Chicago
Charming Axe is a Chicago based, American Roots band that performs cover songs as well as originals in a variety of arrangement styles. Charming Axe music spans bluegrass, country and folk and roots with an emphasis on Appalachian derived straight vocal tone and three part harmony, accompanied by traditional folk and acoustic instruments including guitar, mandolin, fiddle, upright bass and others. Their songs range from forlorn, heartfelt love songs and a cappella ballads, to uptempo dance numbers. Traditional tunes from artists like Porter Wagoner, Emmylou Harris and Rhonda Vincent are sure to please any fan of this kind of music and their adaptations of nontraditional and original songs keep their shows fresh and exciting every time.
Rob Newhouse (Guitarist/Vocalist) has racked up many years of performing, recording, writing and teaching. A military brat, he grew up in various places; New Jersey, Texas, Alabama and the Azores to name a few. His mom was a big band singer in the '40's and Dad was a jazz-lover; music was always an important part of everyday life. A drummer originally, Rob switched to guitar and played in many bands, including Chicago roots-pop favorite the Elvis Brothers. He left the bar band scene in 1998 and began teaching at Chicago's famous Old Town School of Folk Msic. "I was surrounded by a community of stellar musicians; walking songbooks of American folk and roots." His long time love of mountain style vocal harmony led him to Eugenia and Hannah and they hit it off instantly. Loves family, food, kindness, tolerance, truth and oh yeah, music!
Since moving to Chicago in 1991 from the east coast, Eugenia Elliott has made her mark on the Chicago music scene in a wide variety of musical genres that include vocal jazz standards, bluegrass, old time country and popular contemporary music. Eugenia has also been successful in the realm of studio recording including demo and album work. You can hear her in local bands such as the Teflons and the Linda Marie Smith Band as well as on her own album of originals entitled 4000 Weeks. Eugenia has held down a variety of “day jobs” including those as a clinical social worker and massage therapist. She feels there is a symbiotic bond between the two professions and music in that all are dedicated to relationships, communication and, in a sense, healing.
Hannah Hill has a deep and genuine love of vocal harmony. As the daughter of a church choir director she was inspired by her mother's singing and piano playing; inheriting her love of traditional and American folk music. Hannah, who has sung in nearly a dozen choirs in her life time, is a self described "strumming" guitarist and has a theatrical performance background. In addition to contributing her clear and gentle soprano voice to Charming Axe, Hannah is a preschool music teacher and volunteer art teacher and is also a Certified Music Practitioner where she performs live, therapeutic music at bedside for the critically ill, elderly, and other patients during difficult times.
Charming Axe’s tracks
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