. “I’m not that man I was last night.”
….am I?
Flash forward to today: I haven’t consumed alcohol in almost 3 years and I am the BEST version of myself that I have ever been
I have wayyyy more money, more energy, and am much more skilled musically. My brain is firing on all cylinders and I am so thankful to be alive every day. I don’t wake up in physical pain filled with regret and remorse for my decisions.
Today, I find myself surrounded by people who encourage me to make good decisions and love me just the way I am. I am so lucky every single day to wake up happy, healthy, and ALIVE. I’m grateful for all of the lessons I’ve learned.
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3. Thank You
Imagine your mind could recall every single human interaction you’ve EVER HAD. The random people at the grocery store, everyone you’ve ever went to school with…every person you’ve ever met…..
I’d like to think that all of these people, all of these interactions —whether they be big or small—played a pivotal role in the person that I am today. I pondered (and maybe romanticized ) this concept for a long time the other day and then I wrote a song about it. .
So with all of that being said, I want to THANK YOU Yes, YOU. You made me who I am—for better or for worse.
“The Acoustics Vol. 1” is available wherever you listen to music!