This song was tough to write, because it was born from our witnessing of the tragedy and loss of my brother's life's work, resulting from the Zippah studios fire in December of 2021. I had the music and verses but emotionally couldn't complete the choruses. I called Pop aficionado, Corin Ashley with the initial plan to rewrite the lyrics according to a more-traditional pseudo-fictional pop tale with a much lighter subject. But Corin encouraged me to stay on track with the original theme of the song, as it was from the heart. Together over a bottle of wine and with guitars, we collaborated and came up with new music and lyrics to the chorus -- and "Sideways" remained with its original subject intact.
The Plot Thickens...
As it turns out, my brother, Brian had a last-minute session cancellation at Mad Oak studios in Boston and he called me to ask if there was anything that could benefit from his help and expertise, in place of his session there. Reluctantly, I came forward with my need to record vocals for "Sideways" (not yet disclosing to my brother that the song was written about him).
He urged me to come to the studio and so I did -- with all lyrics written, except for the bridge...
At the studio and ready to record vocals with Brian at the console, he asked for the lyrics sheet... I realized that upon reading them that he'd figure it was about his tragic situation, and so I let him know right there that I had attempted to reframe the song, but kept it due to encouragement from Corin. A couple of minutes of silence passed as my brother sat at the console reviewing the lyrics -- and I was ready for him to chime in on whether he felt comfortable with my releasing it (I would gladly follow his wishes, no matter the outcome, under the circumstances). To my relief, he turned to me with gratitude, "thank you for writing this," likely knowing that it was from the heart, and we got to work on opposite sides of the glass to have my vocals recorded and finalized.
Dave’s new music echoes the excitement of early Elvis Costello, the sonic impact of Sugar or Dinosaur Jr., and the melodic kick of The Smithereens.
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Longtime fans of the Boston rock scene may remember seeing “The Next” spray-painted on walls and bridges from Kenmore Square to Allston, and hearing Sidewalk Gallery on Boston airwaves in the 80’s and 90’s. Both bands featured the distinct harmonies of twin brothers Dave and Brian Charles, who still live and make music here. Dave has branched out from his early days as a lead guitarist and ace bassist to exploring pedal steel,
blues and country slide guitar, and experimenting with alternate tunings while crafting new songs that blend his best pop instincts with growling guitar-driven melodies. Fronting his own band for the first time as a solo artist sans Brian, Dave’s new music echoes the excitement of early Elvis Costello, the sonic impact of Sugar or Dinosaur Jr., and the melodic kick of The Smithereens.
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