Tempo Talks: A Conversation with Blue Shirt Charlie

THE RELEASE

"Misty" by Blue Shirt Charlie is a radiant new single that encapsulates the band's journey through trials and tribulations to find hope and renewal. Embodying the idea that it's worth getting lost to be found, this uplifting track draws inspiration from David Gray's "Back in the World" and Radney Foster's "Angry Heart." With lyrics portraying two lost souls discovering a future together, the song celebrates love's indifference to one's perceived worthiness. Hailing from the Alt-Country movement, Blue Shirt Charlie—comprised of Richie Sessions, Russ Chapman, and Lex Lipsitz—blends rootsy authenticity with pounding rhythms and effects-laden guitars, echoing influences ranging from Elliott Smith to early U2. After a hiatus marked by personal challenges, the trio reconvened in 2022 and released new music in 2023, recorded at Southern Comfort, Waylon Jennings' former Nashville home. "Misty" follows recent singles "Shelter," a powerful Alt-Country anthem inspired by real-life tragedies, and "Crazy Woman," a poignant alt-rock exploration of mental health struggles within a family. With a history of songwriting, touring, and collaborating with diverse artists, Blue Shirt Charlie's latest offering exemplifies their unwavering dedication to creating meaningful connections through music.

THE INTERVIEW

What song or moment in time sparked your passion for music?
Easy question—the first time I heard U2’s classic “The Joshua Tree.” The outro of “With or Without You” perfectly captures the beauty, sadness, glory, grit and speechless longing that this album is soaked in. The soaring chorus and The Edge’s jubilant digital delay on Where the Streets Have No Name. The pulsing bass and desperate kick of Exit. All this and more is why this album kept me on the planet as a teen.

If you had to create a Mount Rushmore of inspiration, what four individuals molded the artist you are today?

1) U2, for the reasons above. 2) The Old 97’s. If consistency separates the greats from the "also-rans,” consider this: The Old 97’s—when you add frontman Rhett Miller’s solo records—have released 20 killer records in the past 30 years. With zero filler—this band’s obscure B-Sides would have been a lesser outfit’s lead singles. (One of many examples: “Holy Cross”). The best live show I’ve ever seen was when they stomped a mud hole into Houston’s Satellite Lounge venue during the “Too Far To Care” tour. 3) Radney Foster. The classic “See What You Want To See” perfectly blurs the lines that bleed into Alt-Country—the lyricism of one genre colliding with the sonic adventurism of another. 4) The Samples. The original lineup from Boulder, Colorado. Sean Kelly’s guitar tone on “The Last Drag” prompted Russ to buy a Casio PG380 guitar—basically a Strat clone that Casio commissioned Ibanez to make in the 1980s—sounds amazing. While Jeep MacNichol’s drum work gave the band its unforgettable stamp, their secret weapon was always Andy Sheldon—“Prophet of Doom” is a 3-minute master class in songwriting. Desert island track. My favorite song.

How does your creative process work from the moment you develop the idea to the completion of the record?

The process of songwriting is mysterious. Creators act like there’s a repeatable formula—they might even write a book or two on the topic—but most writers will tell you the best songs seem to write themselves. Like they’ve been bubbling up in your subconscious mind for a while. Probably because they have. The moment songs really take flight is when you stop being so precious with them, and release them into the hands of co-creators you trust. Let the track go where it needs to. Rock is dumb. And none of us individually is as dumb as all of us, together.

As for this release, who is the producer and what about the production moved you?

Lex Lipsitz has sat in the producer’s chair since the first record we made as Juniors at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Working with the same producer and co-writers for so long—it’s weird—you develop a full vocabulary of non-verbal communication. At some point we’ll devolve into grunts, hand gestures—maybe petroglyphs.

When it comes to the songwriting on this record, what is the message you want to get across to your listeners?

Growing up, my favorite records made me feel less alone. Collections of songs that could articulate what I was going through in ways I couldn’t yet by myself. If one of our tracks resonates with someone in that way—that’s all we could ever hope for. But at the end of the day—as songwriters—we would do this just for ourselves. As outlaw country legend Billy Joe Shaver said, “Songwriting is a cheap psychiatrist, and I need one all the time."

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