Charlemagne – Charlemagne 2009
The band CHARLEMAGNE was formed during 1987. Scott and Raymond had moved to Hollywood, California in September of 1986 when Scott was scheduled to begin the 1986 – 87 sessions at MIT (Musicians Institute of Technology). It was during that time that Scott met Ken Kowalski who was attending PIT (Percussion Institute of Technology) and Lee Brian who was attending BIT (Bass Institute of Technology). While it was common practice for students from all of the schools to play together during Live Playing Workshop, Scott, Ken, and Lee never actually played together during those times.
Scott had observed Ken and Lee playing with other players at various times and after hearing the both of them, he approached them on different occasions to discuss the possibility of forming a band outside of school. Several rehearsals were scheduled to explore this possibility after which it became obvious to all this was to be a great fit indeed.
After a year of three practice nights per week, the band felt ready for the Los Angeles club scene. One interesting side note was the rehearsal space that the band used. In the middle of the industrial district of Los Angeles in a city called Vernon was a lockout rehearsal facility named “Francisco’s Studios”. Francisco’s consisted of two buildings with a total of 117 rehearsal rooms all rented by the month. On any given night throughout the week, literally 90% of the rooms were filled with many local rock acts rehearsing their shows. Since these rooms allowed 24-hour access, bands rehearsed at all hours of the week. It was not uncommon for 25 bands to be rehearsing at 7:00am on a Sunday morning. Another interesting tidbit was the Purina Chicken Feed factory located about a quarter mile from Francisco’s. During the summer, the odor produced from that factory was unbelievable heavy.
01. Secret Romeo
02. I Don’t Wanna Lie
03. She’s Only Young
04. So Far Away
05. Is It Ever Easy
06. I’ve Got You
07. Chance Is Calling
08. Last Chance
09. Wait And See
10. I’m Not That Easy
11. I Wish I Knew
Line-Up:
Raymond Barrett Jr. – lead vocals
Scott Oliver – lead & rhythm guitars
Ken Kowalski – drums
Lee Bryan – bass
Charlemagne – Charlemagne 2009