WHAT'S IN A NAME ? - CHARLIE HARRIS - KEEP GUESSING CHARLIE

 

CHARLIE HARRIS – THE MAN WHO NEVER STOPPED CHASING THE DREAM

The name? A spontaneous line to a friend that stuck: “Keep Guessing, Charlie.” The vibe? Raw, real, and full of heart.  The message? Go for it. Now’s your time!

When you are on the outside looking in, being in a band looks like the biggest amount of fun… and it is.  In between the stress, the ‘starving artist’ dilemma, band politics, tight time schedule, etc etc etc… and then there is Keep Guessing Charlie… the ACTUAL fun band who not only know how to have fun but ARE all round fun guys !

If you were to tell me that you don’t know Charlie Harris or his band, then I would honestly have my reservations.  But, for the sake of unbiased assumptions, if you were to ask me, “So, who is this KEEP GUESSING CHARLIE then, well that’s a simple answer, it’s the best garage band that you don’t know.  Just ask them…they will tell you!

And while we are busy with all these questions, here’s an asked and answered one for you… GUESS WHO is about to launch the greatest E.P ever? Well, KEEP GUESSING CHARLIE, of course, that’s who! And for this reason, I thought it the perfect time to do a ‘little’ Q&A with him and the band.

…are you ready for the most entertaining and fun Q&A of all time?  Yes? Then I suggest you buckle up buttercup… here we go…

Q&A with Charlie Harris – Keep Guessing Charlie

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself... Who are you? Have you always wanted to make music...? How old where you when you realized that's what you want to do? Or were you just born a rock star?

>A: BORN A ROCK STAR!?  Not a chance!  And neither do I want to be one!!  I am just Charlie, a seriously under talented muso who will work his ass off to be exceptionally average!   

I have always loved music.  My uncles always played the guitar and I thought they were such heroes. I started playing the guitar when I was about 13 and after writing my first song there was no turning back!

 Q: Tell us about Keep Guessing Charlie, the bands journey ....all the  How/ when/ where/ why and who’s . 

>A:  Shaun (the drummer) and I have been playing together for 25 years.  We originally called ourselves HEMISPHERE, which later changed to RADIO UNFRIENDLY.  Both bands were quite loud and punkish / grung- ish.

After that, I went ‘back to my routes’, so to speak, on acoustic.  

Q: And why the name Keep Guessing Charlie...? There has to be a story there?

>A:  We had been looking for a cool new name for our band, one that could be our brand.  And people were constantly asking when we were going to record and release songs, when were we playing a gig again, what were our plans etc etc etc.  My response was always the same, I told them, like us, you’ll have to just keep guessing.

 And WALA, I had a light bulb moment.  I immediately sent Shaun a message saying that I think I have a name that would suites us, ‘KEEP GUESSING’, and he agreed.

But everyone kept referring to us as ‘Charlie’s Band’ or Keep Guessing – Charlie.  When I created our YOUTUBE channel, I made an ‘honest’ mistake and it came up as KEEP GUESSING CHARLIE.  The name was quite liked by most, so we left it as it was and then branded it like that.

Q: About the band members:   Who are the band members and what are their respective roles in the band?  Where they (also) all born rock stars?

>A: Shaun is the drummer and the “cajanist” and we have been playing music together for about 25 years

Andre is the bassist and after we had him as a guest artist for a YOUTUBE ‘live’ thingy, he never left!! With the coolest hat in the band he fitted in from the word go, although the first 18 minutes  or so was a borrowed bassist, BBBUUUUTTT now officially is a fully-fledged band member

Franks is the second guitarist. Initially, he simply enjoyed jamming with Charlie and the band, but the last few months has put in many hours and has fast and furiously become a fully-fledged fourth band member.

Q: Do you write all of the songs, or does it become a team effort with the band?

>A: I LLLOOOVVVEEE writing songs and, yes, I write all the songs.   Heaven help the band if Shaun decides to write a song!!  

Q: What inspires you to write what you write? ( i.e.. Are your songs born from Random thoughts..... Emotion... or simply derived from life itself? )

>A: Inspiration comes in so many ways.  It can be a feeling, something tragic, something randomly  seen that sparks off a song or even just a concept. For me there are two things that  dictate 99% of my song writing (1) Imagination and (2) the fact that everything is a feeling. Albeit just a party feeling, mundane feelings, a tragedy, sadness or loneliness, happiness, excitement.. …for me, all songs have a feeling or some type of emotion attached to it and that is what makes it relatable.

Q: Share one (or two or more) awkward fact(s) and /or an embarrassing moment (maybe at a show)

>A:  > Awkward fact:  I always gig with my tablet; even though I know my words, mostly, but without that ‘crutch’ I always manage to stuff up!

> Embarrassing moment: I once lied to a girl; I told her I couldn’t be her plus 1 at her sister’s wedding because I had prior arrangements to attend a family member’s birthday party.  Truth was, I wanted to rather go do a mobile DJ thingy with my uncle. Only to realise, when this girl walked in, we were DJing at this girls sister’s wedding!! She was so pissed at me.  And he best part about this is that my uncle knew we would be at her sister’s wedding, and decided not to tell me, as he thought it was be funny.

 Q: How would you describe the Keep Guessing Charlie vibe... Genre... Niche etc?

>A: The genre is very hard to pin down as we truly transcend genres.  We do like to say our genre is called KICK ASS, but if we had to narrow it down, we would say its a bridge between folk rock and rock with a few traces of grunge.

