Charlie in the Question Mark

• 180g Vinyl LP comes with a postcard to download/ stream the music digitally •

Get the Postcard Collection

• A set of 5 postcards featuring the cover art on heavy stock matte paper. Each postcard has a link to download and stream the music •

Charlie in the Question Mark is the solo project of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Charlie Muench. Playing mostly supportive roles as a musician throughout his career, You Were Dreaming puts him front and center for the first time. The songs set him on a new course, seeking to leave behind stagnant and wooden ideas about what it means to be a musician and a creative being. The record is a collection of songs that seeks sweeping emotional honesty and deep-dives into the subconscious. Out June 28, 2024.

Credits
Produced by Charlie Muench and Dominic Billett
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Recorded by Dominic Billett at Light Purple Studio, Nashville,TN
Additional Recording by Charlie Muench at Question Mark Studios, Norristown, PA
Mixed by Dominic Billett
Mastered by Mike Newman
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Charlie Muench: lead vocals, bass, acoustic guitars (2,3,5,7,8), synths (4,5)
Dominic Billett: drums, percussion, vocals, synths (3,4)
Maya de Vitry: vocals, violin, acoustic guitar (7)
Jaron Olevsky: piano, organs (2,3,4,5,6,7) acoustic guitar (1), synths (1,2,4,), percussion (1)
Ross Bellenoit: electric guitars, organ(1)
Joseph Terrell: acoustic guitar (8)
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Art and Design by Lee Ferris,
Photography by Caitlin Brady,
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All songs by Charlie Muench, BMI

About the Record

Self-produced, You Were Dreaming was tracked mostly in Nashville at Light Purple Studio in 2023. Under the guise of making “demos”, Muench holed up with buds Dominic Billett (The Weather Station, Courtney Marie Andrews) and Maya de Vitry (Maya de Vitry, The Stray Birds) to marry some of his songs to a bigger sound. “Looking back, I was probably over-prepared for the session. I tend to be a perfectionist, especially in my own work”, Muench explains. “I had very clear ideas about how things should go which could not have been more in contrast with Maya and Dom, who didn't know the music at all…Since these were just demos (not intended for the record) the tracking had a natural, relaxed and, dare I say, easy feel to it. They had to rely mostly on musical instinct. Dom is always so solid on the drums so it was simple to build from his playing. Maya was mostly playing keyboards, instruments that are not squarely in her wheelhouse, which necessitated a simple approach that did not come off as tentative. It’s a testament to her musicianship.”
From these sessions Muench continued to build the sound while always allowing for spontaneity. Sessions in Philly with Jaron Olevsky (Amos Lee) on keyboards and Ross Bellenoit (Amos Lee, Birdie Busch) on guitar, continued a free-hand production style. “I wanted to allow Jaron and Ross to discover the music in the studio without too many preconceived ideas. I knew I could trust them to use their ears.” Muench explains. Olevsky and Bellenoit grew up together in Western Massachusetts and their ability to play off of one another is distinct throughout the recordings. “At one point Jaron and Ross swapped instruments in the studio. I wasn’t sure about it but I knew enough at that point to let it fly. To be honest I didn’t even know Jaron played guitar!” Muench took a couple weeks off from the production and then dove into post production and editing at his home studio. In December of 2023 he traveled to Nashville for a final time to hand off the music back to Billett for mixing. It was mastered by Mike Newman in Lancaster PA.