Bradley Wik and the Charlatans are ready and able here to rock your world! No doubt about that. Fans of Bruce Springsteen and Steve Earle are destined to meet a new favorite when encountering the fearlessly rockin’ sounds that Wik and his crew has to offer. In this candid interview, we meet an artist on the rise, not afraid of being real about his music, and more than ready for the big time! Read on…Where are you based out of and what is your local music scene like there?
Physically we are based out of the Portland, OR area, mentally I’m still out back East, hence a lot of the content on the record, which I’m still struggling with letting go.. As far as the music scene here, its pretty wretched. It’s pretty much based solely on the “weird” factor. For example the its hard to be accepted if you don’t wear purple skinny jeans and have a casio keyboard in the band making terrible sounds and pissing off the sound guy or gal.. I can’t say that we really fit in well here or that we’ve been accepted as such, but its sort of a compliment to be rejected. We always show up well dressed (suits and ascots) and with good sounding/working gear. It almost means I’m good (well great) and not a goddamn hipster making terrible music and passing it off as real music like most of the shit here… I’m trying to make something real that can help people on some level..
Physically we are based out of the Portland, OR area, mentally I’m still out back East, hence a lot of the content on the record, which I’m still struggling with letting go.. As far as the music scene here, its pretty wretched. It’s pretty much based solely on the “weird” factor. For example the its hard to be accepted if you don’t wear purple skinny jeans and have a casio keyboard in the band making terrible sounds and pissing off the sound guy or gal.. I can’t say that we really fit in well here or that we’ve been accepted as such, but its sort of a compliment to be rejected. We always show up well dressed (suits and ascots) and with good sounding/working gear. It almost means I’m good (well great) and not a goddamn hipster making terrible music and passing it off as real music like most of the shit here… I’m trying to make something real that can help people on some level..
What was the name of the very first song you ever wrote, how old were you, and what was the song about?
Really stretching back with that one, but I believe it was a song called “Riverbend” which was a reference to a park on the river that ran through the town I grew up in called the Rock River and the park was, yep you guessed it, where the river turned, or bent… The park was a hangout/favorite makeout spot for all us kids who finally got our licenses and our first car/girlfriend and wanted to neck, etc. without the interruptions we had at home… The song itself was about the hard times we grew up in and how we had nothing growing up. I wrote it when I was in High School sometime, though I’m not totally sure but I must’ve been either seventeen or eighteen as thats when I started playing music, but a lot of High School runs together as I wasn’t really involved with it and not there very much…
Really stretching back with that one, but I believe it was a song called “Riverbend” which was a reference to a park on the river that ran through the town I grew up in called the Rock River and the park was, yep you guessed it, where the river turned, or bent… The park was a hangout/favorite makeout spot for all us kids who finally got our licenses and our first car/girlfriend and wanted to neck, etc. without the interruptions we had at home… The song itself was about the hard times we grew up in and how we had nothing growing up. I wrote it when I was in High School sometime, though I’m not totally sure but I must’ve been either seventeen or eighteen as thats when I started playing music, but a lot of High School runs together as I wasn’t really involved with it and not there very much…
Is there any story or concept behind the album title Burn What You Can, Bury The Rest…?
The idea for the title came from one of the guys in the band who saw an old park sign regarding garbage, but the meaning always kinda stayed with me. The album is my first real album, my first go at making a real record and therefore its sorta a greatest hits of the first few years of my songwriting. The songs on the album were written over a span of four years and all across America as I traveled from one side to the other and back several times… “I am not Afraid” is the oldest song on the record dating back to 2007 and when I lived up in Seattle. I worked hard to make the record sound like an album, not just a collection of songs. I sifted through song upon song to come up with the final tracklist of the record, making sure we recorded and kept only the best, and most cohesive songs. It was a long process full of debate but ultimately ended in the best possible product…
The idea for the title came from one of the guys in the band who saw an old park sign regarding garbage, but the meaning always kinda stayed with me. The album is my first real album, my first go at making a real record and therefore its sorta a greatest hits of the first few years of my songwriting. The songs on the album were written over a span of four years and all across America as I traveled from one side to the other and back several times… “I am not Afraid” is the oldest song on the record dating back to 2007 and when I lived up in Seattle. I worked hard to make the record sound like an album, not just a collection of songs. I sifted through song upon song to come up with the final tracklist of the record, making sure we recorded and kept only the best, and most cohesive songs. It was a long process full of debate but ultimately ended in the best possible product…
Select two songs from the album and what inspired the lyrical content.
