Charlie Black comes home and brings lots of friends to celebrate.
The rhythm guitarist, a 2018 graduate of Park City High School, and his San Diego-based band Saint Luna will perform Friday, Aug. 23, at Premiere Park City, 268 Main St.
The band – consisting of Black, lead singer and guitarist Bradyn Jace, lead guitarist Wick Hauser and drummer Paarsa Heidari – which formed a few months after the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, will introduce a new bassist, Tanner Lampugnale, who replaced original four-stringer Max Katz a year and a half ago.
“There’s this constant joke about bass players that they’re boring or can’t move or shine like a singer or drummer,” Black said. “But this guy is the exact opposite. Offstage, he can be the quietest, calmest, most down-to-earth guy. But once he’s onstage, he’s the entertainment. He’s the one doing the craziest dance moves, pulling faces and joking into the microphone. We’re lucky to have him.”
The last time Saint Luna played in Black’s hometown was at Park City Brewing in 2022, and since then the band has gone through changes that only time could bring.
“We started out as a broke, starving college band and now we’re a broke, starving working class band,” Black says, laughing.
Seriously, the guitarist said the band’s work ethic is more focused.
“When we first met, it was pretty easy to sit in the studio for four or five hours a day and make music with your friends. Now it’s harder,” he said. “I work eight to five in a company. Some of the guys work in construction and some of us are waiters. Instead of practicing four hours every day, we now practice two hours twice a week.”
And when the band members aren’t rehearsing together, each of them works alone on their individual parts, according to Black.
“This is how we make the best use of our time,” he said.
In addition, the band is trying to find gigs in larger markets.
“San Diego is not the biggest city, and we’ve played all the big venues multiple times,” Black said. “So I’ve been trying to establish ourselves more in LA. And while the market may be oversaturated in that city, there are a thousand and one super iconic and vibrant venues that draw people in just by name.”
The band has even accepted a few bookings in San Francisco.
“It’s difficult now because we all work during the week and only have about eight days off a month, which are the weekends,” he said. “So it’s harder to coordinate time, but with the maturity we’ve developed over the last few years, we’ve managed to make it work.”
In addition to additional performances outside of San Diego, Saint Luna has been working on producing new music.
“We all have digital workspaces on our computers, so instead of meeting in a studio, we all recorded demos to send to producers and see who would be the best fit for our harder and softer songs,” Black said.
Speaking of recordings: Saint Luna released his first album in January.
“This was long overdue,” said Black. “We know that singles are the thing these days and it’s cheaper and easier to put them out. But we decided that we weren’t so much interested in commercial success, but in doing something just for us. I mean, the band came from a fun world and from our absolute passion for music, so why not stoke that fire and start our own little project?”
The self-titled album marks a change for the band, Black said.
“We started out as a more indie, groovy soft alt-rock band, but we’re trying to invent something new called desert rock that’s neither metal nor hard rock,” he said. “It combines the tones of indie, alt-rock and classic rock with a bit of blues and other classical influences. As we mature, we’re not just playing fun and happy music. We want some swagger. We want some character and a bit of bite.”
Along with the album, Saint Luna also released a cover of Tame Impala’s “Half Full Glass of Wine,” which the company recorded during a live session in the desert a few weeks ago, Black said.
“We also plan to release an EP later this year and another one in the spring,” he said.
Black’s love affair with music began when he was in elementary school.
“I’m the youngest of three brothers,” he said. “They’re 18 months apart and I’m four years younger than them, so it’s always been a bit of a battle for attention in my family.”
To satisfy his need for attention, Black gave a concert during the holidays.
“I had my family sit around the fire on Christmas while I sang Johnny Cash’s ‘Ring of Fire,'” he said.
As Black grew older, he discovered punk rock, which led him to the guitar.
“My brothers and I had a computer with speakers set up in the basement, and I was looking for punk rock songs and found that the guitar had a certain sparkle,” he said. “It fits any mood. It can be melodic. It can be driving. It can groove. When I’m mad, I play guitar. When I’m sad, I play guitar. It can do anything, and that versatility was a big part of it.”
Things came to a head when Black’s family moved across the country from the east to Park City.
“I was 16 and we stopped at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland (Ohio),” he said. “Seeing all the history and artifacts was really cool, but the most relatable thing was the lyrics of ‘American Idiot’ on a yellow piece of paper written by Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, who was my favorite growing up. There were lines cut out and this crappy, scribbled handwriting on it, and I realized I could try that too. And that lit a fire in me.”
While at Park City High School, Black played lacrosse, his favorite sport, and enrolled at the now-closed Granger School of Music to hone his creative skills.
“I think creativity is as important as eating or drinking water,” he said. “Everyone is creative, even if they don’t think of themselves as creative. I mean, if you do accounting, you have a special method in your brain for lining up the numbers at the bottom of the Excel spreadsheet.”
Creativity is also how people progress and explore new terrain in their thoughts and experiences, Black said.
“It’s always been in me, whether it was a new move or a new trick in lacrosse or another way I mastered a pajama party at a friend’s house as a kid,” he said. “For me, it’s been so fun to go from sitting alone in my room for hours, daydreaming about being on stage and inspiring other people, to a phase where I’m doing it with a group of people who have decided to come together.”
Coming home to perform in Park City is one of Black’s favorite things as a musician.
“The last time we did it was in 2022, and it was for my mom’s birthday,” he said. “She’s the biggest Saint Luna fan and she swears it’s not because I’m her son. So I’m going to believe her.”
This time, Black is excited to play for fans who have never had the chance to see the band live.
“A lot of people follow us online but have never been to one of our shows,” he said. “So it’s going to be really fun.”
Of course, Black can’t wait to reconnect with friends and fans who have already seen Saint Luna live.
“It’s special for me to create memories in my hometown and share them with some of my best friends from high school,” he said.
St. Luna and Mashalluv
