Take A Listen

Here's 3 songs to get to know us quickly. Feel free to explore more of our music from the website menu or album list further down this page.

Join Mailing List, Get Free Song

Subscribe to mailing list quickly with email address or text, we'll give you a free download.

Choose whatever works best for you: having us email you with your welcome download links or text you. This will put you on our mailing list. We hate spam as much or more than the next guy, so we promise that you won't hear from us more than a few times a year.

Just enter an email where we can reach you, then you'll receive a new, unreleased song in your welcome email.

Please type in your cellphone number (numbers and dashes only), then you'll get a choice from 2 of our favorite songs in your welcome email. Standard message rates apply, yadda, yadda.

The Bigfellas

"Steely Dan for the Pabst Blue Ribbon crowd"

From San Diego, The Bigfellas write and perform “smartass rock". Piano-based, but aggressively eclectic. They’re best known for their more humorous tunes such as “I Wish That I Were Gay”, “4:20” and "Dollar For Every Dime" all of which are on their debut schizophrenic CD, Chubbed Up ... but they can be sensitive, too.

Also known for: cooking delicious grilled cheese sandwiches or hot dogs on stage during shows.

At times The Bigfellas can be identified as drawing comparisons to early Ben Folds Five or Warren Zevon. In practice, they're all over the stylistic map with Beck-style jams, 1920 French accordion jazz and straight up rock guitars.

As said in the San Diego Reader: "Our local scene is entirely too serious. The Bigfellas couldn't care less about the band's image." They're probably right.

You might have heard their golf rap, “On The Green” as the theme music to the Super 70's Sports Podcast.

Chuck Charles

Solo recordings from Charlie sans The Bigfellas

New album "Hiya" is available. Click here to check it out.

The Chuck Charles project is a collective of Charlie's music rounded out with talented his San Diego musicians/friends on songs that might not fit the mold of The Bigfellas & Leaders In The Clubhouse (his other band w Spud Davenport). Basically, anything without Shay on it becomes Chuck Charles instead of The Bigfellas.

Interesting factoid: Was sued by the publishers of the Ziggy comic strip.

Charlie has written the score for an acclaimed independent documentary (Don't Change The Subject), has music placed in basic cable TV shows, and does some studio playing for other artists in San Diego.

Chuck Charles was once referred to as "the stupid man's Randy Newman". We like that.

Upcoming Shows

In a pre-COVID-19 world, we loved playing live shows

As soon as the live music situation gets back to normal, we'll reschedule and book new dates. Meanwhile, we hope you're all doing OK (or better) health-wise and financially.

Discography

Releases from The Bigfellas and our solo/associated acts
Chubbed Up

Recommended

The Bigfellas' most recognizeable/danceable songs like "On The Green", "4:20" and "Moving Day" are here. Described as "the kind of satire that Randy Newman used to do so well."

Hiya

Upcoming Chuck Charles solo record "Hiya" with 15 new songs. Official release is in September 2020.

I Wish That I Were Gay

The EP/remix treatment that "I Wish That I Were Gay" deserves: Hollywood, political, polka and studio release versions. Plus "In The Daytime", a Bigfellas 1.0 staple.

Don't Change The Subject Soundtrack

Two Bigfellas originals commissioned for an indie documentary and full movie score from Charlie It's experimental, filmic and still fun to listen to, don't let the movie's topic fool you.

Won (Leaders In The Clubhouse)

Debut album of an ongoing collaboration from The Bigfellas' Charlie with Spud Davenport. Fun fact: all 10 songs have had some radio airplay.

Never Going Back Again

Special, sweet cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Never Going Back Again" with Charlie and singer/songwriter Sierra West.

Clap!

Very first Bigfellas EP with original Big lineup. Unfortunately, currently out of print, but available on request to folks on our mailing list.