Charles started playing guitar in earnest when he began taking lessons at Pedrini Music in Alhambra California. He was 12 years old at the time and does not recall how the lessons were negotiated but his instructor taught him to read music and introduced Charles to a variety of guitar-music styles: Classical, Flamenco and Folk. He can’t remember the instructor’s name, but Charles praises his teaching technique – appreciating that the instructor taught him music, and not just how to play songs…which was (and is) typical of many guitar teachers.

Stopping his lessons after about a year, Charles continued to play guitar off-and-on. He bought books of music, e.g., Cat Stevens, James Taylor, The Beatles, and learned to play a few songs from memory. He also dabbled in songwriting. While he retained some of what he had learned at Pedrini (there are a couple pieces he can still play from memory to this day,) study of music theory was halted.

After two years at Alhambra High School, a family move meant finishing high school at Temple City High. Through mutual friends, Charles met Keith – who also played guitar. Charles’ girlfriend at the time played flute and for a talent show, the three of them performed a song Charles had written. Being angsty and melodramatic, the song nevertheless cemented Keith and Charles’ duet, guitar-playing style. In this noisy cassette-recording of a practice session at Keith’s house in 1976, the syncopation sprinkled throughout their 1982 and 1987 studio recordings can be heard all the way back in 1976. The recording also documents that while they may not have known much music theory, they listened to each other – neither one trying to dominate the sound. Charles: “We each ‘wrote’ our own parts: each one playing a section over-and-over until the other had their part. Wrote is in quotes because we never actually wrote anything down – not even the friggin’ lyrics! Unless it counts that they might have been scribbled down in a Pee-Chee folder – long since, thrown away.”

While at Pasadena City College after high school, Charles and Keith met Dorian – a poet in the Charles Bukowski mold. Mutual respect for each other’s creative endeavors set the stage for what became a life-long friendship. A favorite experience was the Parisienne Salon-style “Pie-Night” meetings – Tuesday nights at Dorian’s parent’s house. Much was discussed…and nothing at all. Absinth was traded for coffee and being kept awake by it was valued…or not experienced.

Since 1982 Charles has resided in the San Francisco Bay Area. He’s held various jobs: bank teller, office machine salesman, IT manager for various law firms, telecom manager for an internet start-up, and proposal manager for a tech company. He is now semi-retired from his business as a photographer and videographer. He spends his time playing, learning and writing music as much as possible and being “Popsi” to his six grandchildren. In his “spare” time he is also an indie filmmaker and wanna-be playwright.

Charles is excited to be reunited in this new endeavor with his friends and former bandmates, Keith and Dorian. This new collaboration being called thefiresinside as an homage to their old band, Home of Fire.

The deaths of two dear friends was the motivation for them to reconnect after a few decades of separation…caused not by anything other than life-changes. A reunion happened in 2023 in Long Beach, CA and it was decided that there was still some magic in these (now) old dudes.