Charlie Park: Recording an EP in Day
Charlie Park is a singer/songwriter from Oceanside, California. Over here at Amplified Studios, Charlie became the talk of the town due to his impressive recording session in which he recorded his whole EP in one day. Let's glimpse at Charlie's life, what inspires him, and the key to recording an album so quickly yet graciously.
TO LISTEN TO CHARLIES EP "LISTENING TO THE RAIN," CLICK BELOW.
Charlie Park taken by @joeyt2099 on IG
NAME, WHAT INSTRUMENTS YOU PLAY, AND WHERE YOU ARE FROM.
"Charlie Park - I play guitar / sing. I'm from Oceanside, California."
TELL ME YOUR MUSICAL BACKSTORY. WHAT GOT YOU INTO WRITING MUSIC? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A MUSICIAN?
"I learned piano and played wind instruments in the school band when I was young, then started playing guitar when I was about 13. Around that time, I started making friends who shared similar musical interests and even knew a few people who played in bands. I quickly realized I could easily join a band if I played bass - no one wanted to play bass - so I picked up a bass guitar and started playing in any band I could. When I left for college, I got a fresh start - a bit of a musical reset - and time to reflect, which led me to realize that writing my own songs was more rewarding than what I'd been doing previously, so that's what I started focusing on."
WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION FOR SONGWRITING?
"My inspiration for songwriting - It's just desire. I hear great music and want to write a song as beautiful as the one I'm hearing. But, simultaneously, sometimes I just have a really strong feeling inside me, like something needs to get out of me and into the world - a more intrinsic desire, but desire nonetheless. And as a short rant, I want to say that in today's world, there are so few places where we can express ourselves without boundaries or external expectations being pressed upon us - whether it's work, personal relationships, relationships with family, or even church or other social groups, it feels to me like I'm constantly being put in a box of how to act and having to abide by what's expected of me. Playing music feels like a place with fewer social constraints on how you must be - we all need more of that."
“listening to the Rain” EP cover art
RUMOR SAYS THAT YOU RECORDED EVERYTHING FOR YOUR RELEASE "LISTENING TO THE RAIN" IN ONE DAY AT AMPLIFIED STUDIOS. THAT IS AN IMPRESSIVE AMOUNT OF TIME TO RECORD AN ALBUM IN ITS COMPLETION. HOW DID YOU PREPARE FOR THIS RECORDING PROCESS?
"To prepare for recording, I just had to have a solid mental picture of what I wanted to do, which turned out to be hard as my mind is always shifting, and the songs I write feel a little different every day. So, to be effective in the studio, I kept everything simple. I was just trying to capture the bare bones of the song, which allowed me not to overthink external factors like percussion, layering, harmonies, etc. Most of the songs are just me and the 6-string, and even with that simple setup, I still managed to drive myself a bit crazy. But yeah, keeping things simple, plus a little encouragement from Gabe (Amplified Studios' head engineer), was a recipe for success!"
WHAT WAS THE RECORDING PROCESS LIKE? WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE?
"Going along with this theme - it was pretty simple. It's silly as I write this out, but I hopped on the chair and went song by song. I added another guitar track on a couple of songs, so there was some experimentation, like trying to use a click track, This and that, and whatever. But my vision was to pop in and play my heart out until time ran out and then pick out what I liked later - which is essentially what happened."
WHAT WAS THE EASIEST PART OF RECORDING?
"I don't think there's an easy part of recording for me. Having a perfectionist mind and a time frame is like torture, but it's so rewarding in the end. My grandma is an amazing painter, and I asked her why she enjoys painting the other day. She told me she doesn't enjoy it all that much, but it's rewarding, and that's why she does it - which sounds insane, but art is a crazy thing sometimes. Anyways, the point is that this is how I feel about recording, it's not easy, and it's not even fun, but when you're finished with something you're proud of, that's when you realize why you had to do it."
Charlie Park taken by Unknown
"LISTENING IN THE RAIN" IS A BEAUTIFUL EP. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG OUT OF THE COLLECTION AND WHY?
"My favorite song is the title track. It takes me back to a particular time in my life, and I'm just really proud of myself that I captured that moment so accurately. Additionally, I was nervous about adding the second guitar to it, but it filled up the song really well in the end, and I'm just happy with how it came out. You can also hear a plane flying overhead towards the beginning of the song, which I think bothered Gabe a little bit, but it flew over at the perfect time, which makes me happy for some reason."
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR SONGWRITERS LOOKING TO RELEASE THEIR OWN EP/ALBUM?
"For your first release, I'd say just go for it, don't overthink it, follow your heart, not your head. Make a terrible album on purpose if that's what it takes, do the whole thing ironically, or make the greatest thing ever, I don't know. I'd been telling myself I wanted to make an album for about half a decade and finally got to the point where it felt like a do-or-die situation. I put too much pressure on myself, so I didn't get anything done for a long time. So don't do that - let go of what other people are going to think, and even let go of what you think about yourself, trust your feelings instead. Your feelings are valid, and you have to honor and respect them. So, if you desire to record something, you gotta let yourself do it."
WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN STORE FOR THE FUTURE?
"My focus going forward is actually on a new project. I've been putting a band together with some friends, and it's been a whole new journey writing and playing in the context of drums and amps and all that jazz."