Author: Cecil Charles

If the title sounds oddly familiar, it’s because it’s a phrase that Alan Watts (notable British philosopher) uses to describe our states of mind when we feel vulnerable, afraid, or attached to the world or the outcome of a given situation. We can be reduced to a “quaking mess” in the face of the harsh truths of the world and our desperate desires about how things “should be” – and perhaps more importantly, how we as individuals “should be.”

Watts’ characterization of the human persona as a quaking mess has felt all-too-real in various times in my life, especially when in a difficult romantic relationship.

Want to listen on Spotify? Here you go 🙂

Continue reading ““Quaking Mess” – Official Release” »

Well friends – it’s a bittersweet song release, as I always knew it would be. I wrote this song, “Put It Away” with my dear, late friend, Bob Bishop.

Bob was one of the first people in Nashville to truly “get” the kind of music that I’m making, after he saw me perform at a songwriter showcase at the Commodore Grille. Bob performed there often as well, playing the piano 3 times a week in the hotel lobby.

Continue reading ““Put It Away” – Official Release” »

Hey friends!

It’s been a crazy last couple of months. I was on the road for six weeks, traveling to a number of my favorite cities and playing lots of gigs (as well as spending lots of wonderful time in the studio with my producer, Dominic Gibbs, in Nashville, TN). Don’t worry – blog about my first tour is forthcoming!

This song is actually both new and old. It’s an evolution of a song I wrote back in 2011 – “Surprise” – which I recorded with my band, The Pretty Unknown. That said, I kept hearing that song grow and change, and while I love “Surprise,” I think I’m even more proud of this. The chords are very similar, and there’s one phrase in the pre-chorus that has stayed basically the same. Other than that, it’s an entirely new song.

Continue reading ““Butterflies” – Official Release” »