	Santa Cruz Guitar Company Nick Charles Nick Charles photo credit: Rod Schaffer “I was obsessed like so many of my generation by the music of The Beatles and The Stones and later that whole British r&b invasion. From there I discovered the roots of it all. Later I remember the precise moment I heard Proud Mary and the immediate effect that rhythm guitar had on me. From then on I had to have a guitar in my hands”. Not long after that, says Nick an encounter with a Big Bill Broonzy album sowed the seeds of direction, and even though for a couple of decades he seriously pursued the electric, acoustic roots music was never far from his thoughts. For many years he combined a hectic music schedule with a 9 to 5 life but eventually in the mid 80’s took the plunge into a full time career, began touring and recording and in no time became a mainstay of the Australasian acoustic music scene. Melbourne’s prestigious Age newspaper has him labeled as “Australia’s virtuoso of acoustic roots and blues guitar” and Australian Guitar Magazine noted the arrival of an “awesome talent” Critics quickly noticed his musicality and attention to melody and feel. “Melody and feel are all we have really” says Nick. “Even a blindingly complex solo relies on those two ingredients to my mind. You need to leave an audience something they can recall, if you haven’t done that I’d regard it as an artistic failure” Nick’s first Santa Cruz was a Model H he bought direct in 1994. “I still have it and it’s dear to my heart. It was the first great acoustic I ever owned and it’s responsible for the sound of my first three solo albums ‘My Place’, ‘Grace Notes’ and ‘Travelling Fingerpicker’. It ended up in the hall of fame downunder at the International Guitar Festival and the way it’s matured sonically and visually caused quite a stir”. In more recent times, he switched to dreadnought guitars. “I began to look for a bigger bass response from my instruments, probably due in part to my love of Merle Travis, Doc Watson and others, who all played dreadnoughts. What I craved was that extra depth, but still the lyrical sensitivity and colour of a parlour, OM or model H. I found it in abundance with my VA models” He adds, “You see my playing doesn’t rely on monstrous technique and super chops. I endeavour to play compactly, cleanly and leave a precise memory of the melody. Consequently I still need that rich mid range and sparkle up high. I judge a guitar mostly by the variety of voices it can produce and how it responds to a tender moment or a raucous outburst! It’s also wonderful to witness a guitar evolving and maturing in your hands. Only great instruments do that” “I have to now say that I find inspiration in all music forms, though the blues is a guiding light for intensity. Even classical guitar and its dynamic moods have a profound effect on me” He feels part of the current new age of acoustic music yet tends to be bluesier and rootsier than most. “I can’t help it. It’s instinctive and informs everything I play to a degree, though it’s not always obvious. Having said that it’s also impossible not to be influenced by such things as the great American songbook or the writings of Lennon and McCartney. Consequently I nearly always compose instrumentals in song form and pop song lengths, which I guess is just another nod to tradition”. The ensuing albums “New Kind of Feeling” and “Closer To Home” brought Nick’s playing to the attention of Solid Air Records, “the home of the world’s finest guitarists” The US and worldwide release of his recent albums as well as several highly regarded compilations has brought rave reviews from guitar fans everywhere. Since 2000 Nick has been performing close to 200 shows a year across Australia, New Zealand, the USA and the UK and 2009 looks like being no different. “Wherever I travel, people are impressed with my guitar sound and in the numerous workshops I conduct I like to demonstrate the tonal possibilities and the range of emotions that guitar music can deliver”. www.charlesguitar.com Listen to Nick Charle's Music Check out Nick's newest release Closer to home available on his website www.charlesguitar.com Santa Cruz Guitar Company Featured Artists James Nash Nokie Edwards Vicki Randle SONiA Rutstein More SCGC Players top^
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Santa Cruz Guitar Company

Nick Charles

photo credit: Rod Schaffer

“I was obsessed like so many of my generation by the music of The Beatles and The Stones and later that whole British r&b invasion. From there I discovered the roots of it all. Later I remember the precise moment I heard Proud Mary and the immediate effect that rhythm guitar had on me. From then on I had to have a guitar in my hands”.

Not long after that, says Nick an encounter with a Big Bill Broonzy album sowed the seeds of direction, and even though for a couple of decades he seriously pursued the electric, acoustic roots music was never far from his thoughts.

For many years he combined a hectic music schedule with a 9 to 5 life but eventually in the mid 80’s took the plunge into a full time career, began touring and recording and in no time became a mainstay of the Australasian acoustic music scene.

Melbourne’s prestigious Age newspaper has him labeled as “Australia’s virtuoso of acoustic roots and blues guitar” and Australian Guitar Magazine noted the arrival of an “awesome talent”

Critics quickly noticed his musicality and attention to melody and feel. “Melody and feel are all we have really” says Nick. “Even a blindingly complex solo relies on those two ingredients to my mind. You need to leave an audience something they can recall, if you haven’t done that I’d regard it as an artistic failure”

Nick’s first Santa Cruz was a Model H he bought direct in 1994. “I still have it and it’s dear to my heart. It was the first great acoustic I ever owned and it’s responsible for the sound of my first three solo albums ‘My Place’, ‘Grace Notes’ and ‘Travelling Fingerpicker’. It ended up in the hall of fame downunder at the International Guitar Festival and the way it’s matured sonically and visually caused quite a stir”.

In more recent times, he switched to dreadnought guitars. “I began to look for a bigger bass response from my instruments, probably due in part to my love of Merle Travis, Doc Watson and others, who all played dreadnoughts. What I craved was that extra depth, but still the lyrical sensitivity and colour of a parlour, OM or model H. I found it in abundance with my VA models”

He adds, “You see my playing doesn’t rely on monstrous technique and super chops. I endeavour to play compactly, cleanly and leave a precise memory of the melody. Consequently I still need that rich mid range and sparkle up high. I judge a guitar mostly by the variety of voices it can produce and how it responds to a tender moment or a raucous outburst! It’s also wonderful to witness a guitar evolving and maturing in your hands. Only great instruments do that”

“I have to now say that I find inspiration in all music forms, though the blues is a guiding light for intensity. Even classical guitar and its dynamic moods have a profound effect on me”

He feels part of the current new age of acoustic music yet tends to be bluesier and rootsier than most. “I can’t help it. It’s instinctive and informs everything I play to a degree, though it’s not always obvious. Having said that it’s also impossible not to be influenced by such things as the great American songbook or the writings of Lennon and McCartney. Consequently I nearly always compose instrumentals in song form and pop song lengths, which I guess is just another nod to tradition”.

The ensuing albums “New Kind of Feeling” and “Closer To Home” brought Nick’s playing to the attention of Solid Air Records, “the home of the world’s finest guitarists” The US and worldwide release of his recent albums as well as several highly regarded compilations has brought rave reviews from guitar fans everywhere.

Since 2000 Nick has been performing close to 200 shows a year across Australia, New Zealand, the USA and the UK and 2009 looks like being no different.

“Wherever I travel, people are impressed with my guitar sound and in the numerous workshops I conduct I like to demonstrate the tonal possibilities and the range of emotions that guitar music can deliver”.

www.charlesguitar.com