Q: Any upcoming gigs and or recordings that we can look forward to?

 >A: So we usually limit how often we play shows, however, we are releasing an E.P on the 1st May 2026.  The EP is called, THE GREATEST EP EVER!!   We also plan on recording and releasing another 8 singles this year.

Q: Where can we find your music?

>A: On all major streaming platforms, under, search ‘Charlie Harris’.  Alternatively, head on over to  www.keepguessingcharlie.com, where you’ll find links to the various platforms where our music can be found.

Q: One word of advice for new upcoming musos?

>A: Be honest with yourself.  BE YOURSELF and never give up!!  You will be up one day and the next you will be down.  It is just like a roller coaster.  There will be many super highs and lower lows, but it is still an awesome journey, so enjoy the ride!

Q: Share one fun fact about you that we don't .

>A: I rode a bull twice; the second time reminded me why I should never do that again!

Q: Any noteworthy band bragging rights? (Interviews, shows, sharing stages with big names, etc etc)

>A: Shaun & I once played at a Wits concert; we had a small stage (in The Rowing Club).  The Parlotones were playing on the main stage.  When their set had finished, The Rowing Club area started filling up with so many people.  They were all flocking to our stage and a number of shirtless characters were dancing on the bar counter. To our amazement, the small room just kept filling up! Eventually security had to stop our set as it was too full and everyone was going berserk!

To this day we like to say that we stole the show from The Parlotones, and to this day they have no idea who we are, who we were or that we were even there at all!

 

Q: Any crazy fans stories?

>A: Can’t remember any………fans that is!

Q:  Being a band of heartthrobs... Any available bachelors that your girl (or boy) fans would be thrilled to know about?

>A: Band of heart throbs? HAHA… Let me just compose myself real quick…

Okay, so anyway… only Andre is single, and we are not quite sure of the real reason to why that is!!

 Q: Tell us a bit more about ‘Cry me a River’.  What is the story or message behind that song?

>A: This song started off as a guitar riff. I thought it was pretty cool so I sent it to Andre and Shaun. Andre came back and said it needs to be more varied. I told him he is a tool and that I was simply sharing the cool riff with them!!

Later I sent the ‘musical’ arrangement to them and, well, they liked it.  And that is how Cry me a River was born.

By default I kept uttering the opening line Cry Me a River of Crocodile Tears, which became the basis of the song.  The song is basically for those people who once dismissed you, only later to find out  that they had made a mistake ( because you became what they said you couldn’t or did something astounding that could have potentially benefitted them) and who are now ‘very sorry’ because they lost out. 

Q: On the upcoming E.P - The GREATEST EP EVER - Do you have a favourite song? And, tell us why chose that particular song?

>A: Charlie: MY UTOPIAN LIE.  I love the guitar work, even though it’s simple, it’s catchy.  I also love the chorus line.

Shaun:  At first it was Utopian Lie but now it’s Not Alone Anymore, purely because it’s catchy and fun to play…

Franks: My favourite songs are Cry me a River and Not alone anymore…I like them both equally as much.  Not alone anymore I Love the ska it brings, and brings a certain Madness … I really love playing it.

And Cry me a River just rocks [Ruby – I agree…Cry me a River totally rocks!]

Andre: “Not Alone Any More” – it resonates with me.  In terms of being part of this band and doing the things we do together, not to mention the upbeat ska energy of the song is so fun to play!

Q: Let’s talk Band dynamics... What's it like working together?

Charlie: The band ‘gets’ my songs, what else can I say!!?  We gel musically and have loads of fun with each bringing their own version of the magic and passion!

Shaun: Andre is cool. Charlie I am not so sure about but he writes the songs and stuff so we have to keep him around.

Andre: Playing with Charlie and Shaun is exactly that, playing! We have fun and communicate musically.  Charlie is fun and light hearted and lets me play the bass parts that I feel are fitting. There is no dictating and he is open to suggestions.  

Shaun is like a naughty Leprechaun, who loves smashing his drums. He communicates with me as the bass player in a way that we can marry the drum and bass parts to best serve the songs.

All together we have fun playing the songs, mistakes and all, and the light hearted fun we make of each other allows us to play our parts without feeling judged. I feel that allows us to express ourselves within the songs in the way that the songs move us!

Frank: Love the grounded non politics dudeness.

Q: You get away with being very cheeky, Charlie... Why do you think that is?  And how has it helped you in your music journey?

>A: CHEEKY!!?? I am NOT CHEEKY!! Who said I am cheeky!!??

….Am I cheeky?  Well, I never realised I was cheeky until recently…#justsaying and I don’t think it has helped me in any way really.

  I think I get away with it because people can tell where it is coming from, meaning that there is no bad intent or (real) malice but is rather more about just having a laugh.

 Q: Why did you name the soon to launch E.P, “THE GREATEST E.P EVER!!”?

>A:  BECAUSE IT IS… !!

And on that note I’d like to thank Charlie and the duuudes for taking the time to share some of the inside scoop with us! 

I don’t know about you, but I am super excited about the coming E.P – “THE GREATEST E.P EVER!!” due to launch on the 1^st of May 2026.

Find out more about Charlie Harris and his band, Keep Guessing Charlie here: www.keepguessingcharlie.com

Listen to the full interview here:

https://musiciansdomain.com/members/jollingwithseanmcbride/activity/6580/

Ps…you know what to do…Request Keep Guessing Charlie on your favourite radio station TODAY!