I could talk for hours on this topic but, in short, “This Old House” was the only song I wrote in Portland and, therefore, the last song written for the record. I wanted to write a song, a real song, about relationships between men and women. It hadn’t really happened before that.. I had been through a few relationships and whathaveyou by that time and I think it was finally time for me to understand that sort of thing. It takes people a while, especially guys like me (read: not smart) and I wanted to sing about the reality part of relationships, the very temporary nature of them in most regards. I remember sitting in my shitty apartment looking around and realizing that the building and the room I was sitting in had been around for over a hundred years and contemplating all the people and things that had happened on the very spot that I was sitting on. All the holes in the walls, the shitty paint jobs and quick fixes that didnt really repair the place. It dawned on me that we may try to move on from every breakup and such but never do fully. Every person that we love has some sort of impact on us, takes something from us, something that can’t be fixed or replaced, that if you look closely enough you’ll see, and that was true for both men and women…
I could talk for hours on this topic but, in short, “This Old House” was the only song I wrote in Portland and, therefore, the last song written for the record. I wanted to write a song, a real song, about relationships between men and women. It hadn’t really happened before that.. I had been through a few relationships and whathaveyou by that time and I think it was finally time for me to understand that sort of thing. It takes people a while, especially guys like me (read: not smart) and I wanted to sing about the reality part of relationships, the very temporary nature of them in most regards. I remember sitting in my shitty apartment looking around and realizing that the building and the room I was sitting in had been around for over a hundred years and contemplating all the people and things that had happened on the very spot that I was sitting on. All the holes in the walls, the shitty paint jobs and quick fixes that didnt really repair the place. It dawned on me that we may try to move on from every breakup and such but never do fully. Every person that we love has some sort of impact on us, takes something from us, something that can’t be fixed or replaced, that if you look closely enough you’ll see, and that was true for both men and women…
The other song that really touches me every time I sing it is “Just Like Jon Fickes.” The song is named after my good friend Jon Fickes, who has inspired me countless times to write better songs as hes so damn talented… It is by far the most personal song on the record, its all about my pilgrimage to New York City and of some of the people I met there. New York is my true home and I miss it greatly and nothing can describe it for me outside of that song.. Just listen and you’ll hear…
What could we expect from a live Bradley Wik and the Charlatans show?
Well, first and foremost, lots of drinking and partying. BWC was founded on the principle of having a good time, like Sam Cooke said, and playing some good music (for once these days). Generally we ask you to bring your dancing shoes and a desire to have fun, dance, sing along and maybe, just maybe, learn something about yourself. There’s lots of sweat, Rock N’ Roll and booze to be had by all…
Well, first and foremost, lots of drinking and partying. BWC was founded on the principle of having a good time, like Sam Cooke said, and playing some good music (for once these days). Generally we ask you to bring your dancing shoes and a desire to have fun, dance, sing along and maybe, just maybe, learn something about yourself. There’s lots of sweat, Rock N’ Roll and booze to be had by all…
Have you ever played in the Los Angeles area or plan to do so in the future?I have personally, but never with the band. In my younger days when I traveled across this country and back I played some acoustic shows in LA but never a full band set.. In regards to the future everything is fair game, and we have been practicing “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” just in case..
Tell me about your collaboration with Brianne Kathleen and how that came about.
To be honest, initially I was just attracted to her. I met her at a show of mine at the Crystal Ballroom here in Portland. She came out and danced and had a great time, no doubt enthused by my brilliant music and some whiskey. Anyhow, I remember I thought that she was immensely beautiful and we really didn’t get a chance to talk that night, as I was busy playing an amazing Rock N’ Roll show and she was busy being amazed by me. A couple weeks later I found myself in the studio and with her phone number (not entirely sure how that happened but hey, I’m Bradley Wik), so I called her up to see if she wanted to sing on my record, as I had always imagined the song “I am not Afraid” with a female backup part. I had no idea if she could sing or not, I had only heard from a few people that she could, but I figured we could either use it if she was good, or can it if she wasn’t but either way I would get to hang out and talk with her for a couple hours at least, which was all I would need. Turns out she is amazingly talented as well as amazingly beautiful and she ended up singing on two songs instead of just one, and I’m still in wonder of all her talent, and her beauty…
To be honest, initially I was just attracted to her. I met her at a show of mine at the Crystal Ballroom here in Portland. She came out and danced and had a great time, no doubt enthused by my brilliant music and some whiskey. Anyhow, I remember I thought that she was immensely beautiful and we really didn’t get a chance to talk that night, as I was busy playing an amazing Rock N’ Roll show and she was busy being amazed by me. A couple weeks later I found myself in the studio and with her phone number (not entirely sure how that happened but hey, I’m Bradley Wik), so I called her up to see if she wanted to sing on my record, as I had always imagined the song “I am not Afraid” with a female backup part. I had no idea if she could sing or not, I had only heard from a few people that she could, but I figured we could either use it if she was good, or can it if she wasn’t but either way I would get to hang out and talk with her for a couple hours at least, which was all I would need. Turns out she is amazingly talented as well as amazingly beautiful and she ended up singing on two songs instead of just one, and I’m still in wonder of all her talent, and her beauty…
You are invited to participate on a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. What song would you record for the tribute and why?
