Charley’s Cynics get a facelift

Creative energy pours out of the cracks of boarded windows and into a dank Main Street alleyway. Inside, the members of Charley and the Cynics lightheartedly banter and pass bottles of wine between jam sessions where they tweak their latest songs. 

Although this lineup of Charley and the Cynics has only been around since March, their instruments meld with a chemistry that is truly uncommon. 

Along with the wine, the band also shared insights on the process of shaping an original tune.  Guitarist and lead vocalist Charlotte Nooe, a recent UW Oshkosh graduate, provides the catalyst by writing the lyrics and basis of the songs.   

"I just have the chord structure, a really basic template.  You know, verse, chorus, maybe here's a solo section," Nooe said. 

From there, the various elements of Charley and the Cynics distinctive sound are added to bring the idea to life, including Jason Verstegen's lead guitar. 

"It's never competitive between the instruments," Verstgen said. "We try to be more reserved, adding whatever serves the song.  In the end, it's about Charlotte's vocals and we cater to what the melody really wants."

The group focuses on displaying each members talent equally in each song and performance.

"I don't feel like anybody has ever walked into a song and felt like they are being compromised by what is written," bassist Jon Powell, the newest addition to the Cynics, said.  "If you have to play two root notes the whole song and that fits the song, there are no complaints and no animosity.  It's a really natural thing."

The combination of the band's talent, along with this selfless and patient attitude really lets the songs shine and creates something more memorable than any virtuosic solo.  The Cynics seem to bring an incredible sense of balance to Charlotte's songs, with all of the instruments really finding their comfortable place in the mix. 

"I think everybody knows how to step up when they need to.  If a space needs to be filled by drums, no one has to say anything, drums just show up," Verstegen said. 

"It takes maybe three or four rehearsals before we've got a song really refined," multi-instrumentalist Josh Rankin said, who in March switched from being the band's bassist to providing the drums.

When approaching lyrics, Nooe doesn't focus on a distinct theme or event in her life, but lets the listener apply it to their own experiences. 

"They usually aren't about specific instances.  They are usually pretty general," Nooe said.  "I don't tend to use direct rhymes.  More often, I'll use slant rhymes and different rhyme schemes."

The Cynics take a very personal investment in Charlotte's lyrics, feeling almost as if they wrote the lines themselves. 

"When we practice, it's much more about the chord changes and the musical aspect, but when we actually get involved in what she is saying, we realize how universal the lyrics are.  There's no song that she's ever written that isn't applicable to my life," Powell said. 

Verstegen compared Nooe to a poet, adding that he often feels her lyrics are about him, even when they aren't.

To form their sound, Charley and the Cynics draw from a wide variety of influences across many genres, and surprisingly seem to be on the same page with almost everything they listen to. 

"I guess as a group we take our influences mostly from local artists like RedHawks, Haunted Heads and The Sleepwalkers," Verstegen said.

Powell called the group's style "a strange mixture of the completely obscure and the super pop." 

"If it's done tastefully, we probably like it.  If it's not done tastefully, we probably just don't listen to it," Verstegen added.

Charley and the Cynics seem like a group that could easily write Top 40 style pop songs if they wanted, but they prefer a sound with some grit. 

"We all like things that are a little more raw, not as polished.  I think we all have an appreciation for things that aren't so clean.  I like any strange vocalist, like Doug Martsch from Built to Spill, Joe Strummer or Jeff Tweedy," Nooe said. 

That raw grit and captivating power are really put on display at the band's live performances. 

"It's really bipolar, because in between songs we can be really quiet, but when we play its really energetic.  We are always moving around and having fun," Nooe said.  "Of course, sometimes we have to tone it back if we're playing a place like Becket's."  

The group is versatile in the way they treat their songs, without compromising the artistic value. 

"We have enough songs at this point that we can go from a quiet, laid-back, folk sound to really loud and crazy," Verstegen said.

"As far as being comfortable I like being louder, not blaring but, you know, it's a rock band," Nooe added. 

Charley and the Cynics are currently in the post-production process of a new EP they expect to release later this year. 

"We have stuff out for mixing right now in Virginia, but unfortunately this has been backtracked severely," Nooe said. "We hoped to have it out by now."

Fans may have to wait a bit longer for the release due to some unfortunate weather.

"Hurricane Irene, I believe, decided to flood the studio," Rankin said. 

In the mean time there are plenty of live Charley and the Cynics shows to look forward to. 

You can catch them next at the Titan Underground on Oct. 13 as a part of Concert for a Cure, helping raise awareness for ataxia-telangiectasia.