Exclusive New Interview with Charlie Starr from Blackberry Smoke

BUTTE, MT - Music to roll your windows down to on a beautiful, sunny day.

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That's the first thing I said to my roommate who first showed me Blackberry Smoke's hit, Good One Comin' on. The track immediately resonated with me because of its care-free nature, its honest feel, and the powerful vocals coming from lead vocalist and songwriter Charlie Starr. I immediately went to listen to the entire album, hoping that I wouldn't fall prey to the classic trope of "the lead single is incredible, but the album fails to live up."

Fortunately for me—and anyone who's been lucky enough to listen to a Blackberry Smoke record—the album held up. In truth, listen to any of their albums from their impressive catalogue of eight studio albums, two live albums, and five EPs, any you'll find that virtually every single one of them holds up.

That's what makes Blackberry Smoke so special: they're timeless.

In fact, Charlie Starr said it best himself: the reason they've been able to stick it out for over two decades (with a growing fanbase to show for it) is because of their raw honesty found in all aspects of their production, from the songwriting process, to the intention of the sound, to the actual recording of the music. Tom Petty was a comparison brought up, and once you hear it, it's very hard to un-hear.

Tom Petty isn't the only inspiration Charlie has when crafting his sound. Take a listen to the interview, found below, and you'll learn that Charlie—despite shallow expectations that all he listens to is bluegrass, rock, or country—may surprise you. And his charming, calming voice is surely a treat to listen to.

Charlie was kind enough to sit down with me for a one-on-one interview ahead of their upcoming shows at The Elm in Bozeman, MT, on Saturday, October 19th and The Wilma in Missoula, MT, on Sunday, October 20th. Tickets are still available by going to LogjamPresents.com.

Without further ado, here is the full interview (recorded Friday, October 18th, 2024) with Charlie Starr from Blackberry Smoke and Devon Brosnan, brought to you by Logjam Presents and Townsquare Media.