Louide and Charlie Marshall. Supplied.
The name Charlie Marshall should be familiar. He was the singer and guitarist in one of Melbourne's legendary outfits, Harem Scarem, beloved in the 1980s for their swamp blues
Charlie's a sensible chap - knowing that rock'n'roll does't always pay the bills (never mind buy you a house), he has a job, just like most of us. He is a science teacher.
Unlike most of us, he established The Body Electric, which ran (or, perhaps, may still run) from the early 1990s to about ten years ago, with a variety of fine Melbourne talent, which has released at least five albums. Along the way he's also released another six records with different line-ups. Seems his job doesn't keep him out of mischief.
The calibre of musicians that Charlie has arrayed around him is high: they include Jim White (Dirty Three), Warren Ellis (Fungus Brains, Dirty Three, Nick Cave), Brian Henry Hooper (Kim Salmon and the Surrealists, Beasts of Bourbon), Bryan Colechin (The Marching Girls, Hugo Race), Cam Butler, Matt Heydon (Cow Penalty, The Voyeurs), Clare Moore (The Moodists, Dave Graney) and Darren Richard Seltmann (The Avalanches).
And then I listened to, and was mightily impressed by, Charlie's latest album "Gaian Soul" by Family Affair, a duo with his son And I thought a few questions were in order.
I-94 Bar: Charlie - what was your first instrument and do you still have it?
Charlie Marshall: A fairly crappy hand-me-down acoustic guitar from my older sister, which I didn’t start playing till I was 18. Musically I was a late bloomer. I gave it to someone else who was learning guitar a few years later.
I-94 Bar: What instruments do you now prefer, and why?
Charlie Marshall: Guitar, because I have never learnt to play anything else very well after all these years!
I-94 Bar: Do you have a pedal collection - or not? What works best for you?
Charlie Marshall: Not really, I have never had more than one distortion pedal and a Wah Wah, and I haven’t used the Wah for several years. I always found focussing on playing and singing was enough for my brain, having to control numerous pedals just wasn’t something I could do.
I-94 Bar: Charlie, you have a remarkable, unique voice - is it self-taught, or did you have a tutor at some point? Which singers could you describe as inspirational?
Charlie Marshall: Basically self-taught. I had a few lessons when I first became the lead singer for Harem Scarem and really struggled to project with a really loud rock band behind me, but they didn’t really help at all. Basically the answer was to get a less loud band! But it took me a few years to realise I was definitely not a rock belter type singer, and consequently I was often not a very good singer when I first started!
I-94 Bar: Five favourite guitarists - but why?
Charlie Marshall: Because rhythm and chords have always been central to my guitar love, they are (had to put in six, sorry!):
Keith Richards - for the offbeat, syncopated rhythm
Lou Reed - for the relentless, perfect all encompassing VU rhythm
Curtis Mayfield - for the feel, funkiness and light touch
J. Mascis - for the sound and chords, when I’m in overdriven mode
Nick Drake - for haunting chords and subtle touch
Joni Mitchell - for the open tunings, which I have been getting in to in recent years.
Charlie and Louie making the most of Melburne's weather. Supplied.
I-94 Bar: Louie, five favourite pianists – and why?
Louie Marshall: As someone who is a big jazz listener, the pool of pianists to choose from is immense. But I’ve gone with my gut here and narrowed the list to my top 5:
Barry Harris - Forever charms me with his lyrical and rhythmic melodies. Truly the great bebop master
McCoy Tyner - McCoy’s touch and influencial playing style is legendary and one that I can always, always enjoy
Oscar Peterson - because no one has the raw energy, virtuosity and dancing melifluousness of Mr. Peterson. What a truly amazing player, and one who I always turn to when seeking inspiration for playing over a blues!
Hank Jones - A world class master of the keys who has such a beautiful improvisatory sense and is always a joy to listen to.
