Indie Mixtape 20: Food Is Very Important For Charlie Burg

Only 23 years old, Charlie Burg has already toured the world with the likes of Ashe, Jeremy Zucker, and other indie crossover artists that are quickly gaining rabid fanbases. With three EPs under his belt, Burg is looking to the future with his new single “Channel Orange In Your Living Room.” The track was recorded live in one take, and serves as a full demonstration of Burg’s raw talent.

To celebrate the new track, Burg sat down to talk Coldplay, dressing like his idols, and Phoebe Bridgers in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

Nostalgic, thoughtful, organic, intentional.

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

I’d like my music to be remembered as an ambitious, ever-evolving sonic attempt to articulate my experience of the human condition in the most vulnerable and creative way possible.

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?

New York has this undeniable electricity every time like I’m carrying some unspoken torch of rock ‘n’ roll. Playing in places like Paris and London feels legendary though, almost mythical like I’m using music to etch my name into a book of folklore.

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

Perhaps my dad, who raised me singing songs and listening to soul vinyl all my childhood. Or perhaps Chris Martin.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

Probably my hometown. Something my mother cooked growing up? Food is more than just taste, I guess, at least in memory… there’s a sentimental element that makes it more wonderful in your mind’s eye than anything you could buy.

What album do you know every word to?

Is This It by The Strokes. Maybe Abandoned Luncheonette by Hall & Oates.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

I cried at Coldplay in 2016. I fell in love at Lorde in 2014. Gosh, I’ve been to so many concerts. Avett Brothers shows might top them all though.

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

As long as it’s you, and it makes you feel rad, it’s the best. Sometimes I like feeling like my idols with the clothes I wear on stage.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

Phoebe Bridgers’ Twitter feed should be published in a book. She is just so brilliant.

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?

“Love And Happiness” by Al Green, or “Days” by The Drums.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

The lyrics to “So Long, Marianne” by Leonard Cohen.

What album makes for the perfect gift?

Tapestry, Carole King? Donuts, Dilla?? Hmph.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

3 years ago on a self-booked DIY tour, I slept in an armchair in an open closet in the college house living room where we played the show earlier in the night. I woke up drunk and fully clothed.

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

TBD. I don’t have tattoos yet!

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?

Curtis Mayfield, Clairo, Blue Album-era Weezer, to name a few. Or did you mean more radio-y artists? I dunno, maybe The 1975?

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

My parents and grandma raised me; that was pretty nice!!

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Don’t be so dramatic, this doesn’t last forever. Write down everything you learn, and pay attention to what makes you hurt – these will be key plot devices later on.

What’s the last show you went to?

Puma Blue in Brooklyn I think. So good!

What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

The first Kung Fu Panda movie.

What would you cook if Kanye were coming to your house for dinner?

Roast chicken, kugel and matzo ball soup. Show him some of that good Jewish home-cookin’.

“Channel Orange In Your Living Room” is out now on FADER Label.

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