My next guest is a musician based out of Houston, TX who’s gearing up to release his much
anticipated single, “Amigo” on Friday April 28th. His Texas Country twang and soulful stage presence have helped him to amass a following of over 13,000 on his TikTok channel. He’s energetic, up-and-coming, and always ready to put on a show. Please welcome my next guest, Charlie McCabe.
The Background
If it wasn't for hearing it from Charlie himself, I wouldn't believe that he wasn't a Texas native from birth. Charlie spent his early years up north in Wisconsin after originally being born in Chicago, Illinois.
"As you can imagine, a [Chicago] Bears fan living a couple miles from Green Bay - not a super fun place to be."
Despite the rivalry between his beloved Chicago Bears and and the dreaded Green Bay Packers, McCabe recounts how much he loved his time in Wisconsin by saying,
"If you've never been up there, there's tall trees - such a beautiful place. We lived right by Lake Michigan."
As he neared high school age, McCabe and his family ventured south and set down roots just outside of Austin in Leander, TX. Over the next few years he would spend much of his time playing baseball, his favorite sport.
Fast few forward a few years and McCabe would find his way to the university that would end up meaning so much to him - Texas A&M.
College Years
With the majority of his family stemming from the Midwest, Charlie McCabe staked his claim on College Station as a first generation Aggie. Shortly after beginning classes, McCabe began recording songs on Soundcloud with a friend in their freshman dorm room. His friend on piano and McCabe leading the way with vocals.
It actually wasn't until McCabe had to pack his bags and head home to his parents during the COVID-19 pandemic that he would pick up his dad's old guitar and learn to play for himself.
McCabe was thankful he'd lived in Texas for a while at this point because the punk rock/alt-rock style of music he grew up on wasn't the most recent of his musical inspirations. He spent his quarantined months at home learning the G, D, C and E chords - of which he was able to play most of his newly beloved Texas Country tunes.
Move forward a year or two later and he would begin the adventure of writing his first album or EP (extended play) with another of his best friends, Jackson Sorrell.
"If you don't know Jackson Sorrell, he's likely the best guitar player that I've ever seen/known. I couldn't think of a better person to ask for something like this."
After agreeing to help, Sorrell and McCabe would spend the next few months watching every YouTube video they could find about how to produce music. The only catch being that they had no equipment to even begin.
With the free version of music production software they downloaded, a microphone purchased online and some good ole' determination - they rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
A few months later - The Devil Leaves at Sunrise was officially released.
These Days
Currently, Charlie McCabe spends his days working as a marketer for a real estate firm and his nights traveling the Texas highways en route to his next gig.
It's not easy work to balance working a full time job on top of pursuing his career in music. However, when push comes to shove, McCabe exclaims his love for the grind. He wants others to pursue something their passionate about and urges them to do so because regardless of how much time you have, there's nothing as rewarding as succeeding in what you're truly striving for.
Before and after work these days Charlie practices with his band in Houston, TX and performs for crowds all across the state.
His highly anticipated new release, Amigo, will be here on Friday (11pm CST for those of you in Texas) and he can't wait to share the song with the world. If you want to join the release party, you can catch Charlie and his full band at The Tap in College Station on Friday, April 28th.
If you want to keep up with Charlie, you can follow him on TikTok @charliemccabe_ or on Instagram @charliemccabe_1. You can find his music on all major streaming platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify or go directly to the source on his website charliemccabemusic.com.
Charlie McCabe is a phenomenal musician and an even better human. I wish him nothing but success and encourage everyone to go out there and download his new tune, Amigo in a few short days!
P.S. There's a sneak preview of Charlie's new tune in our podcast episode - click here to listen!
Vin
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