After long thought and inner debate, it would have to be “The Promised Land.” Of all the Boss’s songs, its the one that best describes my life and my outlook and my yearning to someday get to that place that’ll bring me some peace for once.. That line “I done my best to live the right way. I get up every morning and go to work each day…” is my life. I feel that I deserve a little something, someday, as it’s hard to lead the life I have for so long without a happy ending in sight, though I know its out there somewhere…
After long thought and inner debate, it would have to be “The Promised Land.” Of all the Boss’s songs, its the one that best describes my life and my outlook and my yearning to someday get to that place that’ll bring me some peace for once.. That line “I done my best to live the right way. I get up every morning and go to work each day…” is my life. I feel that I deserve a little something, someday, as it’s hard to lead the life I have for so long without a happy ending in sight, though I know its out there somewhere…
Tell me about the Charlatans and how everyone become involved with the band.
The Charlatans are an eclectic group of guys, and very talented. I met Sasha (bass) and Nick (drums) on the interwebs and we immediately started playing, and playing shows, much before we were ready. We were just hungry, you know? We then went up to Seattle to record a demo and my good friend Jon Fickes played all the lead guitar on it. Soon after that we decided we needed another guitar player and Nick convinced his buddy Brian to play with us. That’s it..
The Charlatans are an eclectic group of guys, and very talented. I met Sasha (bass) and Nick (drums) on the interwebs and we immediately started playing, and playing shows, much before we were ready. We were just hungry, you know? We then went up to Seattle to record a demo and my good friend Jon Fickes played all the lead guitar on it. Soon after that we decided we needed another guitar player and Nick convinced his buddy Brian to play with us. That’s it..
What has been your favorite CD release of 2011 and why?
Ryan Adams put out a new record this year “Ashes and Fire” and I love it. I cant wait for him to come out here so I can finally see him live as I’ve missed a couple of his shows due to moving/cancelled shows on Ryan’s part. Speaking of live shows, I recently just saw Martha Reeves (of Martha and the Vandellas) and it was unbelievable. She is pushing 70 and put on the best, most energetic, crowd pulling/dancing shows I’ve seen in a long time, probably the best show since I saw the Boss at the Garden…
Ryan Adams put out a new record this year “Ashes and Fire” and I love it. I cant wait for him to come out here so I can finally see him live as I’ve missed a couple of his shows due to moving/cancelled shows on Ryan’s part. Speaking of live shows, I recently just saw Martha Reeves (of Martha and the Vandellas) and it was unbelievable. She is pushing 70 and put on the best, most energetic, crowd pulling/dancing shows I’ve seen in a long time, probably the best show since I saw the Boss at the Garden…
What’s up next for the band?
Lots of promotion for this record, as we’ve worked so hard to make it possible and now its time to reap our sweet rewards… whatever that may be, hopefully fame and fortune and at least a little recognition for how great me and the band are…
Lots of promotion for this record, as we’ve worked so hard to make it possible and now its time to reap our sweet rewards… whatever that may be, hopefully fame and fortune and at least a little recognition for how great me and the band are…
Any final words of wisdom?
Keep a good head, and always carry a lightbulb…
Keep a good head, and always carry a lightbulb…
(Interview by Kenneth Morton)
Bradley Wik and the Charlatans Official Homepage
The alt country, heavily-bearded, acoustic nomad Bradley Wik has been traveling the country with his humble strings and down-to-earth stories, playing shows where ever people will listen. This turned out to be perfect proving ground for his latest, 8 track, “full-length,” “Burn What You Can, Bury The Rest” which plays more like a lengthy EP, but features more honesty and gritty authenticity than many other solo artist’s morosely, convoluted, full-lengths.