Fergus McCreadie - A young Scotsman I adore listening to for his virtuosity and celtic-tinged improv. A real lovely guy too!
I-94 Bar: Louie, five favourite horn players - but why?
Louie Marshall: With saxophone being my main instrument, narrowing down my favourite 5 horn players is a tough one! But here goes…:
Matt Carmichael - This young Scottish sax player is my all-time favourite musician. His immensely gorgeous sound on the horn, his beautiful evocative compositions, I simply can’t go past Matt’s music and playing!
Julien Wilson - I was so lucky to have this absolute king of the tenor sax as my teacher at uni. I am still gobsmacked every time I hear Jules play live at just HOW!?! he produces such a sublime and massive sound on the horn. What a magician!
Charlie Parker - He is the great sax player of jazz for a reason. Bird will never cease to amaze and delight me. An infinite source of musical wisdom and improvisatory inspiration. Just the greatest!
Dexter Gordon - the swagger, the laid-back time feel, the SOUND. Dexter has it all. Love love love him.
Sonny Rollins - perhaps my all-time favourite of the jazz greats, Sonny has such charisma and narrative in his playing, and a huge sound to boot! His classic tune St. Thomas is one that can be heard in my household very often. Just delightful.
They're a Family Affair. Supplied.
I-94 Bar: Five gigs that most impressed you?
Charlie Marshall:
The Fall - saw them about eigtht times in 1983, what a band, what a sound, what an attitude!
Laughing Clowns 1980-1985. Can’t single out one gig, favourite live band ever.
James Brown at Melbourne Metro in 1988 - two drummers, uber-tight, OMG!!
Gary Clail's Tackhead Sound System in 1989 - never really listened to them before or since, I just remember it sounded absolutely amazing and inspired my ideas on getting away from straight rock.
Brian Wilson Pet Sounds Tour 2004 - incredible band, heavenly backing vocals.
I-94 Bar: Five favourite constellations?
Charlie Marshall:
The Dark Emu (a “Dark” constellation)
Scorpio
Orion
Crux (Souther Cross)
Sagitarius (the “Teapot”)
None of the others look anything like what they are meant to be IMO!
I-94 Bar: Five favourite astral bodies?
Charlie Marshall: Earth, La Luna, Sol, Venus, Jupiter
I-94 Bar: Most significant equation? (mine is “speed of light = quarantine”)
Charlie Marshall: Pythagorus’ Theorum a² + b² = c² , which is quite easy to understand, which is important, and also amazing, and Pythagorus had some cool ideas, considering he lived in about 500BC. I name-drop him in the song “Gravity Waves” (does anybody notice these lyrical subtleties of mine I wonder, possibly not!).
I-94 Bar: How did your father-and-son band Family Affair come about - as a result of playing together or something more determined?
Charlie Marshall: Something more determined - I am fortunate Louie has always been a great fan of my music so once they started becoming awesome on many instruments I naturally wanted to play together.
I-94 Bar: Louie, who else have you played with?
Louie Marshall: I’ve been lucky enough to play with some incredible musicians, certainly since studying jazz saxophone at uni I have been enormously privileged to share the stage with such legends as Julien Wilson, Andrea Keller, Nduduzo Makhatini, and most notably for me (because he is my FAVOURITE musician ever!!!) Scottish sax player Matt Carmichael.
I-94 Bar: Louie, do you write lyrics as well?
Louie Marshall: I do! I’ve only really just begun my journey as a lyricist but I’m pushing myself to write more vocal songs instead of just instrumental tunes as I love the dimension great lyrics add to a song. I’m fortunate to have a very good source of reference and inspiration for lyrics in my Dad’s songs. I’ve always loved the lyrics he writes.
I-94 Bar: Since we're in a bar, what are you both drinking?
Charlie Marshall: I am drinking zero alcohol beer these days due to health reasons. I've found a Pale Ale that is really good, called Tiny IPA. And Louie drinks Kombucha. Rock and Roll, eh!
