Ghost Alley Magazine

Hailing from Santa Ana, California, The McCharmlys blend the bold choruses of the past with modern-day pop-riffs, bringing in a fresh-yet-reflective age of rock n’ roll.

They are now on tour with SadGirl through summer 2025. Find tickets here.

Where does the name (The McCharmlys) come from?

Angie: We’re big Beatles fans, and we took inspiration from an interview that John Lennon had, or the Beatles had all together, and John was kind of naming off, you know, his bandmates and he was like, ‘this is George Parasol and Paul McCharmly,’ and that’s how he became the McCharmlys. I don’t know, we thought it was it was cool.

It seems you take a lot of inspiration from the 60s. Are there any contemporary bands that you take inspiration from?

Eddie: Definitely very 60s inspired — some 50s, just a lot of whatever encompasses that decade. As far as the modern, I guess, like Angie’s really big on —

Angie: Sheer Mag and I love Shannon the Clams and I love — there’s so many there’s so many good bands. Los Tranquilos, Primos, The Mellows.

Eddie: The Mellows — shout out to them, to my brothers, love you.

When you’re writing lyrics, does that come from a place of personal experience, fiction, maybe both?

Angie: A little bit of both, I would say. I would say a lot of the writing is inspired by events and stories that may or may not be real. It may have been made up in our heads, all the above.

Is there a song (that you’ve written) that means the most to you?

Eddie: I mean, I have songs that I really like off of our… albums. I really like “Die.” It’s like a really good song and “Awful Thing” is great, of course.

Cole: Oh man, there’s too many. I love them all.

Angie: I don’t know, they’re all very special to us. I think we’re ready to release some new music, though, definitely some new stories, some new ideas that we’re very excited to share.

Do you have a favorite show that you’ve played?

Angie: I like playing in San Francisco at the Music Box. I think it’s a really pretty venue. It’s just gorgeous, and it has so much history, I don’t know, so that’s probably one of my favorites. What about you guys?

Cole: Oh, man, that pretty one in the forest was really cool… Where was that in San Francisco?

Angie: Oh, the park. It was the park — I can’t remember what it is.

Yari: It was beautiful. in a forest. It was amazing. With Die Spits…

Yari: Lodge Room was cool, like a bunch of people came out and a bunch of good bands — The Charities, MKs, and it was a good time.

Eddie: Definitely between the Lodge Room and… the Great American Music Hall is fantastic. Also, The (OC) Observatory, too. It’s been a very amazing venue to play in and you know, it’s in our hometown too, the band’s location, so it’s pretty amazing.

Do you guys have any advice for someone who is just getting into music?

Angie: Just do it. Someone’s always gonna say something to you, you’re never going to be right, so just do it.

Yari: Who cares what other people think, just do what you want to do, you know, it’s what it comes down to.

Angie: Get yourself some friends that are willing to support you in your growing musical endeavors.

Eddie: And play the social media game, people are just chronically online, you know? So, you know, that’s like the new TV and radio.

(Any thoughts or advice surrounding how to play the social media game?)

Angie: …I didn’t even want to do TikTok. I think it was just more of like I just — there’s some things that you gotta do and you just gotta go with the punches. And even if it’s not your favorite thing, you never know, because people are just dying to find you, you know?

Eddie: I’ll say something about that, you know, back then in the 80s, that was music videos. Everyone did it and, you know, like that’s the new cool thing. So maybe in the future, this would be the cool thing that people will look towards like, “oh, remember when TikTok was a thing and people got big?” I guess time will tell.

What is something that you hope to accomplish before it’s all said and done?

Angie: I mean, I’m gonna speak for myself, but I think we all pretty much feel the same when I say this, but we’re born with it and we’re probably gonna die with it, whether we make it really big or we don’t, I think it’s just like something for us. I don’t know. Once we’re born with it, it’s just kind of in you and you can’t help it, and it I’ never see it as as like, oh, when it’s over, I feel like it’ll never be over. Because I love it, like it’s who we are, I think.

Yari: Pretty much the same, just as long as people had a good time in our shows and enjoyed our records and just had good memories with us, you know.

Cole: I think it’s the only thing we know how to do, and we plan on doing it forever.

Eddie: I mean, music just isn’t a thing that, you know, we can shut off. It’s just like a daily part of our reality, and even if we do stop doing it at some point in the future, you know, like I’m sure each and every one of us is going to do something in music, you know, be a recording or writing songs. I mean, look at Paul McCartney, that guy is still going. Bless that man.

Favorite movie?

Angie: Interstellar.

Yari: American Graffiti.

Cole: La Strada.

Eddie: That Thing You Do.

(One of your) favorite bands?

Yari: Del Shannon is pretty cool.

Cole: The Smiths.

Angie: I don’t know — too many bands…Slipknot.

Eddie: Too many bands, but AC/DC got me started, so.

Favorite Drink?

Angie: Tequila.

Yari: Rum and coke.

Cole: Whiskey.

Eddie: Whiskey and Coke.

Favorite Food?

Yari: Tacos all the way.

Eddie: Tacos.

Cole: Pizza.

Angie: I like food, I’ll eat whatever. As long as it’s not liver with onions, we’re good. or clams or oysters.