Quantunes: A playlist by Cartalk

on
0
Cartalk

In today’s QUARANTUNES, Cartalk’s Chuck Moore talks about catching up on reading, revisiting some beloved albums and having an apt song for the moment. That tune, “Sayings You Keep,” appears on the charity compilation “Demos From Quarantine, Vol. 2.”

THE LATEST FROM CARTALK

With evocative singles such as “Noonday Devil,” “Wrestling” and “Sleep,” Cartalk have elbowed their way into conversations about L.A.’s best emerging bands. Singer-songwriter Chuck Moore has one foot in the indie-rock world and the other in the fertile soil of Americana [see the playlist below], and there’s a full-length album coming later this year. Meanwhile, though, Moore has joined other artists in contributing to the just-released compilation “Demos From Quarantine, Vol. 2” from the Anxiety Blanket label. Proceeds from both volumes (the first was released March 31) go to MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. Cartalk’s contribution was the song “Sayings You Keep.” “I had been holding onto this line, ‘You have everything you need from within. It wouldn’t happen to you if you couldn’t handle it,’ since fall 2018,” Moore says. “I kept imagining and trying to write a full song (what is a full song?) with that line being the nucleus. Nothing ever felt right because I realized that nothing else needed to be said. I wanted the listener to take that line and run with it themselves — hoping to offer some serenity, something to hold onto.” Also, Moore portrayed a theater employee in the video for “Noonday Devil,” released in February.

HOW ARE YOU HOLDING UP AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MANAGE THE ‘STAY AT HOME’ EDICT?

I’m holding up all right, trying to take this time to rest and reset. I’ve been writing about the things I’ve been meaning to give some time to. I’m reading a lot, currently finishing up “You Are Here” by Thich Nhat Hanh and “A Field Guide to Getting Lost” by Rebecca Solnit. I’m revisiting records — “The Pretender” by Jackson Browne, “Masterpiece” by Big Thief, “Photographs & Memories: His Greatest Hits” by Jim Croce and many others. I’ve also been biking and taking walks around my neighborhood. With everything being uncertain right now, I’m finding the things that help me feel grounded.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO WHEN THIS IS OVER?

I can’t wait to hug all my friends and family. That will be the greatest. I’m also looking forward to playing and going to shows!

ANYTHING WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS PLAYLIST?

These are a collection of songs that have carried me through the years — songs that I’ve leaned on.