Amy Pike is well known in Atlanta for her silky vocals in the Lost Continentals. As lead singer, front person, and principle songwriter for the primarily all original band, she led the Lost Continentals to 11 Best of Atlanta Swing awards. In addition, her songs from the landslide records release Moonshine and Martinis have been played nationally on radio and used in network television commercials, in fact you've probably heard Amy on Ford commercials, both on television and radio. Charles was the original guitarist and founding member of the Aquarium Rescue Unit featuring Col. Bruce Hampton. He wrote songs featured on their two Capricorn releases, the first of which received a five star review in Rolling Stone magazine. Two of his songs have been performed regularly on the Tonight Show featuring Jay Leno for over two years. As a founding member of the Zambiland Orchestra, which performed yearly from 1997-2001 for charity, he has also performed and recorded with members of the Allman Brothers, Widespread Panic, Phish, and others. In addition to performing, recording, and teaching locally, he is also a member of Bernadette Seacrest and her Provacateurs which won Creative Loafing's 2007 Best of Atlanta award. With the BVQ he plays a wonderful petite bouche guitar made by Maurice Dupont in Cognac, France. As part of his calling as Djangologist, in 2002 Charles contributed to a radio documentary, “Where is Django Playing” broadcast on WKZE 98.1 New York and Deutschland Radio, Europe. Dave Boling, on rhythm guitar, rounds out the band with his machine gun strumming. Dave has been performing around Atlanta for twenty years in a variety of styles from classical to world music ensembles. Dave's main guitar is a grande bouche, made by Dave Hodson in England. Mike Geier, the frontman for Kingsized, and a shrewd observer of human nature, has been heard to comment in his inimitable fashion, “Dave knows a lot of chords.” Mark Bynum, on acoustic bass, is also no stranger to the Atlanta music scene. He has played with too many Atlanta notables to list, but it includes Col Bruce Hampton and the Fiji Mariners, Blueground Undergrass, Kingsized, and he is a regular performer at Atlanta's Alliance Theater and other performance groups. Marla Feeney on violin and clarinet has played all over the country in shows and theaters groups and is equally at home in jazz, classical bluegrass, celtic-you name it and Marla can play it. ( Except poker. She's just too honest to bluff). Don Erdman parachuted in from Argentina a few years ago to found Atlanta's premier Dixie land band-Hot 'Lanta-and he landed in Charles' backyard! Charles was annoyed until he saw the clarinet in Don's pocket. You can read more about Don Erdman here: http://members.aol.com/donerdman/home.html
Last Updated: August 6, 2008
Try to imagine a comic opera starring a character who is known only as the Grand Pompadour. Is he royalty? Upper class? High Society? No one's telling, but his amorous adventures take him across the gamut of styles: from the orchestral introduction of the March to smoky late night piano bars to pianissimo nocturnal waltzes segueing into a romp through the Latin side of town and back finally landing transcendently on the outskirts of Paris...An all original cd by us....
1) The March of the Grand Pompadour/c. williams (arranged by k. dale)
2) The World's Greatest Lover/c. williams
3) The Scene of You/c. williams
4) Postcards/c. williams/a. pike
5) Henry and June/c. williams
6) The Very Idea /c. williams
7) The Heat Below/c. williams
8) Little World/c. williams
9) Moonlight Falling/c. williams
10) Ou Est Pepe Lopez/k. dale
11) Lily's On the Prowl/c. williams
12) The Dinnercar/c. williams
13) Little White Lies/c. williams/a. pike
14) Busy Season/c. williams
15) So You/c. williams
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Primary Instrument:
Band/ensemble/orchestra
Location:
Atlanta, GA
Willing to teach:
Advanced students only.
Credentials/Background:
Charles Williams
Charles' musical path has led him into diverse areas. In college he studied and received his degree in performance on classical guitar. After performing around Atlanta in a variety of groups he started playing with Jimmy Herring, ( The Dead, Widespread Panic ), Otiel Burbridge, ( Allman Bros), and Jeff Sipe, (Phil Lesh, Trey Anastatio). Next, events beyond his control conspired to place him as the original guitarist and founding member of the Aquarium Rescue Unit featuring Col. Bruce Hampton: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquarium_Rescue_Unit The Rescue Unit has received multitudinous praise as one of the progenitors of the current 'jam band' scene.
Always writing a song, he contributed one to each of their two Capricorn releases, the first of which received a five star review in Rolling Stone magazine. For a couple of years both of these were performed regularly on the Tonight Show featuring Jay Leno. As a founding member of the Zambiland Orchestra, which was organized yearly for charity from 1997-2001, he got an opportunity to perform and record with members of the Allman Brothers, Widespread Panic, Phish, and others. In addition to performing, recording, and teaching locally at Maple Street Guitars, he is also a member of Bernadette Seacrest and her Provocateurs: http://myspace.com/seacrest
With the BVQ he plays a wonderful petite bouche guitar made by Maurice Dupont in Cognac, France.
As part of his calling as Djangologist, in 2002 Charlie contributed to a radio documentary, "Where is Django Playing" broadcast on WKZE 98.1 New York and Deutschland Radio, Europe.
Charles also has a cd, Venus Has Seen Us, available on the CD Purchase page. It was recorded in 1999 by his band Chateau Debris. It features Joel Morris, the original drummer with Widespread Panic, Mark Bynum of Blueground Undergrass and Col. Bruce and the Fiji Mariners on bass, Jeff Sipe of Susan Tedeschi and ARU on drums on one track, and many others.
".... it's Williams' originals that stand out. Composing the mustic and lyrics to tunes like "The World's Greatest Lover," "Blue Rendezvous," and the eulogy "In Lieu of Flowers," he proves himself. Instrumentals such as "Tres Ambiance are the icing on the cake."
---- Michael Dregni, Vintage Guitar, August 2005
