The Bishop goes to ‘War’

With contemporary music genre titles like psych-ambient-folk-hop and shoegaze, Bloomington band Charlie Patton’s War prefers to keep things classic.

“After a show, I want people to come away knowing that good, old-fashion rock and roll and blues music is still happening, people are still making it and it’s right here in Bloomington,” Charlie Patton’s War drummer Aaron Frazer said.

The band will be performing 9 p.m. Thursday at The Bishop.

Named after Charlie Patton, the father of the Delta Blues, the band is a new project by four Jacobs School of Music recording arts majors.

Though they spent the majority of last semester playing house shows, the band is a current competitor in IU’s Little 500 Battle of the Bands and is broadening its audience.  

“We played at The Bluebird last semester for Battle of the Bands and now we’re in the finals there on February 24,” Frazer said.

Though the band has made it to the final four in the competition, they said they don’t have specific hopes for the outcome.

“We’re just going to try and go up there and have people like us,” lead vocalist Blake Rhein said. “I guess we just hope that no one is plugging their ears.”

Despite the outcome, Battle of the Bands will most likely assist the band in getting its name out there.

“Our main focus right now is to play more shows and get people to recognize us a bit,”
Rhein said.

Besides the competition, the band will be having its first headlining show Thursday.

“This is only our second show out of a basement,” Frazer said. “Dirty basements and house shows are where we thrive, but it will be interesting to play at a more conventional venue.”

Frazer said they plan to play some new songs that have been in the works along with a few older originals for Thursday’s audience.  

“I think my ideal crowd would like to listen to the blues but at the same time maybe have some people who really don’t,” Rhein said. “Hopefully the show will encourage those people to listen to other types of music by making blues accessible.”

Freshman Rachael Fernandez first started listening to Charlie Patton’s War after meeting Frazer at The Bishop for another show.

“As soon as their music started playing I immediately thought that it had that blues feel,” Fernandez said. “The melody and guitar just had that tone to it.”
Rhein said for him, playing the blues is about playing what he feels.

“It’s about putting everything you have into it,” Rhein said. “It’s writing what you feel, and if there’s no hard emotion at the moment, you just rock with it.”

Fernandez said she plans to attend the show Thursday and looks forward to hearing them play live. One thing she said she admires most about their music is the fact that she can tell they are all educated musicians.

“All of us have been a part of different bands and as recording arts majors we pay a little more attention to detail and we’re slightly more articulate with our instruments,” Frazer said.

Frazer and keyboard player Justin Hubler, are also members of The Natives and Mr. Johnson’s Family Reunion. Frazer said their collaborative experience is one contributing factor to the ease and enjoyment of their creative process in Charlie Patton’s War.

“I think they enjoy what they do, and if they enjoy playing, the crowd will enjoy it too,” Fernandez said. “I really think it will be great seeing them live.”