Last week, Charlie Burg hit a roadblock. He found himself a third of the way through a recording session, trying desperately to communicate solely through hand motions and mouthed words — the intercom in the studio at Belfer Audio Laboratory and Archive broke. He and two other friends were separated from his sound engineers by thick panes of soundproof glass.

Burg had enlisted the help of others to lay down the bass and drums on demo tracks for his new album “Three, Fever.” Little progress on the recording of his third EP had been made when the intercom broke. Burg looked tired. Releasing the EP is a race against time — he’s hoping to avoid what happened when his previous project, “Two, Moonlight,” had to be delayed.

“Three, Fever” is the third EP of a three-part series. Burg, a Syracuse University music industry senior, said it will be released by the end of the year, with singles rolling out in the next few weeks.

“Timing’s important to me for some reason,” Burg said. “It’s spiritual to me to have music out before year’s end.”

The senior has made himself into a music scene staple at SU. Since transferring from Michigan State University as a sophomore, Burg has filled his time performing at house shows and University Union’s concert series, releasing EPs, touring, taking classes and working at People’s Place, a student-run coffee shop in Hendricks Chapel.

“From my first year here I knew I had to hustle to make my name ‘the name’ when you think about the live music in Syracuse,” he said. “I’ve paid my dues, playing to 10 people in basements.”

Despite the grueling hours, Burg puts the same amount of love and craftsmanship into his friends’ artistry as he does his own.

“He was incredibly willing to be involved in anybody else’s student products as well,” said Angela Ricciardi, a junior in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. “He’s very collaborative and very warm. Just a good person to be around in general.”

Burg is taking that same attentive energy and transferring it into creating deeper connections with the fans he’s earned. His personal touches include responding to social media shout outs, direct messages and posts, among other things. While those platforms may be surface-level, the conversations can run deep. This past spring, Burg said a fan’s DM really affected him.
“She said ‘I just wanted to say I’ve struggled with depression for a long time and I was thinking of ending it all recently, and that’s when I found your music and that’s when it all changed,’” Burg said.

Burg describes that moment as a turning point for his relationship with his fans. Just a few months later, he met that same fan in person when she came to one of his shows in Los Angeles.

“She showed up with a drawing of me and said ‘Hey, Charlie, I’m that girl that sent you that message,’” Burg said. “That was a very surreal moment.”

But for those who know Burg best, that moment — and Burg’s ability to connect with his fans on such intimate levels — comes as no surprise.

“Charlie’s warm energy transfers through to his incredible versatile music, with powerful songwriting that allows any listener to connect to his inner emotions,” said Josie Strick, a junior music student.

To balance all of the online interactions, Burg said he wanted to do something different for the release of “Two, Moonlight.” While in Seattle this past summer, he got an idea for lyric booklets to pair with his songs.

Charlie Burg and ESF juniors Levi O’Brien and Nate Holloway (left to right) were working in the Belfer Audio Laboratory and Archive last week on Burg’s new EP. Hieu Nguyen | Asst. Photo Editor

“I wanted to do something that takes it offline and connects with real people,” he said.

In July, Burg posted on Instagram requesting that his followers send him a screenshot of the album saved or downloaded, and their address. In return, they would get “something special in the mail.” Burg said he expected maybe 40 DMs. He received about 180, and he hadn’t even made the booklets yet — but after time-consuming work, it was a rewarding project, Burg said.

But there’s no booklet for “Three, Fever” — Burg said he wants the upcoming EP to be different than his past work. He said people tend to pin him as a “love song” artist.

“I’ve gotten that comment before,” Burg said. “‘Charlie, you love your love songs’ and I know, it comes naturally and it’s a potent feeling.”

While listeners may have grown accustomed to his soulful hums over an acoustic guitar and keys, Burg is aiming for more introspective songwriting.

“Last summer was a really important summer for me in terms of coming to terms with things in myself that I’ve battled for a long time. And that’s something the songs have been inspired by a little bit more,” Burg said.

The past few years of being both an artist and student have been tough for Burg. He admitted that he’s reconsidering his future as a performer. While Burg said he doesn’t want to go on tour, he does want to keep making music and sharing it with the world.

“I’ve been having some reconsiderations about my desire for the limelight,” Burg said. “I want to sign my friends, I want to write songs for other people.”

Charlie also has his sights set on reviving Detroit, where the Birmingham, Michigan, native got his start playing in coffee bars. Burg said he dreams of opening a venue in the city that serves coffee in the day and alcohol at night and gives musicians a space to perform.

But, for now, Burg will be in the studio.

After the group laid down some bass and drums at Belfer Audio Laboratory and Archive last week, Burg fiddled with one of his demo tracks on his laptop. Finding the right mix, he bobbed his head to the beat, and the room grooved with him.

Published on October 10, 2018 at 10:01 pm

Contact Daniel: djyarnal@syr.edu